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Professionalization and accreditation could all be described as a closed shop in labor terms. It's classist to say unions are bad while the AMA is good, or vice

Professionalization and accreditation could all be described as a closed shop in labor terms. It's classist to say unions are bad while the AMA is good, or vice versa. They're the same thing. Doctors may say they cannot form unions (AMA vs USA) but they have something even better: a closed shop. Closed shops are rarer than collective bargaining, and far more powerful.

deleted 11y ago
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onetwotree 11y ago
On the other hand, you really want a professional association that can put a doctor out of business permanently if they persistently fuck up, and assure that new doctors have the requisite training. The AMA is an example of professional licencing that does in fact benefit consumers. A line industrial worker who is always drunk on the job is a much smaller problem than a doctor who is always drunk on the job. That said, I'm all for unions, because they provide protection for workers from rent-seeking behavior by corporations. If it makes my prices a bit higher, so what.
- jackcosgrove 11y ago
  The artificial limiting of supply of physicians is terrible for consumers - it drives up costs and results in foregoing of care because people cannot afford treatment. I understand that physicians sacrifice a LOT during training, and so can expect high wages in return. I also understand that many physicians give away tens of thousands of dollars of free care every year. But I think the answer is to amateurize the medical profession. "Amateurize" means to use algorithms and tools to reduce complicated activities into bite-sized pieces that are easier to learn. Henry Ford amateurized automobile manufacturing. This would enable doctors to begin their careers faster and with less debt, and would enable more people to become doctors because the skills and aptitudes required to become a doctor would be reduced. Doctors now are still in the craftsman mindset, much like a carriage maker in 1910. I believe most doctors could be reduced to technicians much like CRNAs or PAs without affecting health outcomes. There would still need to be a core of highly trained physicians as there are now, to do research and bridge the knowledge gaps between the technicians, and perhaps this core could be the same size as the current yearly crop of MDs. But does a family practice doctor need 8 years of post-high school education and 3 years of residency to do routine diagnoses when the most likely course of action is, "Eat less and exercise more"? I don't think so.

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]

onetwotree 11y ago

On the other hand, you really want a professional association that can put a doctor out of business permanently if they persistently fuck up, and assure that new doctors have the requisite training. The AMA is an example of professional licencing that does in fact benefit consumers. A line industrial worker who is always drunk on the job is a much smaller problem than a doctor who is always drunk on the job. That said, I'm all for unions, because they provide protection for workers from rent-seeking behavior by corporations. If it makes my prices a bit higher, so what.

jackcosgrove 11y ago
The artificial limiting of supply of physicians is terrible for consumers - it drives up costs and results in foregoing of care because people cannot afford treatment. I understand that physicians sacrifice a LOT during training, and so can expect high wages in return. I also understand that many physicians give away tens of thousands of dollars of free care every year. But I think the answer is to amateurize the medical profession. "Amateurize" means to use algorithms and tools to reduce complicated activities into bite-sized pieces that are easier to learn. Henry Ford amateurized automobile manufacturing. This would enable doctors to begin their careers faster and with less debt, and would enable more people to become doctors because the skills and aptitudes required to become a doctor would be reduced. Doctors now are still in the craftsman mindset, much like a carriage maker in 1910. I believe most doctors could be reduced to technicians much like CRNAs or PAs without affecting health outcomes. There would still need to be a core of highly trained physicians as there are now, to do research and bridge the knowledge gaps between the technicians, and perhaps this core could be the same size as the current yearly crop of MDs. But does a family practice doctor need 8 years of post-high school education and 3 years of residency to do routine diagnoses when the most likely course of action is, "Eat less and exercise more"? I don't think so.