The Decline of American Medicine: Where Have All the Doctors Gone? [Paperback]

Michael Rosenblum (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 28, 2003

Why is it so difficult to find a good doctor, and see the doctor when you have a problem? Why are you told to "go to the emergency room?" Why is your "doctor" a nurse practitioner? The U.S. health care system, heralded as the finest in the world, has been in decline for a number of years. Here are the explanations for the decline in availability of primary health care, its increasing cost, and the increasingly impersonal care encountered by the patient. Dr. Rosenblum, chosen by his peers as a leading physician in his community, clarifies the many issues contributing to deterioration of health care. He employs his experience as an internist, and interviews with key individuals involved in health policy and health care delivery. He proposes solutions to halt the disintegration of primary health care, which if restored to its former position of prominence, would reverse the downhill course of medical care in the United States.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr. Michael Rosenblum, chosen by his fellow physicians in several published surveys as one of the best doctors in the San Francisco Bay Area, shut down his internal medicine practice due to an avalanche of regulatory pressures. He is now a health consultant, lecturer, writer, and guitar-picker, and enjoys working in his hillside garden.

Product Details

• Paperback: 124 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. (July 28, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595284191
• ISBN-13: 978-0595284191
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,442,266 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An eye opening account about the state of our medical system, September 6, 2003

By 

Michael J. Sheahan (Oakley, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Decline of American Medicine: Where Have All the Doctors Gone? (Paperback)

If you are wondering why your medical care has deteriorated and why it is difficult to get the type of health care you want, you must read this book. The author explains very well how it was, what happened, where it is today and what we can expect in the future from our doctors, hospitals and health care providers. You hear many things about the condition of our health care system from different sources, but this comes right from a man who was there in the trenches fighting insurance companies, HMO's and the like in an attempt to provide the best health care possible in continually deteriorating conditions. Having been a firefighter / medic for many years and working closely with emergency room staff, doctors and hospitals I can appreciate the substance of this book. If you are in the health care field you have to read this book, if you are using the health care system you MUST read this book. A must read for anyone who sees a decline in the care they are getting today. I had trouble putting the book down after I started reading it!!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Listen to someone on the frontlines of American medicine, September 17, 2003

By 

Ernest Lavagetto "erniel" (Walnut Creek, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Decline of American Medicine: Where Have All the Doctors Gone? (Paperback)

It is does not matter if you come to this subject from the left or the right, this book will both scare and anger you. Doctors are being paid by HMOs to actuallly not see patients on one hand and are buried in governement mandated paperwork on the other. Whether it is the marketplace or the bureaucracy who is is actually focused on healthcare? This book gives the reader a real world "in the trenches" understanding of the forces at play in modern medicine and will give you the courage to demand proper service for yourself and your loved ones.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A researcher's view of the validity of this book, September 21, 2003

By 

Professor LEE P ROBBINS (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Decline of American Medicine: Where Have All the Doctors Gone? (Paperback)

As a Professor of Management teaching organizational and social research to doctoral students, a citizen active in national politics and an aging increasing consumer of medical services, I found this book carefully researched and quite useful. It helped me see ways to move beyond the current mess in terms of national policy and, on a personal level, what to do for myself and my family.

It's truly shocking that the U.S. -- with the highest per capita medical expenditures in the world -- falls substantially below a number of other countries in life expectancy. For the unemployed, the poor AND many in the middle class, the widespread lack of medical services and insurance is an embarrassment and a scandal. As Dr. Rosenblum demonstrates, the result creates intense personal suffering and greatly increases the real cost to taxpayers because uninsured individuals end up in emergency rooms or extended hospital stays due to lack of early treatment. On a personal level, even though I am a well-employed and insured professional, I find it increasingly difficult to obtain necessary care as frustrated doctors retire early or restrict whom they treat.

Dr. Rosenblum's text suggests way to help cure our horrendous medical mess on a national and community level and points out what I need to do to care for myself and my family in the meantime. I believe every concerned citizen, activist and concerned user of medical care will benefit from this book.