Let’s begin with a straightforward fact: Medicine is challenging.
It’s challenging for medical professionals, and it’s challenging for those seeking care. The frustrations of today’s health care landscape—endless paperwork, diminishing appointment durations, and the omnipresent need for insurance approvals—can create the impression that the essence of medicine is fading away.
**Trapped in the system**
For many years, I operated within the conventional insurance-backed model. I cherished my role as a physician, yet I increasingly found myself dedicating more time to paperwork, coding, and defending choices to individuals who had never met my patients than actually tending to them. Patients also experienced the pressure: hurried consultations, perplexing bills, and an overwhelming feeling that nobody was truly paying attention.
It felt as though we were all ensnared in a machine, where the vital decisions—regarding time, care, and what was optimal—were dictated by external forces. That’s not why I chose to become a physician, and I suspect it’s not why the majority of patients seek medical attention.
**Liberation and reclaiming independence.**
Ten years ago, I made a transition. I entered the sphere of direct care, where the connection between doctor and patient is prioritized above all. In this environment, I set my own timetable. I invest substantial time with my patients. I make choices based on what is best for them, rather than what serves an impersonal system.
Patients also gain more options. They can select their physician, arrange appointments that suit their schedules, and obtain responses to their inquiries without the pressure of haste. It’s a framework that honors the dignity and value of every individual—both physician and patient.
Let’s not kid ourselves: the current system is draining.
The relentless demand to see more patients in shorter periods, the mountain of paperwork, and the sensation of always reporting to someone unfamiliar with your patients—it’s sufficient to make anyone consider giving up.
But here’s the reality: We don’t have to resign ourselves to it. There are alternative methods to practice medicine, ones that prioritize people. The challenges posed by the system are tangible, but they are not unavoidable.
**The choice is ours to make.**
Choice is the common thread woven through all of this. As physicians, we have the power to determine how we practice. As patients, we can decide who we trust with our care. It’s easy to overlook, particularly when the system feels so expansive and inflexible, but we all possess agency. We all hold the capability to make a different choice.
So where does that leave us?
The challenges of contemporary health care are genuine, but they do not constitute the conclusion of the narrative. We have the capacity to pursue an alternative approach—to choose a route that places relationships, dignity, and authenticity at the forefront.
Whether you are a physician or a patient, you can opt to seek care that values your time, your expertise, and your humanity.
In direct care, I am not merely a provider. I am a physician. And my patients are not just statistics. They are individuals. That’s how it should be.
And at the end of the day, for me, it’s a choice that holds significant value!
*Grace Torres-Hodges is a podiatrist.*