Time Examines California Doctor Working Outside of Managed Care
In the "Steve Lopez's America" column in this week's Time magazine, columnist Lopez reports on Bill Davis, a California physician "fed up" with managed care who opted to quit his job at Sutter West Medical Group to practice with the not-for-profit Winters Health Care Foundation. When Davis, who was recently profiled in the Los Angeles Times, initially decided to give up medicine and begin teaching, the citizens of Winters, the town where he practiced medicine, decided to create a not-for-profit health foundation and retain Davis as resident physician. Because of start-up costs, the clinic is in the "hole" and getting reimbursed for treating low-income patients has been a "nightmare," but Davis now can make house calls and develop personal relationships with his patients. The clinic accepts all forms of payments, including "IOUs" and food, but "absolutely, positively, no HMO insurance." Davis said, "I don't know where all this is going to lead. But I'm tired of doing the wrong things as a doctor. I want to do the right things for a while and just hope it works out" (Lopez, Time, 2/26 issue).
This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.