Then you call me crazy? Your profession is cuckoo.

You entered 1L as a modern intelligent person. You emerged believing in supernatural core doctrines by cult indoctrination. This was so good, you do not even know it took place. You just ended up believing in the supernatural and pledging total allegiance to a criminal cult enterprise. And you have no idea what I am talking about, the indoctrination is that good.

Old corporate trust banker muscle memory kicking in.

Matt refuses to even address whether he supports or opposes ending the privity obstacle to a legal malpractice claim when lawyer carelessness has damaged an adverse third party. Suing everybody is OK in his book. Suing a lawyer is forbidden.

MATT vs. SUPREMACY CLAUSE!

GUARANTEED FIGHT TO THE DEATH!

I’ll sell tickets.

That being said, when I’m with a chronic-something or other patient listening to them talk about their pain for the last 6 years and I watch a new patient roll by, ashen, clutching the left side of his chest I’m not really left with a choice as to what I do. If I don’t see that STEMI on the EKG (which I physically can’t if I’m in another room) I can’t activate the cath lab within the proper amount of time (25 minutes from doorway is our guideline). I fall short on JCAHO core measures, which (although the most poorly evidence-based measures I’ve ever seen) have become regarded as standard of care. This type of situation plays itself out over and over again in any given work day. I have to balance spending time with my high-risk chief complaints soothing there feelings with resuscitating my truly SICK patients who don’t so much care how warm and fuzzy I am, but are more concerned with whether they are going to make it.

But right now, with a President who has staked a lot of his credibility on what is essentially a run at single payer, and filibuster proof majorities in Congress, you guys can’t afford to waste time or effort battling a well financed experienced opponent on an issue which in all reality is a minor risk and impact in your lives (yes, I know you THINK it’s bigger, but I’m talking facts). I’m sure demonizing lawyers seems a lot easier than taking on the behemoth of the federal government, but if you don’t this is all a moot argument.

What is an undoubtedly large and serious day to day impact is the single payer threat. Tort reform won’t be an issue. You’ll long for the day when your errors were only rarely picked up on, and you got the chance to explain yourselves at trial. Under a single payer system, the govt. will run you through some byzantine claims and review system which may even dock your pay for too many adverse outcomes, regardless of error. Plus the patients will still have lawyers! And that’s not to mention the complete and total control they’ll have over your pay, who you see, how often etc.

If you continue to waste time on an expensive, state to state battle against lawyers and the victims of malpractice, you might as well embrace single payer wholeheartedly, because it will pass you by before you ever get immunity, or even caps in 50 states.

You say there will be fewer and fewer doctors, but odds are that’s not true. There will always be people who want to go into medicine. And existing docs aren’t going to bail either, because mid-career they won’t be able to find another job making near what they make and allowing them to maintain their standard of living.