he did , and he was demanding of others , just as he was of himself , and suffered many of the frustrations of practice that we have all shared … but they were vastly overweighed by the simple pleasure of practicing his profession . Of course the practice was not owned by a third party , and there was very little interference in his ability to use sound clinical judgment without oversight by people who didn ’ t know a speculum from a spatula or a scalpel from a fire hydrant . He didn ’ t have business managers , or politicians , or hospital administrators or their selected henchmen counting RVUs or clocking the time he spent with patients or continuously discounting the value of the work he did .
When I left our practice , it had grown far larger and even more successful than when I had joined it , but when offered more “ prestigious ” positions , I took the opportunities offered , and did so for a number of years . Ultimately , however , I returned to private practice , often wishing in some ways I ’ d never left . Oh , I had wonderful experiences teaching , taking leadership positions in our national specialty organization and traveling all across our country and to many others over the course of the next 10 years or so , and my various positions permitted me to gain a depth of knowledge of our specialty , and medicine in general that would have been impossible without them . The interaction with government and private agencies and regulators provided me an insight and opportunity to better deal with many vexing issues facing medicine , but I always missed the joy of providing care to patients and the camaraderie that comes only by sharing that joy with colleagues who understand and appreciate what drives us to do what we do … work so hard ... sacrifice our personal lives , etc . I felt in some ways , and was described in fact by a close relative , as “ the guy who USED to be a doctor .” The bond we feel with patients is matched only by the closeness and bond we feel with our partners in practice . When I returned to practice after a hiatus , I enjoyed my practice even more than before , and at that time began to feel like my mentor had felt … at least for a while , until outside forces took over our practice completely , and you all know what happens then .
He and his wife were not just husband and wife . They were true partners in life and every part of it . She was at his side through thick and thin , as was he at hers . They truly lived for each other and their children , and ultimately their grandchildren . Many of us could learn from such singular focus and dedication . Just as he had succeeded in his profession , he wanted to and did support his wife in her own pursuits and dreams as she became a very successful businesswoman in her own right . Together they expanded their world into businesses , charity work , community leadership positions , touching and influencing so many , many lives and doing so in so many positive ways .
Were they a perfect couple , with a perfect life and perfect family ? Were they without strife or tension or heartache or pain ? It is quite doubtful , but it was never reflected in his eyes , or in hers . She died in the recent past , and he will miss her terribly , as will her entire family and the many friends she had over her lifetime .
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Her passing , however , has to me , additional meaning . I will miss forever , the opportunity I had so many years ago to nurture my relationship with him and her in order to look for those greener pastures … to learn more from them about the true joy of living both professionally and personally . I will always miss those lost years and the bonds which were lost . Did we always agree when we practiced together ? Hardly … but I always respected his dedication and love for his patients and the profession , and I always loved him like a brother , and will ever be grateful for the opportunity he gave me to join his practice . I don ’ t particularly regret the professional or personal choices I have made over my lifetime . At this point in my life I am quite happy and feel quite fortunate , though , like most of us , I have certainly had a few missteps along the way . I am , however , old and wise enough at this point in my life to recognize when someone else has made this journey of life a more consistently joyous and less rocky one , and to admire them for their steadfast dedication and attention to purpose , profession and family .
What does this have to do with us as a profession ? What I hate , as much as any loss is the tragic and pervasive loss in our profession of that feeling of pure joy which comes from the love of the practice of medicine . I hate the loss of the ability to use the talent , education , training and compassion which calls physicians to the profession in the first place , unencumbered by all the ancillary , unnecessary , joykilling , innovation-inhibiting know-it-alls who seem to increasingly control the practice of medicine without having the ability to do it themselves . That ’ s what her passing additionally means to me , and the memories , sense of loss and sadness which it brings , out of proportion , possibly , to the loss of her as the wonderful mother , wife and woman for which she will be remembered so fondly . Her passing is also the passing of an era of medicine which likely and extremely unfortunately will not be seen again in our lifetime . And we all suffer for it .
Perhaps , though , her passing and their story can point out that there can still be joy in the practice of medicine . We just have to look deeper for it . We have to look around and through the many impediments placed by regulators , administrators , payers and policy makers in order to focus on what brought us to this profession … the desire to serve others … to heal … to care … and to provide that human interaction combined with medical education and training that no artificial intelligence machine , no robot , no one other than us can provide . Perhaps it is time to reflect on who and what share these same goals and desires , and to develop true strategic partnerships with them to improve the care and the access to it that is possible and shun those forces that do not . Perhaps by doing so we can rekindle the sometimes-lost joys of practicing our profession . If we can do so , she and he and many others whom we all know and have loved over the years will be appropriately honored . Here ’ s to you , Norma and Charlie ( or N and C ).
Dr . Griffin is the VP and Chief Medical Officer for CareSource in Kentucky and West Virginia .
MAY 2022 19