By Jane Clabby

A Physician from Barnabas Health System Weighs In

Dr. Craig Saunders, Chairman of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Barnabas Health System, shares his thoughts on the problems with our health care system.  According to Dr. Saunders, the solution includes leaving politicians out of the equation.

“There is no crisis in the practice of medicine, the crisis is in the business of medicine.  Unfortunately money cannot be taken out of the equation; the payers now run Health Care.  Politicians, corporations, insurance companies, lawyers and accountants now have more influence on health care than patient consumers and physician providers.  Physicians should be chastised for allowing that to happen and for letting their patient advocacy falter.”

“Unfortunately there are probably as many bad physicians as there are bad lawyers but the good ones have to step up and provide the passion and vision for tomorrow’s health care.  It won’t look like your grandfather’s health care . . . and it shouldn’t, the only constant is change. Private practice may be a relic of the “cottage industry” phase of medicine but that doesn’t mean an impersonal government or corporation should run health care either.  The future of medical care should be based heavily on a collaboration of able and motivated physicians and administrators working together to build quality health care programs with fiscal responsibility.  With fiscal responsibility will come sustainability and with the quality will come value.”

“This may all sound theoretical but already excellent examples exist and nothing exists that wasn’t, at one point, theory.”

Stay tuned for future blogs that provide details of our interview with Dr. Saunders.