When I was working for Central DuPage Hospital, I really thought I would be making an impact on the families in Chicago's western suburbs. I believe I did, and the heart-felt letters from my patients when I left in '05 proved it. The hospital looked at numbers back then and me, my office partners and many of the other primary care offices were not turning a profit with the amount of patients coming through our doors. No hospital administrator ever showed me a spread sheet for the procedures I sent patients for at the hospital or the therapies I would order to "rehab" my injured. Not to mention over the 10+years I worked for them that every time I proudly stating I was a "Central DuPage Hospital" doctor, patients would trust in the hospital choice I gave them to have their kids or get surgery for their parents or even just tell their neighbors to go to that hospital.
I know my families appreciated me and it's uplifting to hear everyone looking for me even before I open my new office. My committment will be to the community I was taught to serve. The hospitals won't go away, we need them. What I teach my patients about health and wellness won't go away, in fact, I am hoping it gets passed to the next few generations. Those that ran the system and influenced it to be accustomed to wallstreet like mentality.....those people will get older. When you get older and carry a negative disposition and a calloused personality...........well, you get sick. And their lies the irony, I may have to care for the person that destroyed my bond with a good community.........see you soon!
