Doctors And Nurses Are Confessing “Dark Secrets” About The Medical Field That No One Knows

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“I left clinical practice in 2019. This is the straw that broke the camel’s back: An insurance company that our office manager had put off for about six months, as she knew what they wanted, came to meet with the providers in my office over lunch one day. The largest insurance company in the state. They spent the hour berating the other doctor, me, and our nurse practitioner about metrics. Too many people weren’t getting the medications and preventative tests we ordered. Our clinic was deep in doomsday prepper country, so most of the patients refused to get mammograms, colonoscopies, bloodwork, etc. This was always documented in the chart that these had been ordered and that the patients were counseled, but still refused. Or they were ordered, but the patients never went to get the test done or fill the prescription.”

“Come to find out, the insurance company was not properly reviewing charts because oftentimes, prescriptions weren’t filled because the medication had been changed. Or the cost of the med or co-pay was too high. So, we were berated for things outside our control or because they couldn’t be bothered to look at the full picture. The insurance company then offered incentives (aka, bribes) to persuade the patients to fill these discontinued prescriptions or tests they didn’t want. My colleague, who owned the clinic, asked them how far they wanted us to go. Did they want us to pay for their prescriptions? Drive to their homes and shove the pills down their throats? Remove them from their homes and drive them kicking and screaming to the lab, radiology place, or surgicenter? I have never been prouder to work with him. Of course, the insurance company didn’t like that at all and said we were being unreasonable.

When I left for the day, I called my husband to discuss borrowing money from my parents to pay for my tail coverage (around $22K), which is essentially a buyout of your malpractice coverage that continues to insure you for a specified amount of time once you stop practicing. I was so worried he’d think less of me for wanting to quit medicine. I’d spent so many years where I’d worked so hard under awful conditions to get where I was. Was it a waste? Nope. He was so supportive. Just wanted me to be happy. Wanted me to be able to sleep at night without sleeping pills. For my terrible work-related anxiety to get better. My family was the same way. My stepdad didn’t even let me finish my story before he asked how much money I’d need to quit. I’m so lucky to have that kind of help. After a few months, I got a university teaching job, quit medicine, and have never looked back. I miss some patients, but nothing else.”

—Anonymous, 47, Arizona