They're overwhelmed with patients and paperwork and they're leaving the field. Solutions could include patient-centered medical homes, healthcare coaches and fee changes. The days of the old-fashioned family doctor who knows us intimately and treats our kids — and our grandkids — are fading fast. Instead, we're more likely to find ourselves searching for a doctor who will take our insurance, then waiting weeks for an appointment and hours in the waiting and exam rooms. Our doctor will rush in and rush through a series of pokes and prods and a checklist of questions, check off some codes on our record, then rush out again. None of this makes us very happy — or, for that matter, the doctor either.
