Philadelphia Medicine Fall 2021 - 24

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FEATURE continued
'While private practice can still be lucrative, it is more difficult to
make a living now. Insurance companies run a very tight ship.'
- Dr. Jaan Sidorov
" Back in the day, doctors went into private practice because it was
lucrative; they could be their own bosses and take care of patients in
a manner best for patients, " Sidorov said. " While private practice can
still be lucrative, it is more difficult to make a living now. Insurance
companies run a very tight ship. "
And, of course, the cost of doing business has gone up.
" It's daunting for physicians coming out of medical school, " he said.
The COVID-19 pandemic has not helped the situation.
" Unfortunately, the pandemic broke the back of some practices
that were weaker, " Sidorov said. " We saw some early retirements by
doctors in their late 50s and 60s. But while they got beat up, so did
the big health care systems. "
Figured out strategies
Within two weeks of the pandemic closing down offices, Sidorov
said private practice doctors quickly figured out strategies for treating
their patients.
It took the large health care systems longer to figure it out because
they had to use big-system approaches, he said.
Sidorov is very optimistic about the future for independent doctors.
" The thing that is the guiding star is that they want to do what
is best for patients, " he said. " They want the autonomy of clinical
decision making and private practice is the best guarantee for doing that.
" It's not perfect, as there's always someone second-guessing your
decisions, such as the medical malpractice attorneys and the insurance
companies, " Sidorov said. " Those two forces alone can make
life difficult for physicians working in the vineyards of health care. "
Sidorov believes independent physicians are one of the best-kept
secrets in health care.
" There is an under-recognized bunch of men and women out there
who are entrepreneur businesspeople working on behalf of patients
across the state and nation, " Sidorov said. " Independent physicians
are very loyal to patients and patients are loyal back.
" And one thing I observed is the quality and cost factor, " he said.
" A lot of doctors are providing superb, low-cost, high-quality care for
patients. They are smart and know what they are doing. "
For more information about the PA Clinical Network, visit www.
bit.ly/PAClinical1. *
David A. Kostival is a contributing writer to Philadelphia Medicine.
'Unfortunately, the pandemic broke the back of some practices
that were weaker. We saw some early retirements by doctors in
their late 50s and 60s. But while they got beat up, so did the big
health care systems.'
- Dr. Jaan Sidorov
24 Philadelphia Medicine : Fall 2021
http://philamedsoc.org http://www.bit.ly/PAClinical1
Philadelphia Medicine Fall 2021

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