Welcome!
This is Side Effects, a newsletter about restoring medical culture. I hope to build a lively community of concerned doctors and patients interested in returning physician autonomy to American medicine; very glad you decided to stop by!
Here is the longer description from the “About” page:
About Side Effects
American medicine is being transformed. For decades, doctors have faced growing political, economic, and regulatory pressures—and thousands have left the field as a result. Many others are abandoning private practice in favor of large, bureaucratic facilities. In 1983, over 75% of doctors owned their own practices; today, fewer than half even work in private practice.
This is just one indication of a dramatic shift in the character of medical care. Doctor-patient relationships have grown more distant and formulaic; social and cultural pressures are causing medical institutions to become politicized; and new information technologies foisted upon physicians have, in many cases, contributed to ghastly medical errors.
In Side Effects, I hope to examine the origins and consequences of policy decisions that have led to these and other trends in medicine.
This newsletter includes both short posts and occasional, longer policy briefings and prescriptions in the “Longform Side Effects” section. I hope to build a community of concerned doctors, patients, and citizens committed to restoring physician autonomy in medicine. Thank you for joining me!
About Me
I’m a former Capitol Hill staffer and longtime policy editor and writer; in a previous life, I even earned a master’s degree in social work. My writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, National Affairs, The New Atlantis, The Weekly Standard, Regulation, BloombergBNA, and other outlets.
I became interested in medical culture partly as a result of witnessing the declining care of several chronically ill family members and friends. I also grew up hearing about the punishing work experiences of the many doctors, nurses, and pharmacists in my life. I want to advocate for people who are losing their way in large medical systems—both medical professionals and those they seek to help.
I’m also a visiting fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, a senior editor at Mosaic magazine, and a contributing editor at The Public Discourse and American Purpose magazines.