As A Doctor, What Information Do You Wish You Had Known Before You Went Into Private Practice?

This question was originally posted on Quora.com and was answered by Pavlov Pascale, Educator



I’m not a doctor, but my spouse is. He was so happy when he started a private practice. The money was rolling in like never before.

“I should have done this years ago,” he lamented, “Why did I wait so long.”

Then he Department of Public Health charged him after some addicts tricked him into prescribing narcotics.

You are a sitting duck in private practice. Record keeping is where they usually get you. Hospitals get fined $3000 for being out of compliance. Doctors in private practice can easily get fined $300,000 ($25,000 fine per script multiplied by months prescribed).

Even the lawyers remarked on the number of doctors they see being taken up on charges. It’s easier and safer than doing drug busts for the authorities, they claim.

BTW, you don’t have to let the DPH agents in if they show up at your office door flashing badges. That’s all intimidation. Once they enter and start looking through your files, they’ll find something wrong to bring you down.

My spouse did his residency at Mayo Clinic and his fellowship at Yale, but that’s all it took to destroy his career.

Hundreds of years ago, when opium ruled the day, addicts were spared while those who supplied them were brutalized and killed. It’s no different today. The addicts who destroyed my spouse’s career got a free ride, and he wasn’t the only doc they exploited for personal gain.

That’s the way the cookie crumbles. It was a hard fall for my spouse from the top all the way to the bottom. He should have stayed within the protective realm of an institution or joined a large private practice, but he went out on his own.

Don’t be a lone wolf. Surround yourself, protect yourself and cover all your bases.

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