poem

 Reimbursement Adjustments

In light of the recent decision of the federal government to cut reimbursements for American surgeons and defer cost of living inflationary adjustments, a new math is required. Maintaining a viable practice will grow increasingly untenable. Run the numbers. Now you have to whack out our gallbladders to make your monthly mortgage payment. Three abscesses will need to be lanced to justify your continued reliance on expensive brand name cold cereals. You’ll have to take an extra 4 days of call per month to afford to get your kids’ braces off. The equations are inscrutable but unfailingly correct. Seven appendectomies to assuage the guilt of four complications. Eight hernias will need patched to fill the hole you made in your own heart. One night you’ll get called in late for an emergency surgery on the festering open wound of your life. No one else can save it. In exchange for a successful outcome you get nothing from us, as per the terms of your last employment contract. Check the fine print. The math holds up.

6/9/25