I don't know how many of you contributed and frankly on an individual basis, it's none of my business. To those who have given, many thanks and encourage others to follow your example.

However, let me point out that when I started practicing neither chiropractors nor osteopaths were treated as equivalent care providers to physicians. Now it's "midlevel" providers consisting of PAs, NPs, pharmacists and certified RN educators. These folks are even in shopping malls as profitable enterprises.

This has all occurred on the backdrop of a dramatic decrease in your reimbursement/income.

The primary reason is lobbying.

It's not just in medicine but in many venues, e.g. pharma, lawyers, hospitals, insurance companies, equipment manufacturers and on and on. We all compete for a slice of the same pie.

We contribute and fight the least but expect that the world will treat us fairly because we're highly educated, trained and intelligent physicians. Well this is not a fair fight, it's mud wrestling.

So during this campaign, pick you favorite legislative candidates and give to them! Or easier yet, visit www.GIPAC.org and let GIPAC do the work for you. Whatever.

Just don't take all these cuts lying down for the sake of YOUR FUTURE!

Mike

Michael Safdi MD, MACG, FACP, FASGE
Ohio Gastroenterology and Liver Institute
msafdi@gmail.com.
2925 Vernon Place
Suite 100
Cincinnati, OH 45219
off. 513-751-6667 ext 2208