FROM THE CHAIRMAN

by Michael Gregory, M.D., Chairman

The Recession: What Does it Really Mean?

June 12, 2009

You can’t watch the news, pick up a newspaper, or walk through the current events section of a bookstore and not know that the economy is right along side the Tidy Bowl man’s dingy.  Not just nationally, but globally.  Will it get better or worse???  The answer is a resounding “YES!”  Over the short run, it will get either better or worse; the one thing you can be sure of is that it will not be static.  The good news is that over the long term it will absolutely get better.  How do I know this?  Simple, over the last 2000 years of economic crises ranging from the annihilation of entire cultures, through civil and world wars, the holocaust, the world’s economy has improved and man’s place on this earth along with it.  While this isn’t exactly true for every place on the planet, it is undeniable for the planet as a whole. 

So, given the fact that the economy will improve, what are you doing to prepare for that eventuality?  We have all seen huge decreases in our retirement and college savings for our children.  But, if it really is going to get better, and we know it, why aren’t we taking advantage of it?  There are certain things we know to be true.  People will always need to eat, they will need a place to live, and, absent a sudden increase in the popularity of nudism, we will all need clothes.  Additionally, we all care deeply and personally about health care, at least so far as it touches our lives and the lives of those we love.  Therefore, I offer you these words of encouragement.  We are in the only business I can think of that the customer is literally dying to see us.  Every person on this planet will need health care at some point in their life.  Ask yourself, how much would you pay to save the life of someone you love?  Answer:  all you have, plus what you can borrow.  The need for health care is absolute; its importance is as much apart of our humanity as any other human trait. 

When you combine this current economic crisis with the long brewing health care crisis, I see tremendous opportunities for those who can bring forth meaningful and sustainable solutions.  The core of the Apogee Promise (Safety, Quality, Service and Value) is the delivery of better health care at a lower cost.  I don’t believe there has ever been a better time for hospitalist medicine.  Right now, 5% of Medicare beneficiaries consume over 50% of the total Medicare budget.  We are experts at treating sick patients.  If we do our jobs right, we (YOU) can be part of the solution to a problem that we all know is not going away on its own.  Not only can we help people, but we can make the world a better place.  Sound to far-fetched to be believable?  Making the world a better place?  I don’t know about you, but that is why I became a doctor.  As a single physician, I have the opportunity to help the few patients I touch during my life.  As Apogee, WE are changing health care in a way far greater than any of us could do on our own (more on this next time).

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