DE: How you doin'?
MB: David Ellington is an increasingly rare type of American physician.
DE: Did you all go to Denver this year?
MB: In a nation where many of the world's most renowned doctors practice highly-specialized medicine...(DE: Take a deep breath.)...Ellington has spent the last two decades tending to the varied health needs of everyday people in Lexington, Virginia.
DE: Your sugar looks good. Your kidneys...
MB: He would not have it any other way.
DE: I love people. And I love old people, I love young people. This is your arthritis that's acting up on you?
MB: Patients appreciate Ellington's personalized attention.
DE: Is that making your finger numb at all?...Yeah.
MB: Jane Patton came to the doctor complaining of numbness in her fingers.
JP: What makes him special is he sits...I'm always amazed that he sits down and talks to you.
MB: But studies show a declining number of American medical graduates opting for family medicine and project a shortage of 40,000 primary care doctors in the United States by 2020. Dr. Ellington says this is no surprise.
DE: I'm paid about a third as much as an oncologist, some interventional radiologists, dermatologists, and some types of surgeons.
MB: And that pay differential matters as young doctors struggle to pay off student loans. The cost of a U.S. medical education can approach a quarter-million dollars. Ellington began practicing medicine in the U.S. Armed Forces in California and Germany. His sense of public duty continues in civilian life. In addition to his practice, he helped set up a free clinic that treats thousands of the area's poorer residents. Director Suzanne Sheridan says Dr. Ellington's contribution to the community is incalculable.
SS: He just doesn't talk about it. He really gets out there and he does it. Part of the numbers we collect are numbers of hours that are volunteered...(DE: You haven't had any rash?)...there were hundreds of hours that he spends here a year.
MB: Ellington says he hopes U.S. healthcare reform reduces paperwork and provides coverage for all Americans, especially in primary care.
DE: There have actually been a number of studies that have shown that if you increase the primary care in a certain area by “X” amount, that you will see a decrease in the death rate, a decrease in utilization of resources, a decrease in hospitalizations, a decrease in surgeries, and an increase in the health of the community.
MB: But he fears that America's healthcare debate is being driven by fear and misinformation, rather than a rational discussion of needs and solutions.
DE: People are afraid that they're going to lose what they have. They're afraid of it.
MB: While debate rages in Washington and across the nation...(DE: So, you've not had a fever today?)...Dr. Ellington continues his work...(DE: Assessment: Either osteoarthritis or...)...which he describes more as a calling than a job.
DE: If you go into medicine to make money, it's not a calling...(Good, no swelling.)...You miss a lot of meals with your family, but you do it for a reason...(OK. Take care! Tell Annie “Hi!”)...
MB: Micheal Bowman, VOA News, Washington.
标题
Primary Care Doctors Needed in U.S. (VOA)
视频介绍
Voice of America - September 16, 2009
Report on the future shortage of primary care doctors in the United States.
