The Doctor within the Candidate

Since announcing my candidacy for Congress, I have been repeatedly asked about my years as a doctor. Everyday people have shown surprise that I would be willing to put a career I worked so hard to achieve on hold to run for Congress.

Let me first tell you about my years as a doctor and I have no doubt you’ll understand why I felt compelled to run in this race.

I am a Board Certified Neurosurgeon licensed to practice Brain and Spine surgery in North Carolina. A Board Certified Neurosurgeon is a doctor who has passed multiple tests insuring “future” patients that he is highly skilled and possesses the training and mental aptitude to perform the complex and highly risky procedures that neurosurgeons perform. Just to let you know there are a little over 2,000 neurosurgeons in the United States practicing today. There are not too many of us and the number practicing has been declining due to ongoing changes in the healthcare industry. The sad thing is that this trend is expected to worsen unless significant changes are made in our healthcare system.

As a young boy I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I worked and sacrificed to reach my dream. I am testament that hard work and due diligence will be rewarded.

Many patients have shown their appreciation in many ways but the most satisfying is by what they say such as “thank you doctor for saving my life”. When someone actually says this to you with tears in their eyes as well as in their spouses or accompanying family members it affects you deeply. There is no greater reward in life than to be able to say, “I was just doing what I was trained to do and you are so very welcome”. “Thank you for the honor of allowing me to take care of you”. You see, this is what practicing medicine is all about. It is not about the money you make or how big your car or house is. It is about caring for people who need your help. For me, it is about providing very specialized assistance.

If we, as doctors, were left to practice medicine as we believe it should be practiced with no intrusion by our federal government, I would be content to continue the job that I love so much. But, our government is intruding into the sacred relationship that has existed between patient and doctor since medicine began. Because of government involvement, doctors no longer have control over many aspects of medical care and recommended treatments. Doctors don’t have the authority we once had that determines how long you as a patient can remain in the hospital or even if you can be admitted for a procedure. Did you know that as doctors we can’t even treat a Medicare patient for free even if we wanted to? In fact, doctors can be jailed for doing this simple act of caring! We must bill according to a complicated system of codes and if we make an error it is up to the government bureaucrat to decide if the error was accidental or intentional. There are harsh penalties in excess of $50,000 per incident if deemed intentional.

You cannot expect a lay person or attorney to fix this mess in Washington. You have to fix the problem by putting people in Congress who can fix the mess the bureaucrats have made. As a doctor and surgeon with considerable experience I can assist other similarly minded doctors in formulating effective measures that will restore our health care system to one of prominence. This is why I am willing to put my career on hold. in order to help my country.

Every man, woman and child in this country should be able to receive the very best in medical care at a reasonable cost. The government cannot do this. Doctors must lead the way!

All the best,

John