"Buck" and Modern Medicine

Buck Branaman  is a genius. And the movie "Buck" is worth watching over and over. It's a movie in which you will meet a man like many who chose medicine WANTED to become. Mr. Branaman is one of the worldwide experts in horse-training and he's much more than that, he's probably the best human psychologist I've seen in a long time.

Now the thought struck me while watching one particular part of the film that Mr. Branaman would have quit his profession long ago were it not for the fact that people who seek his services do not compose a huge voting block and, as far as I can tell, pay him for what he does. Some actually save money for years to go to his clinics. Wow.

I can picture the moment when the government decides that all horses have a right to Buck Branaman's time and expertise, pass laws about how he may go about delivering his service,s and how he may be reimbursed. It's going to be the same day that he retires. I mean the way he treats the owner of the renegade Stud-Colt at toward the end of the film is not only a HIPAA violation, it is very POOR customer service, will generate a complaint, and the poor woman's money will have to be refunded.

EXCEPT... EXCEPT!!! The woman herself was grateful for the upbraiding she received and said, after, and through some tears, "He's right.... he's right.... I do have problems I need to fix and the horse is only one of them."

So I'm picturing myself saying something similar in the ER, "No sir, I am not refilling your pain medicines, you have problems which you are covering up by taking them and you are lying to me in order to try to get them from me, now, I can either call the cops on you right now, or I can help you find the help you need, but I am NOT refilling your narcotics."

For me, another job lost. But, thankfully, not for Buck Branaman.... not yet at least. Sometime after EHTALA is passed by congress.