It is with great pleasure that I sit down to gather my thoughts for my monthly column “Health Simplified.” 

It feels like I am entering the second trimester of a much-awaited yet unplanned pregnancy as Physician Outlook On Health takes shape and grows within the womb of its parent publication, The Hispanic Outlook on Education. I have been working as a contributing editor to Hispanic Outlook, and it has been a rewarding experience way for me to dip my toes back into writing.

In December of 2016, I stumbled upon an article written by fellow pediatrician Dr. Marion Mass and read the following quote from an article she had penned for online blog Kevin MD https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2016/04/6-medical-breakdowns-in-my-mothers-care-and-1-close-call.html.

Her observation about the root cause of many of the problems...it was as if she had taken the words right out of my mouth.

“Hospitals have layers of administrators that do little to improve patient care and a lot to bog down the system. Since 1970, the number of physician caregivers has increased by 50 percent. During that same time, the number of health care administrators has grown by over 3,000 percent. Of course, we need administrators in the system, but I think most would agree that a 3,000 percent increase seems excessive. Aside from the financial burden of paying all those additional salaries, there is little evidence to show that this dramatic increase in administrators is actually improving patient care.”

I ended up “friending” Marion via Facebook and asked how I could help in her quest to wake up more Physicians to take action. Three and a half years later, I find myself launching a magazine that will do just that.

I have met some wonderful and strong Physician advocates through my work with Dr. Mass and by joining several grassroots, Physician-led organizations. Two are highlighted in this month’s issue, Dr. Katherine Barton and Dr. Amaryllis Sanchez. We are not just “virtual” friends; we are friends and fellow warriors IRL (in real life) to advocate for change and for what is right for our profession and our Patients.

This mini preview of PO in Hispanic Outlook will continue monthly until January 2020 when we plan to launch our first stand-alone issue. 3