Doctors today employ better diagnostic procedures and innovative surgical procedures, such as the use of robots. While this generally improves care, it drives up costs. Meanwhile, the price of a medical education is rising exponentially, and the time required for training continues to increase. If you want to become a doctor, you must go through four years of expensive medical school after college-and then it's on to residency and fellowship training, which can last anywhere from three to ten years. Due to changes in reimbursement and a rise in the number of employed physicians in practice, the financial rewards of pursuing a career in medicine are diminishing. Charles Antinori, MD, FACS, who recently retired after a half century doing surgery, takes a detailed look at the American health care system, including where it's coming up short. He concludes that surgery is a very satisfying discipline, even though it involves long hours and hard work. In Make America Healthy Again, he recounts his experiences, many of which are humorous, and shares recommendations that could improve the health care system and pave the way for more Americans to enjoy good health.
