Senator Coburn MD (R. OK) Engages Physicians on Sermo to Gauge Reaction to Healthcare Reform Bill

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Sermo (http://www.sermo.com), the world's largest online community for physicians, today announced the results of a Sermo poll and discussion initiated by Senator Tom Coburn, MD.  In just a few days, over 2,000 physicians participated in a post from Sen. Coburn asking physicians to share thoughts and concerns with the current health bills in Congress. The discussion with Sen. Coburn is part of an initiative by Sermo inviting all Congressmen and Senators to engage physicians in their constituencies.

With over 112,000 physicians collaborating every day, Sermo is an ideal resource for anyone that needs fast opinions from practicing specialists nationwide. Senators Specter (D. PA) and Alexander (R. TN) previously engaged the community on issues such as Medicaid expansion and Medicare reimbursement.  

On March 15, Sen. Coburn shared the results of his discussion with all Senators. He posed ten questions to the Sermo community including "What are the main issues you think health reform should address?" and "How well do you think Congress has done in listening to the concerns of physicians during the health reform debate in 2009?"

Poll Highlights:

• 90% of respondents believe Congress has done a 'poor job' of listening to their concerns.
• 94% of respondents indicated they don't believe politicians understand the issues comprising the fundamental problems in American healthcare.
• 80% of physicians polled believe the reform bill should introduce measures that reduce the practice of defensive medicine.
• 85% of respondents believe that it is 'unlikely' or 'very unlikely' the proposed bill will not increase the deficit. One psychiatrist comments, "Defensive medicine costs an inordinate amount of dollars, causing unnecessary tests all done to protect against a potential lawsuit."

"I appreciate the opportunity to engage the Sermo community on health reform as Congress hurtles toward a climatic vote in coming days," said Senator Coburn, a licensed OBGYN. "Once again, Sermo physicians have shared their concerns in a thoughtful and constructive manner.  I hope my colleagues in the Senate and Members of the House will listen to the collective voices of physicians who have experience helping patients all across America."  

Physicians on Sermo were thrilled to speak directly with a lawmaker about an issue that affects them so directly. One Neurologist offered his gratitude, "Senator: I genuinely appreciate your willingness to confer with those of us on the proverbial 'front-lines' in the healthcare battle."

To view the full discussion and polling results, visit the Sermo Blog at http://sermo.com/blog.  

Senators or Congressmen interested in interacting with MDs, contact Andrea Squitieri at [email protected] or visit http://sermo.com/client/contact-us.

About Sermo

Sermo is the largest online physician community, where over 112,000 physicians collaborate to improve patient care. Sermo provides access to its community for clients that need fast, actionable insights into treatments, drugs and devices. Learn more at www.sermo.com.

SOURCE Sermo