Doctors inject political influence into laws

America's doctors, stung by rapidly rising malpractice insurance costs, are seeking to become a more potent political force in state legislatures across the country.

From West Virginia to Nevada, doctors are picketing, protesting and running for political office in greater numbers than ever. Some are even withholding services. The most recent example is in Philadelphia, where more than 300 doctors shuttered offices one day last week to attend a conference on medical malpractice issues.

That's behavior rarely seen before by doctors. Some hope that by becoming politically active, they can influence issues beyond medical malpractice, such as Medicare's solvency and prescription-drug costs.

"It's completely weird for physicians to be doing this," says Weldon Havins, CEO and special counsel for the Clark County Medical Society in Las Vegas. "Doctors are competing with lawyers who have, from their first day of law school, been trained and are aware of the political process and the importance of law. Doctors have absolutely zero training with that."

What an interesting trend! In my own mind I have often contrasted medicine and law. If this trend continues, we will all have to consider this contrast. At the risk of becoming pedantic and one sided I will share my concept.

Medicine involves a search for truth. The scientific method provides the basis of our decision making - what is the true diagnosis and what therapies really help. While we do not always succeed either in caring for individual patients or in finding the right principles (examples here include estrogens to prevent heart disease, antiarrythmics after myocardial infarctions), we are willing to reexamine our principles and methods - and then change to a better method.

In contrast I see law as advocacy. Legal methods include sophistry. The desired result is to win - regardless of truth. Lawyers are indifferent to truth - and define truth as their ability to influence the jury. While this characterization includes some hyperbole, it is not that far from truth.

If my formulation makes sense, then logically we would like physicians as legislators. They should look at issues searching for the best and most logical course - weighing all the pluses and minuses. I fear that politics being what they are, they too will succumb to the desire for power and reelection. But just maybe, they would do a better job. You will allow this general internist his dream won't you.