As physicians we need to take seriously, our role as servants to the community . Our role as a servant to the community in which we live is not limited to our work in the clinic. Some of you will practice in rural communities and will be looked upon for advice about health concerns of the community or region and be the person to whom this responsibility falls. Those people will look to you for sound judgment and wise counsel in their time of need. It is the overarching goal of this course to provide you with the first set of basic tools you will need to fulfill this need.
Physicians serve the less fortunate directly by providing needed medical care.
Unfortunately, medicine is not free. All of our efforts would come to a standstill if we were unable to pay for our supplies and staff. If you have no Margin, you have no Mission. In this course, we ask that you go back and learn how these clinics operate their businesses and provide the care for the underserved, so that you can take these lessons with you to use in your future work. The business of medicine is not just about HMO's or providing care to the underserved.