Physicians Running for Office: How Policies Influence Exam Room Protocols

Photo Credit: Arsenisspyros

Although many don’t think politics has a place in the exam room, political policies impact healthcare—leading some physicians to consider joining the fray.

It’s January 2024, and election news is already creating headlines. Although some physicians may feel we don’t have much to contribute to politics, this could not be further from the truth. So much of what doctors and the healthcare industry deal with daily is due to policies enacted at local, state, and national levels. While many don’t think politics has a place in the exam room, political policies profoundly impact the exam room.

Recently, politicians and judges have started to dictate the medical or surgical care of patients, and this is akin to practicing my license and completely inappropriate. So how do we, as physicians and experts on both medicine and shared decisions with our patients, reclaim policymaking based on data and science rather than the political whim of elected officials? We get involved. We show up to political events, we advocate and educate our elected officials, or better yet, we run for office. I recently was elected to my local school board, and I cannot tell you how valuable my voice as a physician-scientist and health expert has been.

Politics Directly Influence Healthcare

Physicians’ involvement in politics is critical because we can advocate for public health policies, share expertise on healthcare issues, and contribute to shaping legislation that affects medical practice and patient care. Politics influence healthcare policies, insurance, and resource allocation, which combine to impact the physician’s office or hospital environment. This often exacerbates physician burnout, delays in care, or the inability to access care. Many are unaware of this direct impact as it’s often shrouded in mystery or takes so long to become measurable. Although most physicians’ focus is on patient care, turning a blind eye to the political environment is a mistake. Physicians must show up at the table to address systemic issues that affect healthcare delivery and patient outcomes.

Unfortunately, we often don’t create policies based on data; we create policies based on anecdotes, stories, and emotions. Physician insights into a patient’s experience can help create effective and informed policies for the well-being of our communities. Stories lead to outcomes, and who better to share patient stories than the physicians who bear witness to this each day? It’s shocking how little some of our elected officials understand or know about health care or healthcare delivery. The first time I met with an elected official, they didn’t understand the difference between podiatrists and pediatricians. Although many of us may not feel like experts when it comes to health policy, given the exceptional myriad of regulations and complications, we know far more about the practice of medicine and the impact of those policies.

Bridging the Legislation Gap

Due to their scientific mindset and desire to understand and make data-based decisions, physicians make excellent legislators who are highly trusted, well respected, and often deeply rooted in their community. Their firsthand healthcare knowledge contributes to informed policymaking, advocates for evidence-based solutions, and bridges the gap between healthcare expertise and legislative decisions. This unique perspective can lead to more effective and nuanced approaches to public health and medical issues. Lastly, physicians possess exceptional interpersonal and communication skills that assist when explaining nuanced and complex scenarios to patients and families. This is a skill that is valuable as an elected official. And even if ultimately not elected, physicians can impact the discourse and discussion during an election, adding tremendous value.

I ran for the school board because so much of what I see in my day-to-day practice has little to do with health and more with social determinants of health. The most challenging situations in my office are related to a lack of housing, unsafe neighborhoods, and economic and food instability. These issues are rooted in poor education, and if we can improve the education of our communities, we can alter the trajectory of their health. We know that quality education results in better economic stability, which directly translates into improved health. Many physicians have talked about moving upstream and preventing illness before it begins, but my goal in running for school board was to move so far upstream that I’m no longer even in the traditional realm of healthcare. I have been privileged to bring my clinical and medical knowledge to positively impact many devastating health consequences from institutional challenges that cannot be addressed solely from the exam room.

Physicians interested in running for public office face many barriers, including navigating political complexity politics, managing potential conflicts between medical and political roles, and adapting to a different skill set required for campaigning and policymaking. Additionally, the demanding nature and time constraints of both professions pose challenges. Furthermore, friends and family must be on board with the plan and provide support.

However, if not us, then who? If we are serious about improving the health of our communities, we need positions involved in all levels of politics, city, county, state, and national, because our current disease care system is broken. I hope everyone reading this will get inspired to run for office, but I understand that’s not reality. However, there are several ways that we can all lean in and get involved. We can volunteer to make phone calls, hand out literature, or host an event for a candidate who supports physicians and health care. We can donate money to a campaign. We can tell our friends, family, church members, book club, soccer group, etc., why we support a specific candidate or ballot proposition. Lastly, we can get involved with various organizations, including our local or state medical societies, to collaborate on impacting and improving policy. Simply throwing our hands up in the air and saying, “Oh well,” or “That’s not my problem” is no longer acceptable, and health policy education and work must be part of medical school and ongoing work in which we all engage.