To the Editor:

Wow! What a forthright, cogent and timely article (“Solo Practice: The Way of the Future,” February 1998). My thanks to Family Practice Management for publishing such a counterculture viewpoint that renders moot and void quite a few of the very articles you publish each month. In 1993, we were told to jump on the Clinton-care bandwagon since its adoption was inevitable. Wrong. And universal managed care and all other forms of centralized control are also not the inevitable tsunamis that the media would have us think.

Dr. Iliff's analogy about personal computers ousting mainframes is exactly right. No centralized control mechanism can ever approach the freedom, flexibility and performance of a diverse market of fully functioning individual physicians.

By the way, I must not be an “average academician” because upon reading this article I immediately routed it to all our residents and faculty, thus doing my part to promote the “independent model of practice.”

Editor's note:

Dr. Iliff's article has prompted a flood of responses from readers sharing their thoughts on the future of solo practice. In an upcoming issue, Family Practice Management will feature excerpts from selected responses.