Want to be Physician of the Year?

[brian_igo]

Got $1250?

I sincerely hoped this story was an internet hoax or April Fool's joke. It is neither.

The good news reached the Jamestown, N.Y., office of Dr. Rudolph Mueller in a fax from a congressman in Washington. Mueller had been named 2004 Physician of the Year.

"My secretary came running in and said, 'Dr. Rudy, look at what you've won, you're Physician of the Year,' " said Mueller, an internist.

But to receive the award in person at a special two-day workshop in Washington last month, Mueller found out that he would have to make a $1,250 contribution to the National Republican Congressional Committee. It was a disturbing discovery, he said.

(snip)

To see what the award process was all about, Mueller sent in his $1,250 contribution and ABC News paid for his travel to Washington for the scheduled events March 14-15, which included a tax-reform workshop as well as appearances by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, and President Bush.

Mueller soon found he was not the only winner. There were hundreds of Physicians of the Year present, many of whom found the criteria for being selected equally as opaque.

"You know, nobody knows, so don't feel bad about it," Mueller said one attendee told him. "I think that more than likely it's to get us Republicans together under the pretense that maybe you will work a little harder to keep Republicans in office."

Another winner was more blunt. "I don't think it's worth it from the standpoint of your own qualifications, but I think it's worth it to support the party," he said. "Basically it's one big monstrous donation to the party."

Bush told the "Physicians of the Year" that their cover charge was a "wise investment", and a not-small number of those in attendance agreed.

(Mueller) should use the award as a marketing tool, they said, as an impressive honor he could tell patients. And on the Internet, ABC News found physicians across the country doing just that — listing NRCC's Physician of the Year among their honors and credentials.

Daily Kos also did some looking, and here are some of the Physicians of the Year that they found:

Dr. John Fullerton of Fairfax, CA, a geriatrician, made news last year when he sued the Florida Medical Association for criticizing his testimony in a medical malpractice case. Dr. Fullerton (Imisre)presents his bonafides thusly:

Dr. Fullerton...this year received a California Physician of the Year award from Congress...

Note, also, that the FMA was investigating him for possibly providing false information to win a medical malpractice trial.

Moving on, we come to Dr. Chris Philippart of North Carolina, an oncologist whose award merited an item in the North Carolina Medical Society's newsletter:

Dr. Chris Philippart of Crystal Coast Radiation Oncology, P.A. was awarded the Physician of the Year Award for the State of North Carolina by the United States Congress on January 27, 2004, in Washington, D.C. Congressman Tom Reynolds presented the award. ... He also serves as a member of both the U.S. Congress House Majority Trust and Congressional Majority Trust, where in 2003 he received the 2003 National Leadership Award from Congressman Tom Delay.

There's that name again. Note that his 2003 Leadership Award lines up neatly with a series of NRCC donations in 2003 as well. And note that again, his award is misrepresented as being from the Congress instead of the Republican Party.

In at least one case, it appears neither actually attending a medical school or being a practicing physician is a requirement to becoming a Physician of the Year:

First up is Dr. Abbas Qutab, a chiropractor who founded the Elan Vital Spa in Worcester, Mass. He promotes himself thusly:

In 2003 he received the "Physician of the Year" award for his active role in the NRCC of the National Health Care and Medicare Reforms Committee.

It's a bit hard to believe that a yoga teacher and ayurvedic doctor could be a Republican, but it takes all sorts, I suppose. In any case, he takes the dishonesty one step farther by saying he received -the- award, rather than one of hundreds.

Personally, I think it's a bit hard to believe that a yoga teacher and herbalist could hang "Dr." in front of his name with a straight face, let alone Physician of the Year.


I know Bush said he would restore honor to the Oval Office. But did anyone think to ask when he would do it?






Brian

[mjfrombuffalo[$]]

so it's like the Who's Who of American High School Students and those silly poetry contest/books...

[drmomentum[$]]

"Oooh, I got scammed. Might as well play along. Don't want to look stupid. After all, I'm Physician of the Year."

-JP

[theworm[$]]

drmomentum said

"Oooh, I got scammed. Might as well play along. Don't want to look stupid. After all, I'm Physician of the Year."

-JP

Yeah - now you're an honored member of the Republican Party.

[erik_kosberg]

Why limit it to physicians? Dentist of the Year, Trial Lawyer of the Year (maybe farm this one out to the Dems?), Administrative Assistant of the Year, Auto Mechanic of the Year...

[theworm[$]]

Worm of the Year!!!!

[realtraveller]

You could have titled this thread "Want to be Ambassador to Luxembourg?" [or fill in the unimportant country of your choice].

However, it'll take more $$ than $1,250.

You post this as thought there is something new in giving accolades for money!?

[erik_kosberg]

Luxembourg was important enough country for Republicans to get their grundies in a snit when Clinton wanted to appoint an ambassador to it.

[brian_igo]

realtraveller said

You could have titled this thread "Want to be Ambassador to Luxembourg?" [or fill in the unimportant country of your choice].

However, it'll take more $$ than $1,250.

You post this as thought there is something new in giving accolades for money!?

Hell of a difference between a patronage ambassadorship and giving out faux professional awards that surreptuously bolster the reputation of people who literally make life and death decisions every day. A bad ambassador to Luxemborg can't hurt anyone. A bad doctor who gets to promote himself to unsuspecting patients as a Congressionally-honored "Physician of the Year" can kill.




Brian

[Helen_B[$]]

What do you call a doctor who graduated at the bottom of his class? Doctor!

[wivabef]

brian_igo said

Hell of a difference between a patronage ambassadorship and giving out faux professional awards that surreptuously bolster the reputation of people who literally make life and death decisions every day. A bad ambassador to Luxemborg can't hurt anyone. A bad doctor who gets to promote himself to unsuspecting patients as a Congressionally-honored "Physician of the Year" can kill.




Brian

Both are bad. The only difference between ambassador appointments and these bogus Physician of the Year awards is with the latter the application process is upfront.

[MrsNormanMaine[$]]

I've been getting this particular scam for years. It started out as phone calls, then moved on to junk faxes. The perpetrators forgot, however, that faxes leave hard evidence behind...

Dr. MNM

[drmomentum[$]]

Who needs the Republican party at all?

I declare myself Blogger of the Year!

-JP

[wivabef]

I'm slacker of the year!

[mjfrombuffalo[$]]

I'm um... er... I'm ah... I'm the Least Creative of the Year!

[emeleel]

I'm Procrastinator of the Year! Not sure when I'll get around to sending in the paperwork....

[brian_igo]

MrsNormanMaine said

I've been getting this particular scam for years. It started out as phone calls, then moved on to junk faxes. The perpetrators forgot, however, that faxes leave hard evidence behind...

Dr. MNM

Unfortunately, recent history has given this crowd reason to believe evidence is irrelevent. The flock has developed a most depressing habit of choosing what they want to believe or what they feel over what is.