But what if the old media dies much more quickly? What if a hurricane comes along and obliterates the dunes entirely? Specifically, what if TheNew York Times goes out of business—like, this May?
It will also mean the end of a certain kind of quasi-bohemian urban existence for the thousands of smart middle-class writers, journalists, and public intellectuals who have, until now, lived semi-charmed kinds of lives of the mind.
So doctors face the same challenges. They’ve been gobbled up and employed by the large institutions that form ginormous doctor groups. However, what’s the benefit to doctors? They get a steady income right off the bat. That’s it. What if they simply hung up their shingle, took out a small loan for the first 6 months of their practice, and went at it alone? Well, they wouldn’t have the advantages of having a group that covers their patients while they’re off work. So there’s freedom in physical numbers right?
Well, here’s the deal. The next version of Hello Health has built in social networking features for doctors to connect with one another. Doctors “friend” other doctors and add them to their call team ending the whole siloed, independent practice.
Just as authors can now be independent bloggers and make a living off their blogs, Hello Health gives doctors the opportunity to be independent and make a living off Hello Health. Keeping it real. Keeping it local. Keeping them independent and local, yet supported by their doctor “friends” on the platform to also give them freedom and time off. It’s a whole new world folks.
great piece by Michael Hirschorn in The Atlantic
End Times – The Atlantic (January/February 2009)
(via fred-wilson)