Eric Bricker, MD

“Hear my #prayer, Lord; let my cry for #help come to you. Do not hide your face from me when I am in #distress. Turn your ear to me; when I call, #answer me quickly.” Psalms 102:1-2

“My eyes will be on the #faithful in the land, that they may #dwell with me; the one whose walk is blameless will #minister to me.” Psalms 101:6

@chrissyfarr Just watched it. Very good. Keep it up.

@DrDeepMD Ironically, probably most likely possible with vertical integration that collects premium. Maybe you should buy and transform @UnitedHealthGrp. 😉🤠

My long-term dream is to be in a position to buy an entire health system. The full hospital infrastructure, outpatient, all the payor contracts etc And totally flip the script No need to take a pay cut. We can and should do all the following: Physicians will be forbidden from charting There will be no “admin” - they will all have non-executive titles and all report to physician leaders All physician leaders will still see patients We will not accept any payor contract that requires prior auth Every payor contract will be publicly published Every single price of every single widget and service will be known and published publicly Doctors and clinicians will get paid MORE but will be required to form real relationships with patients - all appointments 30 minutes minimum, regardless of specialty No charting, ever No RVUs or volume quotas ever, comp based on combination of basic and specialty specific volumes, and on outcomes, continuity, and real patient relationships Zero non-compete clauses ever. Physicians own their careers and can practice wherever they want Enterprise liability for all malpractice with physicians not practicing defensive medicine and ordering unnecessary tests All clinical outcomes, complication rates, readmissions, and success data published publicly alongside prices Physicians control all hiring, firing, scheduling, and staffing with no corporate or admin interference No mandatory meetings, committees, compliance modules, DEI trainings, or “quality improvement” busywork MOC and board cert NOT required, we credential our own people and make sure they are competent already Every physician receives real equity and ownership stake in the health system Every patient has opportunity to vote and control community-based decisions in a decentralized framework Every patient gets same-day or next-day appointments Zero surprise bills ever with all costs known, itemized, and locked in before you say yes. No collections department Full, plain-English access to all test results, notes, and imaging the second they’re ready Real continuity, patients see the same physician and team for every visit, forever Discharge includes same-day meds, follow-up appointment, and transportation Preferred formularies from transparent pricing shops like @costplusdrugs Hospital food upgraded to chef-prepared, patient-chosen meals with focus on whole foods tailored to patient situation No backless paper gowns that flash the goods, only comfortable, dignified clothing provided Free valet parking and shuttles for every patient and family, no paid parking scams (this is sometimes the largest revenue driver for a health system, look it up) No 4 am vital signs or blood draws unless absolutely medically necessary, sleep tracked and prioritized on all inpatients Audible patient alarms are banned, all real-time alerts controlled by central command station that has eyes and ears on all patients at all times remotely, deploys as needed Sunlight exposure required during hospitalization Real pillows, real beds, and real blankets with no more torture-rack mattresses or 2-ply sheets Hospital smell officially banned, every room smells like fresh air and lavender instead of diarrhea and despair AI will replace 80% of the admins and probably 50% of the clinical staff to make this all happen… But. This is the future. What else would you add to the list??

@HeartOTXHeartMD Proverbs 3: 5-6 of course… “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Happy Birthday!!

For my 60th birthday, give me some random advice. Not about anything in particular. Just random advice. #PoppyTweets

“When I said, “My foot is #slipping,” your #unfailing love, Lord, supported me. When #anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me #joy.” Psalms 94:18-19

@AndrewJSauer So happy you are doing better. Just wonderful. Do we as doctors have a responsibility to address the bad apples in our profession? If yes, how?

I do not understand all the doctor-hating that seems to fill so much space online. I say that as a physician, yes. And also as someone who has now been on the other side of the bedrail. Of course, there are bad doctors. No profession is exempt from that. But the worst examples often consume all the attention, and in doing so, they can obscure something deeply true: great doctors bring hope, healing, and restoration into people’s lives every single day. I know that differently now. When I was the patient, lying on the ground with a shattered kneecap, staring at imaging that showed my patella in pieces, watching my knee fill with blood, feeling pain that seemed impossible to control, and fearing I might never walk normally again, I was not thinking about abstractions. I was thinking about disability. About loss. About whether life and physical ability, as I knew them, had just changed forever. Then I met the surgeon who reconstructed my knee. I will never forget Archie Heddings. He showed me the images and explained exactly what he would do. Piece by piece, he walked me through how he would reconstruct what had been broken. Screws. Tape. Sutures. Precision. Skill. Calm. He was quietly confident, never overstated. At one point I just bluntly asked, “Doc, can you fix this?” He looked at me, nodded calmly, and said, “Andrew, this is what I do. I fix broken, smashed stuff every day, all day. I will do my job, and you do your job with PT. You will walk, run, ski, and hike again.” That moment brought tears to my eyes. It also brought hope back into my soul. He booked the OR for the next day. Now, just 14 weeks after surgery, I am back seeing patients. During my last week rounding in the hospital, I climbed 160 flights of stairs. I can flex my knee to 130 degrees. I am not all the way back yet, but I am back in motion, back in purpose, and back in my life as a father and giving back to my patients and the world around me as best as I can. My surgeon is not God. But I will say this without hesitation: through his hands, his judgment, his training, and his care, he changed the trajectory of my life. So, when I hear sweeping contempt for doctors, I think now about moments like this. And it is much more personal. Sometimes the people who speak most dismissively about physicians have simply never had their moment yet, the moment when they are scared, hurting, vulnerable, and utterly dependent on someone with the training and courage to do what almost no one else can do. When that moment comes, they may understand. Doctors can do far more than treat disease or repair injury. Sometimes, they give people their lives back. Tell your doctor you appreciate him or her. A simple genuine thank you will really make a difference.

“#Love and #faithfulness meet together; #righteousness and #peace kiss each other.” Psalms 85:10

“I will #listen to what God the Lord says; he promises #peace to his people, his faithful servants— but let them not turn to #folly.” Psalms 85:8

“…even the #children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their #trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would #keep his commands.” Psalms 78:6-7

“I will consider all your #works and #meditate on all your mighty #deeds.” Psalms 77:12

“…God is #love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” 1 John 4:16

“For he will deliver the #needy who cry out, the #afflicted who have no one to help.” Psalms 72:12

“The whole earth is filled with #awe at your #wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of #joy.” Psalms 65:8

“Truly my soul finds #rest in God; my #salvation comes from him.” Psalms 62:1

“…lead me to the #rock that is #higher than I. For you have been my #refuge, a strong tower against the foe.” Psalms 61:2-3

“…in the great #congregation I will #praise the Lord.” Psalms 26:12

“In your #majesty ride forth victoriously in the cause of #truth, #humility and #justice; let your right hand achieve awesome deeds.” Psalms 45:4

“But may all who seek you #rejoice and be glad in you; may those who long for your #saving help always say, “The Lord is #great!”” Psalms 40:16

@noahkaufmanmd @JoinCrowdHealth Super!

I have lived this for 23 years. Us ER docs don’t bill or make these decisions. We see patients, make a note, and either in-house billers or 3rd party billers (who get a CUT of the billing revenue 🤯) take our doc notes and convert into charges. Us docs are kept in the dark. Massive fraud is baked into the ER billing system for hospitals. This is why we are creating transparency and taking back control of acute healthcare @KaufCare

If you have gone to the ER, or expect to ever go to the ER you need to understand this. There are 5 codes in which they can bill you for stepping into the ER: 99281: “You basically walked in and said hi.” Stubbed toe. Paper cut. Insect bit. At Crowd, we have never seen this billed. These should be a "suck it up" or a "you should have gone to Urgent Care instead" issue. 99282: “Minor evaluation. Quick fix.” A few stitches, sprains, ear infection. We have seen this billed a handful of times. 99283: “This is probably straightforward.” Dehydration, Mild abdominal pain. Low complexity decision making, low risk. Again, very very rarely billed. Maybe 10-15% of the time. 99284: “This might be something serious and need to rule things out.” Complicated infections, pneumonia, kidney stone, severe migraines. If you get any imaging (whether warranted or not) you'll most likely end up here. 99285: “Critical Issues" Heart attack, stroke, major trauma, sepsis. You are basically one step away from potential death. Here is where it gets interesting: About 85% of the ER bills we see have a 99284 or 99285 (highly complex or critical). Yet, according the NCQA (a nationally reputable non profit that certifies healthcare quality) approximately 60% of ER visits are avoidable. Either Crowd members are massively more informed about when to go to the ER or....something else is going on. Look at your ER bills and these codes (you'll probably need a detailed bill because the hospital is good at hiding the codes) and ask yourself whether it's an accurate depiction of the severity of your condition.