November 18, 2004

On Oct. 22, 2002 the Philadelphia Daily News ran a lengthy article on what it's like to lose a doctor who moves out of state for reasons of you-know-what. It's still online (reg) and well worth reading. Among those interviewed by the newspaper: Kathleen Olsen of South Philadelphia, who lost the surgeons who did her mastectomy and reconstructive surgery; Erin Zezzo of Doylestown, who lost the obstetrician who delivered her first child; and Mildred Tomassetti of South Philadelphia, planning for cataract laser surgery, whose trusted ophthalmologist "now only does surgery in New Jersey to avoid paying the high malpractice insurance rates in Pennsylvania." Erin Zezzo's story got picked up by First Lady Laura Bush in a campaign speech.