Systemic Collusion: How Big Business in Education & Healthcare Herds Physicians into Corporate Control

From the day you decide to become a doctor, the wheels of corporate healthcare and big business education are already in motion, shaping your future in ways you may not even realize. You're subtly conditioned to accept external forces that dictate how you live and work, all in the pursuit of delivering healthcare. Initially, this influence seems imperceptible, a slight nudge here and there that gradually steers your path.

But as I’ve personally experienced, the journey feels less like a choice and more like being herded into a system designed to control your professional life. The pressure begins during medical school where curriculum decisions are often influenced by corporate interests rather than purely educational goals. The residency programs funnel you into hospitals that operate under stringent administrative rules dictated by corporate policies rather than patient care priorities.

As you advance in your career, you're continually met with layers of bureaucracy that restrict your autonomy and force compliance with profit-driven mandates. Let me explain how this collusion operates and how I felt its grip tightening around my aspirations. From mandatory protocols that prioritize cost-efficiency over patient well-being to relentless administrative tasks that consume time meant for patient interaction—it’s an unending cycle of compromise. This is not what we envisioned when we embarked on this noble profession; it’s as if our dreams have been traded for spreadsheets and bottom lines.

Recognizing the powerful forces that led me to near burnout in traditional employment sparked a deep desire to unlearn them and replace them with micro-business skills. These skills would allow me to flourish in the marketplace as a self-employed doctor. I am so happy I made that transition a decade ago, and it inspired me to start SimpliMD. All doctors need to know that they have the power to make their own choices and can actually have their own agency in the marketplace.

But now, let’s take a few minutes to examine some of the forces that steer us towards traditional employment.

The Price of the Dream: Medical Education Costs

The skyrocketing cost of medical school tuition is one of the earliest and strongest chains placed on your autonomy. When I graduated with student debt that felt insurmountable, my career choices narrowed instantly. I felt pressured to choose higher-paying specialties instead of the family medicine path I had always dreamed of. And I’m not alone—many of you, burdened by six-figure loans, may feel forced to make decisions based on financial survival rather than passion or need in the healthcare landscape.

The reality is that corporate employers recognize our vulnerable state and create financial incentives to join them after completing residency, which are hard to pass up. It's almost as though the cost of our education forces us into subjugation with large employers—as if there were collusion between the big businesses of healthcare and education.

Prestige Over Passion

I vividly remember being told by my mentors that I was “too smart” to be a family doctor. “Rural family medicine? What a waste of talent,” they said. That messaging really hurt. It’s as though there’s an unwritten rule: the more prestigious the specialty, the more valuable you are. This prestige trap is yet another way you are herded—nudged toward specialties that align with societal expectations rather than your own vision for your career. We start to measure success not by how fulfilled we feel, but by how others view our achievements. Even thought family medicine is one the lowest paid specialties I believe it requires the most emotional and cognitive intelligence of all specialties. It’s sad that the system doesn’t reflect this in terms of the economics of the marketplace.

Pharmaceutical and Device Industry Influence

This influence hit me harder than I expected. Whether it's industry-funded research or corporate-sponsored conferences, these companies have deep ties to the education system. During my training, I often wondered how unbiased we could really be when so much of our education was touched by these industries. At times, I felt that the treatment options we were encouraged to prescribe were less about what was best for the patient and more about what products these corporate giants were promoting as they fed us during our lunches and placed biased information packets in our chairs. This invisible pressure chips away at your autonomy, often without you realizing it.

The Residency Funnel and Unseen Competition

Matching into residency felt like being funneled into a narrow path with little say over where I was going. The residency match system, influenced by healthcare institutions and corporate interests, often leaves you feeling powerless. I watched colleagues desperately compete for highly coveted spots, only to end up in specialties that didn’t match their passions but felt like safer bets. When 10% of residents don’t even match, it’s no wonder so many of us feel pressured to conform. For me, residency was a turning point—where I began to realize just how tightly the system controls the direction of our career.

Herded into Corporate Healthcare

By the time you’re done with your training, you’ve spent nearly a decade being groomed to believe that corporate healthcare is the only viable option. I distinctly remember the dread I felt signing my first employment contract with a large healthcare system. The narrative was that the marketplace wasn’t safe for physicians like me to thrive independently—that without the corporate umbrella, I’d be adrift. And that’s what they want you to believe, because it keeps you dependent, tied to a system that values profits over patient care and strips you of the autonomy you once envisioned.

I felt trapped, and if you feel the same, you’re not alone. But here's the truth: it doesn’t have to be this way. You can reclaim control over your professional life. The forces of big business may have shaped your mindset, but they don’t own you.

Take Control of Your Future

You don’t have to accept the path laid out by big education and corporate healthcare. The best way to break free from these influences is by creating your own micro-corporation, which gives you the power to practice medicine on your own terms. I did it, and so can you. This simple but profound step is what set me free and restored by personal and professional autonomy.

Want to start taking back control? For only $99, you can book a personalized micro-business consult with me at SimpliMD. This also gives you one year of SimpliMD membership—valued at $2,500 in business resources and services that will help you launch your own independent practice. As a fellow physician, I understand your challenges, and I am also here to walk you through how you can follow the same path that I chose to set myself free. I invite you to join me!

Plus, check out my course, “Creating A Practice Without Walls,” where I walk you through how to establish a micro-corporation that provides you with agency in the marketplace and freedom from corporate control. Stop feeling herded—take back your career and build the practice you want.