US Healthcare: Encinitas Practice Says New Approach is Cure for a Broken System

Dr. Erin Martin, D.O., M.P.H. almost gave up medicine a few years ago. Instead, she recommitted herself to being the best doctor she could be. Today, she is part of a revolution to change the very system that almost drove her away.

She is featured in the movie, Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival last month.

The premise of the film produced by Matthew Heineman and Susan Froemke is that the American healthcare system is broken because it’s profit-driven rather than patient-driven, centered around quick fixes such as pharmaceuticals rather than prevention. 

Dr. Martin’s story demonstrates this point. It begins when she completed her residency in Family Medicine at the University of Utah, and started working in a community health center in rural Oregon.

“I became disheartened by the system of medicine and how it wasn’t set up to help anybody because you have to see so many people to pay the bills, and you can only see each patient for five minutes,” she explained. “It’s as hard on the doctors as it is on the patients.” 

At the end of three years, Dr. Martin questioned why she got into medicine and if I she wanted to continue. Then she learned about a fellowship at the University of Arizona’s Program in Integrative Medicine with Dr. Andrew Weil and other pioneers in the field including Dr. Dean Ornish.

“I had the opportunity to learn from some great teachers, and how to look at all factors to determine the best therapy for a patient. By doing that you have a totally different view of a person’s health and their healthcare, in addition to what conventional medicine offers.

She added, “The film producers were there to interview Dr. Weil and started talking to me. They have a passion for stories that deal with disparities in the U.S. health care system. My story was a great illustration of that. They followed me for two years through my different practices.” 

While studying with Dr. Weil, she joined a private practice thinking it would be different from the community clinic, but it was also a disappointment.

“I decided to open an integrative medicine practice, a place where I could provide the medicine I wanted,” she said. 

She became acquainted long distance with Encinitas chiropractor Dr. Chad Patrick, who was looking for a physician to complete his own vision of opening up a practice in integrative medicine. After realizing they shared the same philosophy, Dr. Martin relocated to Encinitas last month to join Pure Integrative Medicine.

“One of the main differences between Erin and other physicians is that, first of all, she takes time to listen to her patients, and understand their conditions and where the traditional system may be failing them,” Dr. Patrick said. “Then she begins work on fixing them. If it is a chronic condition, she’ll listen to the patient first and try to find natural solutions, then incorporate traditional western medicine when indicated. 

“Her initial visit will last an hour. With an average primary care provider, the patient will be out in seven minutes.”

Dr. Martin is looking forward to the release of Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare, possibly as early as this spring.

“Once that happens, there’s going to be a lot of attention on this subject,” she said. “Considering this is an election year, it’s going to be quite a topic of conversation – politically and also in the consciousness of the American public.”

Editor’s Note: This article is the first installment in a three-part series about the current US healthcare system. Encinitas Patch will publish the next installment on Thursday, March 1. 

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