The upside of visa hassles?

While the difficulty in getting foreign physicians into the U.S. for meetings continues to be a problem, there s at least some some good fallout from this policy.

Before doctors such as Mircea Rachita from Romania came, patients in the small timber town of Roseburg had to wait months for medical appointments.

Now, underserved communities are finding good doctors easier to come by because of a visa-waiver program that creates incentives for foreign-born physicians to work in communities that U.S. doctors shun.

I would also hazard a guess that it s proving to be a boon for meetings held outside the U.S. as well, especially for specialties whose U.S.-based societies don t have a well-established reputation.

To receive a weekly blog update, e-mail Sue.