jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

It's a shame what's happened to the medical profession. This is the current weekly column published locally.

I remember the good old days when the doctor or his nurse answered the phone in person and said, “come right in at such a such a time.” Dr. Grant would even make house calls dispensing medicine from his worn, leather satchel.
Nowadays, one must first decide to go to a general practitioner, if such a person still exists, who will refer you to one or more specialists who, in turn, will each request diagnostics-x-rays, MRI, CAT scan, EKG, EEG with results you will never see unless you can access them through cyber-space portals. Not just one portal, but a portal for each mega-conglomerate-owned medical system. So, Nuvance has one; MAHV has one; each insurance company has one. These portals each have their own user ID and password. Good luck with that.
One also has to match the insurance coverage with participating doctors, hospitals, and medical groups. They, also, have multiple apps to track or access bills and statements.
I am fortunate to have good insurance coverage as a retiree. Insurance itself is a nightmare with paperwork and technical support. I get texts reminding me of appointments but only after I log in (another ID and password) to confirm my appointment and assure the company that four pages of personal and medical data are still current. Even after that, one must maneuver through the office scanning license and insurance cards and repeating one’s name and birthday like a parrot.
My wish for this country is to have some sort of standard insurance without the opportunity for fraud and political affiliation. We each deserve the same care. Unfortunately, our medical system is not medically based but financially based with business, not doctors and nurses, making the decisions that affect our well-being. The scariest part of it all is that some insurance companies are invested in medical conglomerates and drug companies.
End of rant.

srt101fan

I take it the author would prefer to go back to what he calls “the good old days”?

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

The good old days of service. Now, I sit and answer questions the doctors and nurses recite from a laptop screen.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

chuckrem Loc: Katy, Tx

NMGal Loc: NE NM

You are just another patient number. Nothing personal about it. As you can guess, I don’t like doctors.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I like my doctor, but after the practice was taken over by one company after another, I'm barely a number.

BBurns Loc: South Bay, California

Many doctors do not like the companies they must work for in todays enviroment.
The big corps force them to do mediocre work.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

Not my experience.

Tom467 Loc: North Central Florida

Jerry, it very different for me and my wife in North Central Florida. All the doctors we see, including our general practitioner, are in the same network (Shands Hospital) at the University of Florida. (Go Gators). The system is called “MyChart”. When you make an appointment with a doctor the appointment automatically goes on MyChart. MyChart also has a list of all your medications, all your test results and you can request refills, our doctors’ notes and we can communicate with your doctor. All our doctors have access to this information. We have access to all our lab reports at the same time our doctors receive them from the labs. We always get our bloodwork done prior to seeing our doctor so we have ample time to view the results and formulate any questions we may have prior to our doctor appointment.
When we travel to see the grand kids, in North Carolina, we always pack a copy of our latest lab reports so we will have them in the event one of us gets ill while traveling.

Tom

whfowle Loc: Tampa first, now Albuquerque

My observations of the medical world are based on remarks made by my parents who were products of "old fashioned" medical practice. They were both farm raised at about the turn of the 20th century. Children were born at home, sometimes helped into this world with the aid of a mid-wife. The doctor might pay a visit several days later "just to check up" on the condition of the new born. Most people paid for what medical service there was with products they grew or raised on the farm while rich people made up the difference for the doctor by paying him from their wealth. For most illnesses, simple "home remedies" were used. The only time most saw a doctor was when they broke a bone or needed stitches. Pharmacies actually made the various drugs they dispensed. Costs were relatively low because most people didn't have the money to pay for medical care or drugs. There was no health insurance. You either paid for each service or bartered. Or just died. There were not a lot of old people. Today, we don't have that choice anymore because of the introduction of health insurance and modern pharma. Most private practice doctors employ larger administrative staff than medical staff. Today, it is just big business.

Dannj

I’ve been with the same doctor for a lot of years from when he first joined what was then a private practice of two doctors. It’s now part of a large health care group. We both agree it was better “back in the day” and that most of the administrative aspects of the office are much easier now but he misses, as do I, the ability to connect more with his patients.

Tdearing Loc: Rockport, TX

I spent a few years not long ago in Johannesburg where my doctor, a Sydney, Australia trained MD would in fact make house calls, and gave me a business card with his cell for emergencies. With the Rand exchange rate, visits came out to be about $25 USD without insurance. He is an excellent physician and remains a friend, though with the political upheaval in S.A. he has since returned to Australia. As a survivor of Stage IV throat cancer I can say that the US has fantastic physicians, though on the whole there are many who are quite full of themselves.

mindzye Loc: WV

Oh Jerry take heart. YOur number is 100 001 010 111 010 0000010 011 oh oh!
Keep the faith friend.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY