Don't drive home Grrrrr!

[Synchro]

Sorry you had to go through this.

The receptionist works for the doctors. They are responsible for what goes on in their office and by their employees, and how the employees are trained. The doctors are the ones making pretty decent money off you. It's bad form imo to blame the lowest paid staff for something the bosses should be ensuring. If the receptionist is really at fault after training, warnings, etc., then the doctors are responsible for firing them or giving them tasks that don't carry health risks.

Unfortunately, this sort of thing is becoming more common. I have a relative who is dealing with a number of medical issues, none of which are life threatening, but which mean that he has seen a number of doctors, to address any number of issues. The information he receives is pitifully inadequate. Time and time again, he ends up getting sketchy, inadequate, or even incorrect information from a nurse, with little or no concrete information from the physician.

Personally, I’d dig in my heels, but not everyone is wired that way. I ask to see lab reports, keep notes, etc. but for someone less assertive, getting accurate information may be all but impossible.

 

[Highroller]

Ok, challenge accepted.

Challenge? I didn't know I issued one. Didn't I say "personally convinced'? That's to say it's my personal opinion.

I appreciate your rather lengthy efforts to defend the profession, but I too have doctors in the family. I’m well aware of all the work, time and expense it takes to become one, which is primarily what your post details.

I can’t and won’t go into the politics of the whole thing. It’s not allowed here.

Let’s just say I happen to be one of those people that believes the “for profit” model the US healthcare system is based on is deeply flawed. We have the most expensive healthcare system in the world and it’s the doctors, hospitals and pharma companies that benefit from it. Certainly not the patients.

I’ve seen others in the past however, who were a mess.

Those must be the ones I've been stuck with! LoL!

Now do I have to survey all the docs in the country to refute your arbitrary “95%?” If its only 75% what do I win, Pat?

Vanna, tell him what's he won! How ‘bout a brand new colonoscopy? LoL!

For the record, I’ll grant you maybe 95% is too high. It just seems that way to me. I haven’t run into a doctor in the last 20 years that seemed to honestly care about their patients. We’re just another mark. Every patient an opportunity to rack up a big bill.

I told you guys I was a cynic about it, didn’t I? You think a couple of internet posts is gonna change my mind?

 

[Runamok]

Challenge? I didn't know I issued one. Didn't I say "personally convinced'? That's to say it's my personal opinion.

I appreciate your rather lengthy efforts to defend the profession, but I too have doctors in the family. I’m well aware of all the work, time and expense it takes to become one, which is primarily what your post details.

I can’t and won’t go into the politics of the whole thing. It’s not allowed here.

Let’s just say I happen to be one of those people that believes the “for profit” model the US healthcare system is based on is deeply flawed. We have the most expensive healthcare system in the world and it’s the doctors, hospitals and pharma companies that benefit from it. Certainly not the patients.

Those must be the ones I've been stuck with! LoL!

Vanna, tell him what's he won! How ‘bout a brand new colonoscopy? LoL!

For the record, I’ll grant you maybe 95% is too high. It just seems that way to me. I haven’t run into a doctor in the last 20 years that seemed to honestly care about their patients. We’re just another mark. Every patient an opportunity to rack up a big bill.

I told you guys I was a cynic about it, didn’t I? You think a couple of internet posts is gonna change my mind?

Are these internet posts? I suppose so.
Are you a cynic? Nothing wrong with caveat emptor.

You made up hyperbolic numbers. I’m not intending to change your mind, I’m just pointing out it might need a revisit because it seems like a broadbrush to single out docs.

It works to indicate your personal exasperation, but you must have seen every doc in the country to derive that as a credible number. You never told us your sample size.

Frankly, the original post I take as mock exasperation; A Curmudeon Moment. If nobody really told him in advance that he needed a driver—it was a mistake, but hardly malpractice.

Pharma, yeah. Everytime they come up with a new drug, they seem to want to recoup the development costs in the first 6 months. When they start advertising, the drug price ramps up.

The creation of HMOs & other organizations inserted between my doc & me hasn’t made medical care much more affordable.

Its beyond my pay grade to grasp how we do this better, but we should look.

Whether a “for profit” medical system is completely wrong, I could not say. People are entitled to make money. Apparently without bounds in this country (compare what Japanese CEOs make compared to a CEO in the US culture, its not the medical system as singular outlier).

The business model is not a doctor’s so far as I can tell.

 

[Highroller]

Fair enough, I've already admitted my number was off. No point in beating a dead horse there, friend! My comments were based on my own experience and frustration with the "corporate medicine" system we have here in the US.

Nor did I single out doctors in my original post. I just said "the medical profession", meaning that to be inclusive of HMO's, pharma, insurance companies - the whole ball of wax. I thought I was being pretty diplomatic to tell the truth! Ha!

Audept's out of Australia, isn't he? They've got a system in place that at least some sources rank as far superior to ours ... and people still complain!

Mirror, Mirror 2021: Reflecting Poorly

The United States trails far behind other high-income countries on measures of health care affordability, administrative efficiency, equity, and outcomes.

www.commonwealthfund.org

I'm done with this one. I made a casual comment in sympathy to Audept's complaint. That's all it was meant to be. Let's move on, shall we?

 

[Runamok]

The person responsible for not informing me was the receptionist who answered the phone. The docs at this place are great!

OK. Getting on the personal story bandwagon…

I reluctantly changed dentists (a new one who bought my retiring dentist’s practice) because the new business manager was incompetent.

Not a great reason. But I hadn’t developed a firm relationship with the new dentist & the business manager whiffed at least 3 times.

Has nothing to do with the original post, but hey…