Health Care Can Work

Over my time on Gather, I've read many articles on medical practice, insurance and cost. Some of these are complimentary, some angry, some frustrated, and most are thought-provoking.

All too often, I wonder if the "process of medical care" doesn't overwhelm the practice of medicine. We "qualify" and pay for medical insurance, then follow its rules to get access to the physicians, tests, and treatments it will cover. Though most "patient's rights" forms include a statement about treatment alternatives, most disclosures only include "covered alternatives" or non-treatment.

If, like me, you have ever been part of making and following a longer-term treatment plan, you know the frustrations in the current US system of medical care options. If you have ever taken three years to get a claim followed and paid (and this for something very straight-forward), may you never have the experience. If you have had to negotiate through enrollment/disenrollment problems more than a dozen times in the last 15 months ... I know your pain.

So imagine my pleasure ...

On Sunday, my mother aspirated a cracker. This has not happened before -- it is very uncomfortable. We did not consider an Emergency Room because the wheezing resolved quickly and there was never a fever or cyanosis. Tuesday came around, however, and the cough was still deep, wet, and room-shaking. We called the doctor's office. She talked with a nurse (and coughed over the phone) ... the doctor phoned in an x-ray order for Wednesday morning and set an appointment in the afternoon.

There is no pneumonia (gratefully).

I write this because the doctor took the time to be thorough. He was kind. He recognized that we were calling him because of what this can do (in someone of any age, but in this case advanced years) and the duration of the symptoms ... we were being careful. He made a couple of suggestions we could add into what we were doing and, did I mention, he was kind?

Capitated care (my mother's insurance plan is one) makes many practices into assembly lines. When that happens, I would suggest, it is about a non-functioning system rather than a necessary outcome of the system. If you have one of the non-functional systems, know that it needn't be that way. There is still compassionate, patient-oriented care available.

In view of the current healthcare debate, sometimes we just need to remember.