"Modern" medicine

CasperO

"Modern" medicine

Can some medical type explain something to me?

In our town we have one big *kitten* non-profit medical provider. The "Memorial health system" comprises 1 major hospital, one smaller hospital, 2 urgent care facilities ("Doc in a box!"), a couple of labs, radiology places etc. This is all one 'system', all one outfit. The billing is pretty decent. You can walk into any facility and give them your name and they get you on the screen, verify your coverage and you're all set.

My wife has an interesting medical history. She's had a lot of work done, a lot of care. Her doc's office is in the main memorial hospital building. Between doc visits, urgent care visits, screenings etc. I'm sure she's in the place 6 times a year - for the 24 years we've lived here. Surely over 100 visits.

Last night m'lady had some discomfort. When we got up this morning it was really bad. Her right bosom was red and inflamed and hot and painful. I've been around the dairy enough to know mastitis when I see it, so I said "Ok honey, you got an infected boob. Let's go to the doc-in-a-box and get you some antibiotic".

So we went to the urgent care place and they got her name and burned (another) copy of our insurance card, and then they called her to the back. M'lady is near tears, mastitis really hurts, and she's sitting on an exam table holding her bra out off'a the inflamed area and waiting for some help. So here comes this nice young nurse and she's got a clipboard. And she's got a paper form on it. A blank paper form...

"Can I get your name?" - "Address?" - "Phone number?" - "Social Security Number?" - "Are you on any medications?" - "Have you had any surgeries?"(Yes, several, they were all done right here).

I just wanted to scream,,, WTF?!?!?! I practically paid for this *&%^ing building. How come every time I walk in here you people act like you've never seen me before? I can go into any Autozone anywhere in the $&%ing country and give them my phone number and they say "Hi Casper! How are those brake pads you bought this summer working out? Do you need something for the '07 BMW or the '95 Chevy today?" - and yet somehow this place, staffed by the most educated people in our society and running at an operating cost similar to the gross national product of Lichtenstein can't keep track of the medications that YOU PRESCRIBED!!! You can't keep track of the surgeries YOU PERFORMED!!!

No wonder med care costs too much. We do things over and over again. When I got hit by that car and got my arm broken a couple summers ago they took me to the local E.R., and they shot the standard Xrays. Took a look, printed them out, gave 'em to me and put me in an ambulance and sent me to the big trauma center in Columbus O. When I got there I handed them the file and they didn't even look at it. There was a nurse standing there with a clipboard, with a blank form. "Name?..." And then they shot the Xrays again. I guess they thought something might have changed in the last 3 hours.

Wow,,, Just wow.

Ok doctors - nurses - EMTs,,, somebody explain this to me. Is taking the history actually a mini psych assessment? Do they just need something for Nurse Ratchet to do? Are the computers not networked together? WTF is the deal here?

Oh yeah,,, please for g-d's sake let's try not to get into 'Obamacare',,, the president has nothing to do with this. This was going on when BHO was in high school.

((Mama's gonna be fine BTW. Mastitis. Simple antibiotic, easy peasy)).

summertime_girl

I can say I've experienced the opposite. My family and I all use the a hospital network of hospitals and doctors. My main reason for using them was that my primary care was located in a convenient area (along with dozens of other locations in the state). And they are networked in with my specialists in the hospital. They are also a world-renounded care center, where people will travel from other countries to be seen. Massachusetts has its benefits, especially with regard to medical care.

I've used specialists related to thyroid issues, pregnancy, as well as treatment/rehab for a back issue. My husband has dealt with high blood pressure and major back surgery. My dad has diabetes, wound care, and late stage cancer surgery and chemo/radiation.

All my info is available for the specialist doctors at the hospitals, but also satellite primary care doctors. I can't complain.

Laces_0ut

Over the last couple of years i was there for a lot of my dad's hospital and doctor's visits and it was the opposite of what you experienced. all of his records were transfered/shared with ease.


you probably are just unlucky enough to be using a network of doctors and hospitals that isnt up to speed and doesnt take advantage of the "modern" systems that eliminate what you experienced.

VelociMama

If you're in a small town, it may take longer for the electronic records to be implemented since smaller towns and hospitals sometimes have more limited funds for such things than larger systems. I've had a great experience with all of my medical history in digital format at the same system of hospitals and doctor's offices as well.

jenbit

This will be stopping soon as all medical reords are required to be digital in the next few years. That is one of the main reasons why

k8blujay2

Sorry... I find this sort of amusing.. more in an ironic way... I find it funny that we have to fill the same papers out over and over again (oh and I go to a network of clinics and they aren't electronic... yet, and I live in a major city... they were working on it last time I was there, which will be nice because I go to one clinic for primary care that's near my office, but there are at least 2 other clinics much closer to my house... but I digress)... but my OB/GYN could get the read outs to an ultrasound and heart rate monitor from the hospital he is networked with, when I was pregnant, straight to his iPhone.

The only thing that makes me a bit weary about digitizing medical information is the possibility of a hacker stealing it and posting it on the internet for the sake of "showing them where the weak security links are"... :indifferent: But it will be nice when there is a medical emergency.

redhousecat

I use concierge health care so I don't have those problems either. BUT, I have found that in larger cities, health care professionals simply do not talk to each other. When I got really sick, I knew I didn't want a bunch of misinformation and miscommunication going around, that is why I switched to the MDVIP thing.

As asinine as it sounds, I guess you could have copies of little slips of paper with all the info on it, and just hand it out to each person that asks....:laugh: I think alot of it could do with laziness. Most folks would rather ask you for the info again than to go look it up? :shrug:

LuckyLeprechaun

At the car parts store, they realize they in competition with other car parts stores, and customer service is in their best interest so as to stay in business.

Health care does not seem to display that same regard for customer service. You *need* them, but they don't need you, because they charge enough that good service becomes irrelevant, they'll stay in business anyway. .

rml_16

Ugh.

I had pain in June. Had an ulrasound of my gallbladder. Showed what was probably a stone, possibly a cyst. Since MY doc couldn't figure it out, they sent me to a specialist. Soon as I walked in, the nurse asked me why I was there.

"Because I had an ultrasound of my gallbladder and it wasn't clear."

Forty-five minutes later, the doctor walks in and asks THE SAME DAMNED QUESTION.

VelociMama

Ugh.

I had pain in June. Had an ulrasound of my gallbladder. Showed what was probably a stone, possibly a cyst. Since MY doc couldn't figure it out, they sent me to a specialist. Soon as I walked in, the nurse asked me why I was there.

"Because I had an ultrasound of my gallbladder and it wasn't clear."

Forty-five minutes later, the doctor walks in and asks THE SAME DAMNED QUESTION.

I went into the ER for syncope and heart palpitations back in March. ER sent me home 3 times in a row and refused to admit me until my cardiologist called and pre-admitted me so they could do the proper observations and tests to figure out what was really wrong with me. Every single time I went in, I got different nurses, different doctors, and the same round of tests they did the day before. Same questions too. It was obnoxious and so wasteful.

This was before they implemented digital records at that hospital.

Gilbrod

I went to my doctors office once. The nurse asked me all the questions in the world. My doc walks in and asks me 2 of the same questions and I cut her off and ask if she spoke to the nurse because she is asking the exact same questions. I was a bit moody that day. She rolled her eyes and got my file. Time saved. Life was good.

Laces_0ut

I went to my doctors office once. The nurse asked me all the questions in the world. My doc walks in and asks me 2 of the same questions and I cut her off and ask if she spoke to the nurse because she is asking the exact same questions. I was a bit moody that day. She rolled her eyes and got my file. Time saved. Life was good.

sometimes people are too shy to tell anyone but the doctor. that can be 1 of several reasons why they ask it again.

bathsheba_c

Redundancy is good because it prevents mix-ups. I have a really common name, so even though the receptionists at the doctor recognize me, they still want to make sure that they have the correct file to hand to the doctor.

treetop57

If the doctor cuts the wrong kidney out of the wrong patient, it's hard to reverse the process. If the auto parts store sells you the wrong brake pads the worst that can happen is . . . .

Wait. I see your point.