Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Why Centralized Medicine is a Bad Idea

In this edition of "People are Stupid", I describe an actual multiple-day saga trying to get blood work scheduled. This is all done in one office, with only three medical professionals involved. Adding centralized medicine would, IMHO, only make this take longer, and add more uneducated beaurocrats.

Call Doctor 04/07/08 to make an appointment. I described the previous weekend's sickness, and the desk clerk said, "Are you sick now?" I responded, "Well, no, right now I'm talking to you." Tee hee hee... Clerk scolds me "because I haven't been there since 08/06." I respond, "That's because I haven't been sick. Why should I come in if I'm healthy?" Appointment scheduled after much discussion, explaining to desk clerk I wanted an appointment for follow-up to the 08/06 test Doctor did that I'm still having trouble with.

Doctor's visit, 04/10/08. Doctor say, "I need you to get fasting insulin, fasting blood sugar test. I will check with the lady that does our tests, and she'll get back to you."

No word from doctor. By 04/15/08, so I take matters into my own hands.

04/15/08, I call Doctor's Office. Clerk answers, and says, "The lab is open every day. Just come in." As she proceeds to cut the call off, I asked, "How was I supposed to know that? I was told to wait on a call, and it never came." She says, "Well, it's protocol. Every three months you have to come in for a medicine check." Ahhh... I said, "Now I see, I'm not on any medicine." She says again to come in any day for the blood work. I interrupt one more time, to ask, "What times is the lab open?" She says, "Monday through Friday, 8-11", and attempts to end the call. I apologize for taking up so much of her time and being an inconvenience, and hang up.

About an hour later, I got a call & voice mail (cell phone), from the Doctor's Nurse, stating, "Miss Jennifer, we need to know where you got your lab work done, because we haven't gotten results yet."

So I went to lunch & another meeting to cool down, pretty angry the stupid desk clerk & nurse apparently don't talk. Hours later, I get another voice mail (work phone), "Miss Jennifer, we need you to come into the office at your convenience for some lab work. Our office is open from 8:00 - 11:30, Monday through Friday. Please fast for this test."

So it took three business days for them to realize I needed the blood work done, tell me where to go, and when to be there. Since I've changed my diet, and I'm feeling a lot better, I guess I'll take my time, and go for blood work on my Friday off.

this concludes another session of People are Stupid. Tune in another time for the next episode full of real-life events about general mankind that astonish us normal rational folks.

Robin cancelled for tonight, so I think that means me & Chewie, hunter, and arena. I'll get out the side reins, make the boy work a while. Romeo will enjoy two days off, then it's back at the grindstone.

No comments: