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Another frustrating appointment
Autoimmune Diseases | Last Active: Nov 19, 2021 | Replies (37)Comment receiving replies
Our health care system is complex and complicated. In some cases it works very well and in other instances it is broken. Everywhere, there is room for improvement. Unfortunately recent changes have added more problems rather than improvements, from COVID to insurance companies changing the way reimbursement is done. Doctors, like patients, are frustrated and begrudging the additional complications.
Health, health care and care require a team effort that includes patients and doctors as well as other parties like insurance companies, administrators and more. You may have a grievance with a specific provider. However, it is not helpful or accurate to paint all physicians with the same brush. The vast majority of physicians and clinicians care deeply for their patients and work tirelessly to find the cause of elusive symptoms, research new treatment approaches, and educate people about preventative health so they can stay healthy and live well.
Replies to "Our health care system is complex and complicated. In some cases it works very well and..."
@colleenyoung Your comments are so accurate! Over the years I have seen the way doctors have their "hands tied" more and more as they are sometimes pushed to limit their interaction with patients, or are reprimanded for going outside of what is perceived as their individual guidelines. If my nephrologist-at-the-time hadn't gone outside his parameters in 2014, my ultra-rare kidney disease might not have been diagnosed properly. Not long after that, he was told to limit time with patients. He thought that was wrong, as he needed to get to understand and educate them, and eventually left that HMO to strike out on his own.
I have seen my medical teams change, not wanting to "step on the toes" of others more specialized, and this year alone I have seen numerous specialists to help get to the bottom of a new issue. Yes, it took more than 6 months, 4 different people, and countless tests/scans. Do I wish it could have been fewer people, sooner, fewer procedures? Of course! But I know now that each was needed to narrow down the possibilities. I did a lot of research on my own, to understand the reasons behind everything, and that alone helped tremendously in alleviating some of my frustration. Knowledge is power.
As patients, we bear a responsibility, also. We have the right and requirement to speak up when things are not going well, but we also have the need to understand how medical practices have changed,
Ginger
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Amen