DOCTOR, MAY I? GETTING PERMISSION TO SEE THE DOCTORS YOU WANT TO SEE

How would you feel if you were not able to call a doctor that you want to see and make an appointment for yourself or a loved one? If you think about this happening somewhere overseas, it may be, but it’s happening here, too. In fact you would probably have more success booking an operation abroad yourself than you would a doctor appointment here.

I had not even fathomed such a thing could ever occur. Last year I called and scheduled an appointment with a specialist I wanted to see. I did not have to contact a doctor, namely the gate keeping primary care physician, to make this possible. Nor did I have to “get permission” to get an appointment for my body scan. My HMO does not pay for some providers I seek, but I am able to make appointments that I think are best for me.

I found out something new today as I was scheduling appointments for my father. I called doctors that he wanted to see and some new ones. Some of his current doctors have lost (if they ever had any) common courtesy and kindness, plus they were below par to him. So he wanted to change to doctors with courtesy, kindness and expertise. Of the four doctor’s offices I called this Friday afternoon, only one allowed me to make an appointment for him without another doctor’s referral. Hmm...doctors accepting patients referred by doctors only.

This practice of “doctor referrals only” seems quite unethical and unhealthy and untimely for patients. I am at a loss for words. I’ll have to write more about this later. Doctor, may I?

BRAVO DR. OZ

BRAVO TO DR. OZ! ON TODAY'S OPRAH SHOW HIS MEDICAL REPORTS SHOWED US WHO WE REALLY ARE IN TIMES OF DISASTER AND TWO YEARS AFTERWARD. MEDICAL RESOURCES ARE LIMITED, ALMOST EXTINCT IN POST-DISASTER AREAS. ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT POINTS HE MADE WAS THE FACT THAT NO ONE IS IMMUNE.

MICHAEL MOORE'S FILM SICKO SHOWED US WHO WE REALLY ARE IN EVERY DAY LIFE. IT IS A VERY THIN LINE. SO THIN THAT IT IS NOT NUMBER ONE ON ANY PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE'S LIST. THE HEALTH OF A NATION DEPENDS ON THE HEALTH OF ALL OF ITS PEOPLE.

WE CAN HOPE MEDICAL CARE GETS BETTER, BUT AS ANDERSON COOPER SAID, HOPE IS NOT A PLAN.

THANKS AGAIN, OPRAH.

SUMMER VACATION - MEDICAL MECCA

I am back from summer vacation. Instead it turned out to be my distant and unexpected family medical mecca. Now it is time to catch up on my medical maladies - five specialist appointments to make! I had seen my primary care doctor (PCD) a few weeks prior to my presumed vacation. Since I had not heard anything from him, I figured all my test results were okay. I would check and get copies when I got back from summer vacation with the folks.

I had received referrals for all my routine medical tests and doctor visits before leaving. I would reschedule any that were scheduled during the time I was away. This turned out to be all of them. I had requested appointment times for late July.

Upon return I busied myself with my medical agenda. First, I called my PCD to discuss endocrine specialist appointment. It seems that the referral for this, the most important, is absent! It addresses abnormal test findings that have given no symptoms that I am aware are happening.

The endocrine appointment is important because it address several medical maladies that may be giving clues to other conditions. It all started with my first full body scan 6 years ago. Several abnormalities were found. All have proven benign except for the huge kidney stone blocking the inside of my kidney. It had caused no symptoms! It is the benign tumor that now may be stirring things up. It was an incidental finding. In medical terms this is called an "incidentaloma". The scary thing is that another incidentaloma in a different organ was detected during a routine heart stress test a couple of years ago!



What do you do when you have two supposedly benign incidental tumors noted on two different organs in your body? Of course you want to have it all checked out and probably taken out!



As medical tests become more sophisticated and pick up more things, we are faced with a surplus of incidentalomas. The medical profession is in a quandary as well. Often times the procedures, which may entail surgery, to check these out are risky and life threatening. Then again, the incidental finding may be as well. Or it may be incidental. This is where comprehensive testing and routine follow up are important.



For the next few weeks, join me on this blog journey to incidentolomas.

MEDICATION INFORMATION

Should patients receive the same information about medication that doctors get? YES!

The information that comes with the medication should be given to the patient. After all the patient is the one taking the medicine. The benefits and the risks should be readily available; however, this is very seldom the case. Most of the time the doctor has not read this information, and does not give it to the patient. There is usually a lot to read. There is so much to read that most drug companies use extremely small print on a few pages to tell about the drug. How many doctors or pharmacists even get to the last page of "patient counseling information"? If there is specific patient information, why is it at the end? Why is there information "for doctors only"? Why is the patient information so different from the doctor information?

Medication errors occur far too frequently to leave the patient out. Medication awareness for patients should be as important as diagnosis and treatment. Full disclosure of the good, bad and ugly effects of medication should be available to anyone who wants to know about it - especially the one taking it.

MEDICATION AWARENESS MONTH

We are mid way through Medication Awareness Month. Have you checked your medicines? See the blog for June 5th for details.

A word to medication producers...please improve packaging of medication. Blister packs are nice, convenient but can be difficult to open especially for arthritic hands.