Several years ago, realizing that new doctors needed training in bedside manner, new courses were added to medical school curricula. I found it encouraging that not all new classes were in practice accounting (I had friends in med school bragging about this).
I think that, these days, physicians are up against a brick wall trying to manage a practice, the cost of malpractice insurance, dealing with burgeoning hospital bureaucracies and a growing elderly, baby-boomer patient population. Judging by the number of new hospitals being constructed in my area alone, healthcare is a continually thriving industry - because we're an unwell population.
That more licensed nurse practitioners are taking over routine procedures, like physicals, minor emergencies and vaccinations, for example, freeing up the M.D.s for more serious or specialized concerns and surgical procedures, is also encouraging. I love my NP and appreciate that I can get in and out of the clinic very quickly for routine screenings and minor emergencies.
All the same, I do agree that the patient experience leaves much to be desired in far too many healthcare facilities, based on the number of horror stories reported - and I don't mean to Yelp. As patients, we have every right to expect - and demand - good "user experience." I would start by complaining to the facility.
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Several years ago, realizing that new doctors needed training in bedside manner, new courses were added to medical school curricula. I found it encouraging that not all new classes were in practice accounting (I had friends in med school bragging about this).
I think that, these days, physicians are up against a brick wall trying to manage a practice, the cost of malpractice insurance, dealing with burgeoning hospital bureaucracies and a growing elderly, baby-boomer patient population. Judging by the number of new hospitals being constructed in my area alone, healthcare is a continually thriving industry - because we're an unwell population.
That more licensed nurse practitioners are taking over routine procedures, like physicals, minor emergencies and vaccinations, for example, freeing up the M.D.s for more serious or specialized concerns and surgical procedures, is also encouraging. I love my NP and appreciate that I can get in and out of the clinic very quickly for routine screenings and minor emergencies.
All the same, I do agree that the patient experience leaves much to be desired in far too many healthcare facilities, based on the number of horror stories reported - and I don't mean to Yelp. As patients, we have every right to expect - and demand - good "user experience." I would start by complaining to the facility.
May 6, 2009 - 7:47pmThis Comment
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