I went to one of my (seems like many) doctors today.
His office is very low tech. There is no television in the waiting room. There is no pandora radio station playing calming music. There is no keurig coffee maker with assorted coffee and teas in the waiting room. There is no computer in the exam room. If you've had some hospital exam like a cat scan or an x-Ray he cannot show you the pictures, I don't think even he can see them. He is faxed a report from the hospital radiologist who "read" the films and wrote them up in summary. He is not connected to the "grid" so he does not see your electronic health record. There was no questionnaire asking if I have been to certain African countries, have had a fever of 101 or more, or been exposed to anyone diagnosed with the Ebola virus.
On the other hand, because I was nervous about some test results, yesterday I asked if I could be seen sooner than my appointment next week. He saw me this morning at 9:45. He took the chart from the pocket on the door and spent several minutes reviewing it before he joined me. He looked in my eyes, ears and nose. He listened to my heart and lungs, carefully. He reviewed my test results from six months ago and compared them to the recent tests. He explained things slowly and clearly and reassured me that there was nothing to worry about. He explained why and how we would follow up in six months. Shoot, he even remembered Dear Husband, who was with me, and recalled what he had done for a living. I felt like I had been to a physician, a healer, Marcus Welby, MD!
I just wish you could have it all...the high tech perks and the hands on, old school medicine man. Are the two things mutually exclusive?
His office is very low tech. There is no television in the waiting room. There is no pandora radio station playing calming music. There is no keurig coffee maker with assorted coffee and teas in the waiting room. There is no computer in the exam room. If you've had some hospital exam like a cat scan or an x-Ray he cannot show you the pictures, I don't think even he can see them. He is faxed a report from the hospital radiologist who "read" the films and wrote them up in summary. He is not connected to the "grid" so he does not see your electronic health record. There was no questionnaire asking if I have been to certain African countries, have had a fever of 101 or more, or been exposed to anyone diagnosed with the Ebola virus.
On the other hand, because I was nervous about some test results, yesterday I asked if I could be seen sooner than my appointment next week. He saw me this morning at 9:45. He took the chart from the pocket on the door and spent several minutes reviewing it before he joined me. He looked in my eyes, ears and nose. He listened to my heart and lungs, carefully. He reviewed my test results from six months ago and compared them to the recent tests. He explained things slowly and clearly and reassured me that there was nothing to worry about. He explained why and how we would follow up in six months. Shoot, he even remembered Dear Husband, who was with me, and recalled what he had done for a living. I felt like I had been to a physician, a healer, Marcus Welby, MD!
I just wish you could have it all...the high tech perks and the hands on, old school medicine man. Are the two things mutually exclusive?
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