Poor medical coverage

[Guest MDmobile]

Thanks for your reaction Ian,

 

I completely agree with you that the specialization improves efficiency, but you can not compare health with an industry where the major outcome is linked to the speed of process and volume of product. Health has different values and outcomes.

 

Increasing specialization you increase a fragmentation of care since more medical staff are involved. And you may loose a very important element – a patient centered approach. What is wrong if a doctor (instead of the receptionist) would be a person who greets a patient in a lobby and then treats him/her? It would give him more chances and time to observe, to interact and to UNDERSTAND a patient. If a doctor speaks to a patient over a telephone it would only benefit both in building relations. Delegating these tasks to an auxiliary staff doctor, indeed, can save some time, but he may loose much more – better understanding of patient.

 

Regarding the list of tasks you have provided:

 

-reordering all supplies – I do not really know who is doing it, but I presume that a doctor has a primary input, making a list of supplies

 

-handling all medical/dental billings – doctors do it since this is part of the payment process

 

-hiring new staff and scheduling staff for hours/vacations, etc – there is not a lot of staff, it is probably just a cleaning lady, one for a few offices

 

-phoning all patients the day before to "remind" them of their appointment – it is a responsibility of a patient to remember about appointment

 

-cleaning the office – responsibility of the cleaner (part-time)

 

-trouble-shooting any malfunctioning equipment – manufacturer does it, it is too specialized

 

-contacting specialists for all referrals – doctors do it, it helps to follow-up a patient

 

-following up on all laboratory and radiology tests – doctors do it, again, it helps to follow-up a patient

 

-seeing patients – obviously, doctors

 

I do not say that doctor can not delegate some tasks, but it should be always balanced – increasing a speed of the process (quantity) you may loose proximity with patient (quality).

 

Having a lot of medical staff makes available funds dispersed, a final product more expensive, and the process (health care) less patient-centered.

 

There are models in the world that are functioning in this way (many European countries), why not to study it and replicate positive experience?

[Guest cptn med]

I agree that it should be about the care, but if they hired more MD's and then lowered their pay even more, I think we would have the same problem all over again. Something's got to give. If Canada had a successful system before it stands to reason that we can have it again...a priority switch is needed, it is not impossible (my two cents).