The ebb and flow of life has it's ups and downs like the tides of the ocean. Whenever someone asks me, "What do you want to hear first, the good news or bad news?" I always respond I'll take the bad. I like to get the bad out of the way first.
While not really "bad" news, we got it straight from the horse's mouth or in this case, Dad's Doc, Dr. Biswas, that he's leaving the practice at the end of May. He is letting his patients know before the gossip takes over and people begin to hear it second hand, something he is trying to avoid. Much like fear, gossip breeds like rabbits in heat.
It's not that Dr. Biswas doesn't love what he does. In fact he cares for his patients so much that provided a contract can be worked out, he plans to come back to the office every other Saturday to see patients. No, a combination of the harsh winter, long commute and the all mighty dollar are the catalyst for this decision. In reality health care, while there for the well being of the patient, is also about getting the best bang for you buck and making a profit. There are a number of factors involved that would leave a bad taste in the mouth for anyone with a passion for what they. Like art, a good physician shouldn't have to worry about quotas or if they go over the time limit for an office visit with a patient. As we continue to refine Henry Ford's assembly line way of doing business in health care, more and more scenarios like this will occur. Don't kid yourself, the politics of medicine are big business. I know from my own personal experience in my job.
I told Dr. Biswas we would follow him where ever he goes. He is going to split his time between seeing patients and teaching, something he did in England long before arriving in the States. We wish him the best of luck, albeit with a twinge of sadness. He has been my constant in caring for Dad and the trust I have in him cannot be measured, because I know how much he cares. Trust is hard to come by for me, especially when it comes to the health of both my parents.
That was the bad news. The good news was Mom's lab work results. Always a work in progress, I got the call from the pharmacist at her doctor's office. Her latest numbers were great! They showed a big improvement, especially with regards to her A1 hemglobin, finally within a normal range. We have to cut her lasix in half with one of her meds as her kidney function was a little off, but other than that, her numbers are looking good. She was down several pounds during her last office visit too. The hard work is beginning to pay off. I tell Mom I don't mean to be a pain in the ass, because I know I am, but it's for her own good. Last week's labs result proved this. We look forward to continuing with what we've been doing and hopefully getting her those new knees she needs.
While not really "bad" news, we got it straight from the horse's mouth or in this case, Dad's Doc, Dr. Biswas, that he's leaving the practice at the end of May. He is letting his patients know before the gossip takes over and people begin to hear it second hand, something he is trying to avoid. Much like fear, gossip breeds like rabbits in heat.
It's not that Dr. Biswas doesn't love what he does. In fact he cares for his patients so much that provided a contract can be worked out, he plans to come back to the office every other Saturday to see patients. No, a combination of the harsh winter, long commute and the all mighty dollar are the catalyst for this decision. In reality health care, while there for the well being of the patient, is also about getting the best bang for you buck and making a profit. There are a number of factors involved that would leave a bad taste in the mouth for anyone with a passion for what they. Like art, a good physician shouldn't have to worry about quotas or if they go over the time limit for an office visit with a patient. As we continue to refine Henry Ford's assembly line way of doing business in health care, more and more scenarios like this will occur. Don't kid yourself, the politics of medicine are big business. I know from my own personal experience in my job.
I told Dr. Biswas we would follow him where ever he goes. He is going to split his time between seeing patients and teaching, something he did in England long before arriving in the States. We wish him the best of luck, albeit with a twinge of sadness. He has been my constant in caring for Dad and the trust I have in him cannot be measured, because I know how much he cares. Trust is hard to come by for me, especially when it comes to the health of both my parents.
That was the bad news. The good news was Mom's lab work results. Always a work in progress, I got the call from the pharmacist at her doctor's office. Her latest numbers were great! They showed a big improvement, especially with regards to her A1 hemglobin, finally within a normal range. We have to cut her lasix in half with one of her meds as her kidney function was a little off, but other than that, her numbers are looking good. She was down several pounds during her last office visit too. The hard work is beginning to pay off. I tell Mom I don't mean to be a pain in the ass, because I know I am, but it's for her own good. Last week's labs result proved this. We look forward to continuing with what we've been doing and hopefully getting her those new knees she needs.
No comments:
Post a Comment