That’s The Way Things Are

There was a death in my family, so I was out of town.  attending to the funeral and related matters – hence the hiatus in my postings. I just got home.  This post, however, is not related to the death of my loved one, who was cared for with great care and tenderness by the Lutheran Home nearby. All of us in the family are grateful to them.

No, this post about a couple of men I met when I was there – a hospitalist in a New York Hospital, and his son. I asked the hospitalist his thoughts on paying doctors by salary, and he replied that he certainly was on salary; given the circumstances, he felt that arrangement was fair. Many of the doctors who worked at his hospital were likewise salaried, but some of the ones who weren’t tended to rack up tests and procedures if they thought the insurance would pay for them.

“Really!” I exclaimed, feigning surprise.

“Oh yes,” said his son, who was a Junior in college. “When I was given a physical prior to my freshman year, I was given a cardiological sonogram.”

“I’m sorry to hear of it,” I said. “What was the matter with you?”

“Nothing, really. They just gave me that test because they knew my insurance would pay for it. Next year, I had a different insurance company, so they didn’t order that test.”

He spoke in a matter-of-fact way, as did his father, as if to say, that is the way things are. They seemed to accept it.

BUT WE DON’T HAVE TO!

I have to run off now; my wife and I have more business to attend to – all related to the family death.  So it may be a day or two before I can get back to my normal rhythm.  But before my wife and I rush off, I thought I’d send you this reminder:

The Way Things Are mixes profits and patient care – a deadly mix.  WE MUST NOT STAND FOR IT!

Dio

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