Health care has gone to the dogs. Literally.
My dog, Corey, stopped eating several weeks ago and I took him to the vet. He was given a comprehensive examination that included an X-ray and blood test. The vet met with me immediately afterward, explained the diagnosis and prescribed a special diet that resolved the problem. In the course of one afternoon, Corey was able to obtain two diagnostic tests, a definitive diagnosis and a resulting treatment plan.
That same week, I was suffering from my own health problems and went to my primary doctor at my HMO. This is what followed: two weeks of waiting to see a specialist, one week of figuring out where to take the blood test because the specialist was not authorized to give an order at my HMO-approved hospital, one week of calling the doctor to get the results. All of this culminated in the following message on my answering machine: “The lab did not do the correct blood test; could you come in again?”
After four weeks, I was back where I started.
May my dog never have to endure the “advanced medicine” that we humans give to each other.
