Can we talk?

My 83-year-old sister was recently involved in an automobile accident, one that totaled her car and deployed the airbag. She hit her head on something and it was bleeding. Though she basically felt OK, those around her urged her to go to the ER, so she did. Over the course of five hours, she was shunted here and there for a variety of tests, including an EKG for her heart, a cat scan for her head, an x-ray for her chest, and a blood sample. (They also gave her a cup for a urine test, but she ignored it and they never asked for it. Note to sister: see if it appears on the bill!) It turns out she was fine test-wise, but not comfort-wise. Nobody came to look her over to check her head or anything else. No one explained the purpose of the various tests. (A urinalysis! Give me a break!) She had a million questions, but no one to ask.

This is all too common. When I recently went to the orthopedic doc to get a cortisone shot in my knee (my idea), a physician’s assistant came in and asked some questions. He also said I should get an x-ray, even though I’d had one just over a year ago. He hinted that it was an insurance issue and needed for comparison purposes. But when I saw the doc, he seemed in a rush. As far as I could tell, he never compared the x-rays. He did give me the shot, but I wanted to discuss a couple of things. He didn’t. He just wanted to get to the next patient.

When my husband was seeking help from his gastroenterologist, he never did see the doc. It was always the physician’s assistant. When my daughter wanted to discuss a change in pain meds following a knee replacement, they had no interest in discussing options. They were done with her.

Doctors don’t get paid to talk to you. Remember Sarah Palin’s “death panels?” When congress was considering legislation that would allow doctors to get paid for counseling Medicare patients about end-of-life issues, Palin made it sound as though the bureaucrats in Washington would decide who was “worthy of medical care.” Because of her efforts, the provision was not included in the Affordable Care Act.

Please. Can we talk?

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