Certainly a world of difference compared to what happens here:
This was the beginning of a series of happy discoveries about medical care in Belgium. Healthcare in the US is mired in bureaucracy and competing interests and concerns about liability. It’s a complex system that both doctors and patients hate for different reasons. The typical doctor must employ a receptionist to handle calls and appointments, an office manager to handle the business side (accounts receivable and insurance claims), and at least one nurse to assist the doctor and patients.
A typical doctor’s visit always includes filling out paperwork, updating your medical history, submitting insurance information and waiting, waiting, and waiting to see the doctor, who is normally overworked and visibly frazzled by the incredible pace and hours he/she is expected to keep.
After 18 months in Belgium and multiple checkups, I have yet to fill out a single form, let alone the scads of paperwork I had to do in the US at every single visit. All of my medical tests have been given by doctors; in the US specially trained technicians or nurses administer tests and the results are reviewed by the doctor later.
