Comments on: Health care secrets

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 06:25:00 +0000

People should not be coming into the ER gushing with compliments. More like they should be gushing with blood or pain, something significant that warrants a trip to the Er. If you are well enough to gush compliments then why would you need an ER?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 23:59:00 +0000

When people come into the ER gushing with compliments, 99% of the time they are looking for their narcotic fix. When they don’t get it they suddenly turn into the nastiest people you have ever seen.

By: KoKo

KoKo — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 23:28:00 +0000

"liked patients get better care than disliked patients".

I always wondered why the hot female red heads in skin- tight mini-skirts got better treatment than the 300+ pound
65 yr old males with their
size 65 beer bellies!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 23:09:00 +0000

When people come in gushing over the doctor from the outset, one’s borderline alarm should go off, especially if it accompanied by criticisms of all who have come before.

But is certainly true that, up to the point where perspective is lost, liked patients get better care than disliked patients. It is easier to relax, to think, and communication is better. Somewhere between “like” and “infatuation”, objectivity is impaired, the doctor begins doing “special favors” for the patient, and quality medical care doesn’t happen. What does happen may still be healing but can also be very destructive.

I think a poor doctor-patient relationship tends to fuel overtesting. The lack of confidence in the doctors assurances and even lack of faith in his good intentions prompt the patient to seek more. The doctor’s uneasiness with the quality of the trust prompts him to practice more defensively.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 20:52:00 +0000

He certainly is. Just as, presumably, his commenters are entitled to point out the shortcomings in his editorials.

Gimme a break.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 19:40:00 +0000

Kevin is certainly entitled to editorialize.

Gimme a break.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 19:27:00 +0000

That claim isn’t in there either. In fact, if you were going to talk about cost drivers based on that article, you would have attributed it to the pharmaceutical industry and doctors’ susceptibility to their marketing.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 19:23:00 +0000

I didn’t say it was the largest, but “one of the larger” drivers of health care cost.

Thanks,
Kevin

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 19:21:00 +0000

Nowhere in that article is the statement made that overtesting is one of the largest drivers of health care costs.