Author Jay Neugeboren presented with shortness of breath after exertion, and eventually was diagnosed with coronary artery disease requiring an emergent quintuple-bypass.
How did two doctors, including a cardiologist, miss the urgency of his symptoms? It probably was because they didn’t know the author, whereas his lifelong friend, who turned out to also be a doctor, was able to “place [his] new symptoms in the context of [his] overall story.”
Continuity of care matters, and in this day and age where the average Medicare patient sees close to 10 different doctors per year, health care is becoming more fragmented.
As Mr. Neugeboren writes, “To get diagnoses and treatment plans right, we need doctors who know us over time, and who have the time to know us.”
Sadly, as long as quantity of care remains disproportionally valued by the physician payment system, both continuity of care and time spent with patients will continue to be in short supply.
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- Bypass surgery and mental acuity
- Triple-bypass surgery, wrong films
- Adoption on condition of gastric bypass surgery
- Diagnosis to chronic disease management
- Should heart disease screening tests be covered by insurance?
{ 2 comments }
I am sure that, despite the eventual outcome, his cardiologist did miss performing a stress test, since that is where the easy money is.
Just like Tim Russert.
No judgment or medical opinion, just high-reimbursement procedures, even for “VIP”s.
I wonder about this type of story sometimes.
My guess is that you need to have been there to understand why someone might have discounted what in hindsight seems to have been obvious symptoms of a serious problem.
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