Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

Random Thoughts On August 31st.

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  • When I moved from Franklin Massachusetts to the Cape, it took six months for me to find a health care provider accepting new patients and facilitate the transfer of my medical records.
  • When I moved from Franklin Massachusetts to the Cape, it took five minutes for me to find a veterinarian  accepting new patients and facilitate the transfer of my dog’s medical records.
  • At the end of many Big Pharma ads, the company spokesperson adds, “If you can’t afford this medication, our company may be able to help”.  I wish they would just tell the truth and say “If you can’t afford this medication, it’s because you live in the USA.  Anywhere else, it’s not a problem.”
  • When I hear of a  prominent Covid denier has become infected and has died, I’m reminded of Mike Hughes, a flat earther who was killed in a rocket launch in one of his homemade rockets-  part of his plan to be able to determine for himself if Earth was as flat as he proclaimed to believe.
  • Can we please dispense with the recorded messaged of “Your call is important to us”, “This call may be recorded for training purposes”, “If this is an emergency please dial 911”, and “Did you know you can find us on the Web?”.   If the call was important we would not be on hold.  We don’t care why the call may be recorded.  We’re not idiots.  We know about the Internet and 911.
  • I wear a mask for two reasons.  The first is that even though I am vaccinated, I know it will help slow the spread of the virus.  The second is I do not want to look like a Trump supporter.
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Comments

  1. Just to build on your first bullet — getting a PCP is just the first step.

    In today’s utterly dysfunctional health-care system, virtually every significant disorder requires a specialist or sub-specialist. The PCP — if your plan even has one — is little more than a traffic director.

    There are enormous differences between groups (such as MGH or Atrius) in how effective a PCP is in recommending a specialist or subspecialist who is taking patients and who is in-network. If your insurance provider is BCBS and/or Medicare, then you’ll have an easier time finding an in-network provider.

    Here are some other health-care related bullets I invite you to add:

    • Can we please dispense with the medication record that is demanded on each and every visit. The information is already in the system, you won’t get past the front desk if you don’t have a confirmed insurance provider and a known co-pay. The current medication list is in the same patient record. None of that matters because the care provider ignores it.
    • Can we please dispense with the oral medical history. It’s already in the insurance database.
    • Can we please dispense with the use “NP” and similar non-physicians to screen visits to a physician. I make an appointment because I want to speak to my DOCTOR. The information available to the NP is already available to the physician. The NP adds no new information.

      • I was unable to find a DOCTOR…best I could do was an NP. Funny how I don’t get a discount on my Medicare supplement.
      • I moved to a different town on the Cape after I was already in the system at the medical office. I told them of the change and no, they could not simply change the street address and town. I had to fill out a new form, including persons to notify, allergies, medications, email address..

      • I had to fill out a new form, including persons to notify, allergies, medications, email address..

        None of which is read by anybody anywhere.

        This forced repetition of the same questions over and over is a staple of harsh interrogation techniques practiced during the cold war.

        Even as we speak, mainstream news outlets report that large numbers of federal health-care providers are being moved to the regions of the south devastated by a pandemic among non-vaccinated seditionists. This is absurd — and reflects how badly broken our entire health-care system is.

        While I was in high school at the height of the Vietnam war, my friends and I reacted to similar forms and questionnaires collected by school authorities by providing random and farcical answers. So far as I know, nobody ever saw or reacted to any of those.

        Perhaps it’s time to start doing the same with these medical forms.

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