Tenacity of Hope

An official apology to Obama for hoodwinking his title, but I like it. Anyway, I was stumbling the other day, and I came across an interesting article. The premise was that in health care, a practitioner shouldn't necessarily be judged solely on his or her degree, but rather by their character. I find that to be relevant with any profession, but especially with health care. How many people have stories about a visit to the doctor..of any discipline..where they were made to wait for endless periods of time..in a waiting room..only to get ushered into a small exam room, and made to wait, and wait, and wait...only to have a hurried doctor burst into the room, spend 5 frantic minutes with the patient, and then the doctor just as abruptly flies out to meet his next patient? I don't believe this health care model to be beneficial for anybody involved. It cheats the patient out of valuable time to speak with the doctor about the patient's health concerns, and it greatly stalls the formation of a valuable doctor-patient relationship. It is also hard on the doctor, who may be forced to rush from room to room without the ability to adequately treat the patient. Who is to blame for this strange health care model that we seem to have fallen prey to? While it is not wise or prudent to point fingers, it seems that doctors should have the final say in how their office is run. I personally like to sit down and have a conversation with a patient, to get a feel for what their health concerns are, and to find a real solution that works for everybody involved. I fully acknowledge my limitations as a chiropractor. I do not write prescriptions for drugs. If a patient presents with a problem which necessitates the need for such intervention, I would find it my duty to refer the patient to the proper practitioner. However, I am a proponent for finding other ways of leading patients to their pinnacle of health, through lifestyle changes and mindful living. I guess my point in this is that it would benefit everybody to be mindful in their health practitioner choices, and to find someone that works for them, and to not be complacent in these choices. It is, afterall, a free market, and by voicing our desires for a better health care model, we are changing the world as we see it, one bit at a time.