I went with Renee to the physiatrist today to discuss what we are going to do with Renee’s neck. Renee and I are competing for the “Who Has the Worse Neck Award.” You might say we are neck and neck coming into the home stretch. The physiatrist said something that is worth repeating:
“There are two types of docs. There is the doc that treats the patient with a problem and the doc who treats a problem with a patient attached.” While it may sound like a simple play on words, it is a significant play on words.
Back in the dark ages, when I went to medical school, we were taught to take care of the whole patient. The doctor-patient relationship was sacred and practicing medicine was a calling. Unfortunately, everything changed with the onset of the computer age. The focus shifted to problem management and checking as many boxes as possible became the goal. The doctor was demoted to the status of provider and the patient was demoted to the person who delivered the problem to the computer.
The story is sad but true. During my tenure as physician, I worked long hours caring for people. Today’s provider works long hours poring over computer algorithms, assuring that the proper boxes have been checked and coding is completed. By the way, the doc Renee saw today used two novel tools, paper and pen, to record her history and findings. Rather than looking at the monitor while he talked, he actually looked at us and talked to us. Being cared for as a human was a pleasurable experience.
I feel sorry for Dr W. as I’m sure he’ll spend his night inputting his notes into NextGen. Boy, I miss the good old days. I’ve now been on hold for 15 minutes. I’ve been on the phone for 1 hour and twenty-four minutes with Verizon trying to correct a bill I received after terminating my service. They claim that, once their compute generates a bill, nothing can be done to correct it. They want me to pay $81 for zero service or else . . . The computer, even when wrong, has to be fed.
What next?
Here’re your jokes of the day:
Verizon made a new minimum-security prison; and, despite what many would believe, it’s very successful. It’s got no bars but you still can’t get out of it for 2 years.
What does Verizon wireless and abortion clinics have in common? They both have early termination fees.
For more Verizon jokes go to: https://jokojokes.com/verizon-jokes.html
