Would you hire a painter and ask him to paint your house blindfolded? Would you call your auto mechanic and ask him to repair your car over the phone? Would you ask your attorney to draw up your will without sitting down with him and discuss your needs? Of course not!
So, why would you call your doc and ask him/her to treat your body over the phone? There are reasons:
- “I’m too busy.”
- “I’m too sick.”
- “I don’t have the money.”
- “The wait’s too long.”
These are among my favorites!
“But, doc, it’s just a cold! I don’t have time to come in. The last time you gave me the Zpack. I promise I’ll come in if I don’t get better.”
Mr. C’s cold turned out to be heart failure. Yes, Mr. C has a cough and congestion. He also had swollen legs, a cough that worsened when he laid down and an EKG that suggested that Mr. C had suffered a recent heart attack. Caring for Mr. C over the phone may well have been a fatal mistake.
Mr. C was too busy to come in. He had lots to do around the house and was having trouble finding time to do it all. He also was not very productive as he was short of breath and weak. His heart was having trouble supporting any physical activity.
Mr. C was too sick to come in. He didn’t know how right he was! When you are too sick to be seen, you really need to be seen. If you are too sick to come in, it may be time to call the paramedics.
Mr. C didn’t have the money to pay his co-pay. Mr. C drinks a lot. His congestive heart failure is the result of too much alcohol. At the price of a fifth a day, it’s no wonder he can’t afford to see the doc.
And yes, the wait is too long. Mr. C called the office to get his Zpack. The front desk had to answer that call and take a message. The message had to be routed to a nurse who then called Mr. C to tell him to come in. The front desk had already told him to come in and he had ignored them, asking to talk to the doc. Mr. C ignored the nurse’s advice, telling her he was sure that “Stu” would take care of him. (For some reason, patients think calling me “Stu” infers that they are my personal friend. My friends don’t call me “Stu.”)
Ultimately, I had to call Mr. C. By the time I called Mr. C, it was too late for him to be seen. I told him to go to the emergency room. He ignored me and showed up the next day. Shortly after being seen, the paramedics picked up Mr. C. His wait time was short. Everyone else’s wait time was excessive.
Not only is phone medicine potentially harmful, it is very time consuming. With the new year comes new deductibles. Patients will try to avoid coming. Patients will be putting off rechecks and instead, asking for refills over the phone. Some of those patients desperately need to be seen.
So, what’s a doc to do? From my viewpoint, your doc should avoid phone medicine and see you. I often end articles with a reminder: “The life you save may be your own.”
