Uncoordinated Care

My wife recently retired from a distinguished career as an RN, and I have been alleged to know a little bit about health care.

So, like the proverbial doctor at a cocktail party, we get asked about health care issues and health services. We gladly give the best advice and best referrals we can.

We are also are the recipients of a great deal of venting about problems in the health system. Lots of venting. And lots of venting about the failure of the system to be even a little coordinated.

Some of the venting is shocking. The lack of coordination in oncology care in some systems is almost scandalous. But oncology is not alone.

The era of hospital employed physicians is clearly causing some problems.

Patient: “When will I see my doctor, Dr. Smith?”

Nurse: “You won't see Dr. Smith until you are discharged, here you will see the hospital doctors.

Patient: Well, who is that?

Nurse: “ Dr. Jones will be your cardiologist, except on weekends when it will be Dr. Brown, but after 8:00 pm it will be the cardiologist on call. Dr. Clooney is your hematologist and Dr. Pitt is your gerontologist, except of course for after 8:00 pm and weekends and their day off.”

Patient (slowly): “Oh... my... God.”

And we wonder why patients are confused? Are we close to violating informed consent standards with this parade of physicians?

Surgery patients are a little luckier, at least they know who is in charge of the parade, usually.

And it can be worse after the discharge. Something even worse happens when patients are referred to physicians willy-nilly, and after the fact discover the physician is out of network. How do they find out, usually when a huge bill comes in the mail three weeks later.

So who is to blame for this? Everybody and nobody.

The health care system has been evolving rapidly since 2010, and most providers are trying to evolve and accommodate the change.

The September 2016 edition of the Annals of Internal Medicine gives us a grim report – the employment of physicians by hospitals has not improved care. The alleged benefits of better coordinated care, well, are not benefits so far.