Nightmare doctors
They lurk in the neon-lit depths of office parks and hospitals. Some are nearly as elusive as Bigfoot. Sometimes they’re distracted, sometimes superior and overbearing, sometimes they’re simply inept. They’re the Nightmare Doctors. And once you’ve experienced one, you’ll never look at an M.D. quite the same way again.
Last week I came across a New York Times article that contained several choice Nightmare Doctor stories. My favorite was that of a woman whose doctor said she needed a myelogram; a scan of the spine that requires a spinal tap. She reminded him that she’d recently had one on his recommendation. The problem was, the film from her previous test wasn’t in her file and couldn’t be found. When he continued to press her to take the test, she suggested that it might be time to refer the matter to her lawyer.
The film was found within half an hour.
Amazing. Her doctor was actually comfortable sending her to get a spinal tap so that he and his office staff wouldn’t be inconvenienced. That’s one for the Nightmare Doctor Hall of Fame.
But now patients are fighting back.
One woman, whose doctor refused to tell her why he had prescribed a certain medication, later found out she had hepatitis A., which can be easily transmitted to family members. Not only did she change doctors, she started a web site called RateMDs.com for those who want to expose Nightmare Doctors to the world. And if you happen to like your doctor you can submit glowing reviews as well.
Some professional associations and insurance groups are also taking steps to encourage Nightmare Doctors to change their ways. One health plan organization withholds doctors’ bonuses if they’re not highly rated by patients. And a group of health insurers in California divide several million dollars among 35,000 doctors according to patient ratings.
One professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School believes that speed and technology have become the priorities in modern medical systems, prompting some doctors to forget the human element. And then there are those doctors who just don’t get it. For them we prescribe a healthy dose of RateMDs.com.
Sources:
“When the Doctor Is In, but You Wish He Wasn’t” Gina Kolata, The New York Times, 11/30/05, nytimes.com
