Doctors

Today, I had to visit my cardiologist for an annual check-up. Everything went smoothly, and I'm happy to report my heart (and pericardium) are happy as can be!

Every time I have been to this doctor's office, I leave thinking, "This is how a doctor's office should be run." The most amount of time I've had to wait in the waiting room is 15 minutes. The most I've waited in the exam room is 10 minutes. Each exam room has a computer, so the doctor can update my medical record (and review it) as he's chatting with me. He asks me how I'm doing and actually waits to hear the answer. Every time I go, his nurse does an EKG and he reads it for me. He does the echocardiograms himself and tells me as we're going how things are looking. And before I leave, the doctor meets with me - fully dressed - in his office. I love it!

Today, I told him how much I appreciate the way his office flows. He told me that he likes it, but that it is far too expensive to sustain. Tied to Columbia University, he doesn't have to pay all the bills. But he knows the way he practices doesn't bring in enough money to cover the costs.

What a shame. This is the way medical care should be provided, and it "isn't sustainable."