Re: Re: How to get off lipitor? - re Rant

[Guest guest]

Ok; so here is my rant...

I have been thinking about doctors lately; we all know that for most

of our lives they were held on this higher plane; God-like.; to

never be questioned.

I do wonder how long it will take them to realize that can no longer

expect to be treated with such high regard when they now refuse to

treat many people without looking in their wallets first; and with

drugs that they must know on some level are harming more then

helping. If they are walking through their careers *allowing*

themselves to be caught between insurance companies and

pharmacutical companies; can they really expect to be treated with

respect?

_________

Love it, love it, love it. Beautifully put.

I will almost certainly use this at some future point in an article

or face to face meeting (with attribution if possible) or plagerized

if necessary.

[Guest guest]

On 8/18/04 4:09 AM, " ceda " ceda > wrote:

>

> Subject: Re: Re: How to get off lipitor? - re Rant

>

>

>

> Ok; so here is my rant...

>

> I have been thinking about doctors lately; we all know that for most

> of our lives they were held on this higher plane; God-like.; to

> never be questioned.

>

> I do wonder how long it will take them to realize that can no longer

> expect to be treated with such high regard when they now refuse to

> treat many people without looking in their wallets first; and with

> drugs that they must know on some level are harming more then

> helping. If they are walking through their careers *allowing*

> themselves to be caught between insurance companies and

> pharmacutical companies; can they really expect to be treated with

> respect?

>

>

> _________

>

> Love it, love it, love it. Beautifully put.

>

> I will almost certainly use this at some future point in an article

> or face to face meeting (with attribution if possible) or plagerized

> if necessary.

My head is still reeling from going in to the chronic pain group and being

told that I should consider stanford a 'restaurant'; where my treatment

would depend on my type of insurance I have. They told me with good

insurance I could have many items on the menu, a waiter who will assist me

for all my needs and hot food... But with my kind of insurance my menu will

be only one or two things, my food is going to take a long time to get to my

table and the waiter will be rude. (it appears that lipitor is the only

item on my menu).

Like I mentioned; the doc who delivered this analogy to me when they decided

to *not* help me; called this the 'restaurant' analogy. But I consider it

the 'prostitution' analogy; which would make the doctors not 'waiters' but

---> (well; you get the point)

[Guest guest]

Well, I like the restaurant analogy as a descriptor of the state of affairs

in medicine. At least the doc was honest about it. Most of the time they

simply don't tell the patient when they are withholding treatment options

because of insurance issues. Patients put their trust in the doctors and

don't even know when they are being lied to about their treatment options.

Tragic! I am really sorry you had to hear this analogy in the context you

did, but at least now you are armed with a hefty dose of truth when it comes

to the medical profession.

I posted this once before, but I will share it again. My friend's daughter

is a medical student. Her son is studying to be an accountant. The

daughter told the son and then told her mom in my presence that her

professor told them why doctors make more money than accountants.

Accountants bill by the hour - they are limited to 24 hours in a day,

therefore they will never make more money than their hourly rate times the

number of hours they work. A doctor bills by procedure. There is no limit

on procedures - you can pack them in tighter and tighter all day long and

make more money. THIS, in my opinion, is just one reason that we are

getting less and less time with our doctors. They are too busy cramming as

much in as possible to get more money. And then there are the denial of

service incentives from the HMOs that just make me sick.

Okay, must stop writing before my blood pressure skyrockets. This topic

just makes me so mad!

-Barb

[Guest guest]

Well, I like the restaurant analogy as a descriptor of the state of affairs

in medicine. At least the doc was honest about it. Most of the time they

simply don't tell the patient when they are withholding treatment options

because of insurance issues. Patients put their trust in the doctors and

don't even know when they are being lied to about their treatment options.

Tragic! I am really sorry you had to hear this analogy in the context you

did, but at least now you are armed with a hefty dose of truth when it comes

to the medical profession.

I posted this once before, but I will share it again. My friend's daughter

is a medical student. Her son is studying to be an accountant. The

daughter told the son and then told her mom in my presence that her

professor told them why doctors make more money than accountants.

Accountants bill by the hour - they are limited to 24 hours in a day,

therefore they will never make more money than their hourly rate times the

number of hours they work. A doctor bills by procedure. There is no limit

on procedures - you can pack them in tighter and tighter all day long and

make more money. THIS, in my opinion, is just one reason that we are

getting less and less time with our doctors. They are too busy cramming as

much in as possible to get more money. And then there are the denial of

service incentives from the HMOs that just make me sick.

Okay, must stop writing before my blood pressure skyrockets. This topic

just makes me so mad!

-Barb

[Guest guest]

sure are right abut how about how a person is treated...how can any

dr. be trusted after the kind of experience you had? I like the pimp

analogy.

cindyh

------------------

And this coming from an RN.