In US we have health care crisis and the cost is way out of hands . We are spending money that we don't have . We have patients that DEMAND work up and we have physicians that order too many tests as they are afraid of malpractice and want to make more money . We have hospital which has cost which is out of this world. and the medicines are so costly that even well to do patients can't afford. Lawyers are advertising on TV to sue anybody for any reason and are looking for any bad out come and or bad side effects . No wonder the cost of health care is out of hand . And to make it worst NO ONE CARES and no party or politician has any clue how to fix it . Some believe that competition will reduce cost , others believe that government taking over will fix the problem and neither is ready for listening to others or TALK to people like me - not any physician's associations -none of them have any understanding how we practicing physicians work and face problems .
This brings me to today's patient story . I have known this patient for last few years . She has mild asthma and recently I was thinking that her problem was due to heart problem and the the work up did confirm that she has leaky valve and irregular heart beats called atrial fibrillation that was contributing to her shortness of breath. She was followed by cardiologist and she is doing better. So the other day I had a call from the hospital that she was admitted . I went to see her . She had some upper respiratory symptoms and she saw her primary care physician and he gave her some antibiotics and then ordered chest X- ray . The X- ray was OK and the fever was gone . But she was still 'congested ' and so she and her daughter decided that she should come to ER. They did not call primary care any other doctor. As it is USUAL now a day ER did the CT SCAN of the chest . She had no fever and had normal oxygen saturation and normal white cell counts. The CT scan was OK.
I saw her . She was started on 2 antibiotics by hospital doctor. Her lungs were clear and she had no fever and the CT scan did not show any pneumonia . She was comfortable when I saw her and did not need oxygen . But as a 'routine she had CT scan and as a routine she was started on IV antibiotics. I was consulted and so was cardiologist and kidney specialist . She had mildly abnormal renal function and she was followed by them as out patient . The nasal smear came back positive for a virus --COMMON COLD VIRUS !!!
So she had cold and she was admitted for 2 days . She was hospitalized for 'observation . This means hospital makes more money rather than regular hospitalization . The hospital doctor makes money and so does the cardiologist and kidney doctor and I . So we have spent lots of money for treating COMMON COLD !!!
This brings me to today's patient story . I have known this patient for last few years . She has mild asthma and recently I was thinking that her problem was due to heart problem and the the work up did confirm that she has leaky valve and irregular heart beats called atrial fibrillation that was contributing to her shortness of breath. She was followed by cardiologist and she is doing better. So the other day I had a call from the hospital that she was admitted . I went to see her . She had some upper respiratory symptoms and she saw her primary care physician and he gave her some antibiotics and then ordered chest X- ray . The X- ray was OK and the fever was gone . But she was still 'congested ' and so she and her daughter decided that she should come to ER. They did not call primary care any other doctor. As it is USUAL now a day ER did the CT SCAN of the chest . She had no fever and had normal oxygen saturation and normal white cell counts. The CT scan was OK.
I saw her . She was started on 2 antibiotics by hospital doctor. Her lungs were clear and she had no fever and the CT scan did not show any pneumonia . She was comfortable when I saw her and did not need oxygen . But as a 'routine she had CT scan and as a routine she was started on IV antibiotics. I was consulted and so was cardiologist and kidney specialist . She had mildly abnormal renal function and she was followed by them as out patient . The nasal smear came back positive for a virus --COMMON COLD VIRUS !!!
So she had cold and she was admitted for 2 days . She was hospitalized for 'observation . This means hospital makes more money rather than regular hospitalization . The hospital doctor makes money and so does the cardiologist and kidney doctor and I . So we have spent lots of money for treating COMMON COLD !!!
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