Sunday, August 15, 2021

PANDEMIC AND HEALTH CARE

       We started with COVID 19 pandemic last year in 2020 and since then medical practice has been affected . We have issues with patients not showing up for follow up when it is utmost important to do follow up  and do follow up tests  and then some showing up when they should not. When I wanted to doo scans to make sure that there was no cancer and patients don't want to do it due to fear of catching COVID, there is nothing I can do but to pray. Fortunately I have not had anyone who had cancer that did not get diagnosed sooner due to not showing up for the scan. But many other factors have played role in frustrations for the medical community with the pandemic and I have not seen that being addressed or even mentioned by news media or our own medical societies . All that they are interested is in FREE CARE FOR ALL. One has to understand that there is nothing FREE-someone is paying for it .We have had issues with supplies that we need to do tests not provided leading to cancel tests . Which means we have to no income and we have to get authorization from insurance company or PCP for doing tests  at a different date  and then getting patients upset as the tests were postponed. So the tests are not done and there is no income ,but the person who does the test is still employed and has to be paid .The list of issues that are going on and have been there for more than a year is long but I wanted to tell one quick story about other issue that I mentioned earlier.

    I think we have COIVID INFORMATION FATIGUE . We have enough information about the disease and it's spread and treatment and complications -that I think anybody could do doctorate in COVID . but still sometimes I come across patients that surprises me . I have a patient who has COPD - the disease that is primarily caused by smoking . She is 75 years old and has been on oxygen due to her condition. She had a routine follow up with me . She is usually accompanied by her family. In spite of the diagnosis of COPD which is caused by smoking ,she has continued to smoke and quit only recently. She came to office and my office and my office told me that I have to do telemedicine follow up. So they were asked to wait in car . SHE WAS POSITIVE FOR COVID and her daughter who came with her to my office was also positive . 

     My patient was vaccinated but her daughter and her son and her son in law were not vaccinated  and one of them is in medical field and works in hops with respiratory problem patients! So in spite of 10 posters on my office front door and check in window and waiting room , they came to my office .Another health care problem with pandemic .