drive through medicine

[Aske]

http://www.cbsnews.com/st.../health/main3158978.shtml

[MFAWG]

Can it be coincidence that a country that considers the physical health of it's citizens just another commodity to be bought and sold on the hallowed Free Market like pork bellies, frozen concentrated orange juice, or prepared sandwiches is 41st in Life Expectancy?

[spacey]

Actually, I think in a lot of ways the "Redi-clinic" model makes a lot of sense. It offers an alternative to a high-cost physician office, "Instacare," or ER visit for low acuity diagnoses (sore throat, sniffles, etc). Physicians are generally overqualified to diagnose and treat the types of symptoms that will typically present at a Redi-clinic, which most of the time require a simple prescription (e.g.- penicillin) or the catch-all diagnosis of "it's probably a virus, drink fluids, and get some rest" which are easily handled by a NP. It is much quicker than a traditional visit to a physician office or ER, and helps free up higher acuity treatment centers to deal with the things they are better suited to handle. Generally speaking, diagnosis and treatment at these clinics are lower cost than the alternative, prices are advertised up-front, and more insurance companies are covering these visits.

[Art Vandelay]

Actually, I think in a lot of ways the "Redi-clinic" model makes a lot of sense. It offers an alternative to a high-cost physician office, "Instacare," or ER visit for low acuity diagnoses (sore throat, sniffles, etc). Physicians are generally overqualified to diagnose and treat the types of symptoms that will typically present at a Redi-clinic, which most of the time require a simple prescription (e.g.- penicillin) or the catch-all diagnosis of "it's probably a virus, drink fluids, and get some rest" which are easily handled by a NP. It is much quicker than a traditional visit to a physician office or ER, and helps free up higher acuity treatment centers to deal with the things they are better suited to handle. Generally speaking, diagnosis and treatment at these clinics are lower cost than the alternative, prices are advertised up-front, and more insurance companies are covering these visits.

I concur with the esteemed gentleman from Utah.

[gleek]

We Americans might not live as long as those in some other countries, but we'll at least die fat and happy. When I watch TV and see those poor starving kids all over the world, I can't think that they'll be living that much longer than us, if at all. I mean, I'd love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff.

[Uisce Beatha]

I concur with the esteemed gentleman from Utah.

Spacey knows his stuff.  Health care is his gig.

However, I defer to the esteemed gentleman from North Carolina.  He's teh expert when it comes to vehicular medicine.

[Art Vandelay]

I concur with the esteemed gentleman from Utah.

Spacey knows his stuff.  Health care is his gig.

However, I defer to the esteemed gentleman from North Carolina.  He's teh expert when it comes to vehicular medicine.

All I know is that on the rare occasion I even try to see a doctor, IF I'm able to get through the endless automated menus and leave a message in the proper voicemail, and IF whoever reviews that voicemail gets around to calling me back,  and IF they are able to give me an appointment in the near enough future that I don't tell them to just forget it,  when I do finally get an appointment the office is always overflowing like a train station at rush hour, I spend 40 minutes sitting on a table in a paper gown before the actual doctor spends a good 18 seconds with me and rattles off that he'll phone in some prescription or other and if I don't feel better in a month come back and we'll do this all again.  And by the way, stop at the desk to settle your co-pay.

And before anyone says "find a better doctor", I've tried three different providers in the past five years and all have been pretty much the same.

In these here United States there's got to be a better way.

[birdymaker]

All I know is that on the rare occasion I even try to see a doctor, IF I'm able to get through the endless automated menus and leave a message in the proper voicemail, and IF whoever reviews that voicemail gets around to calling me back,  and IF they are able to give me an appointment in the near enough future that I don't tell them to just forget it,  when I do finally get an appointment the office is always overflowing like a train station at rush hour, I spend 40 minutes sitting on a table in a paper gown before the actual doctor spends a good 18 seconds with me and rattles off that he'll phone in some prescription or other and if I don't feel better in a month come back and we'll do this all again.  And by the way, stop at the desk to settle your co-pay.

And before anyone says "find a better doctor", I've tried three different providers in the past five years and all have been pretty much the same.

In these here United States there's got to be a better way.

in my exp. this is standard operating procedure at pretty much any office in any major metropolitan area. you can always go to the urgent care center and kill the better part of a day.