LikeADoctorInTheFamily.com

It is astounding to me just how opaque and closed is the culture of medicine, mostly all to the benefit of healthcare providers and largely to the detriment of you the patient.

Why is it that the medical information that specifically concerns you as a patient- for example the complete, findings and opinions of the radiologist who just performed your MRI or mammogram; or the complete findings and opinions of the pathologist who just read and interpreted your biopsy - instead of being explained you and the report handed to you or mailed to you, are instead kept from you?

At best, you have to work very hard to ge those results.

WHEN IS THE LAST TIME A RADIOLOGIST CAME OUT AFTER YOUR STUDY AND WENT OVER YOUR FINDINGS OR THE LAST TIME A PATHOLOGIST CALLED YOU TO COME IN TO DISCUSS YOUR BIOPSY RESULTS?

You may say that is the job of your doctor, but in fact, that job is rarely done in a timely, complete and satifactory manner.

These incredibly important discussions and documents are delivered to your ordering provider, but, not to you!  WHY IS THAT?

Given that the reports sent to your 'healthcare provider' (they are not always doctors these days) frequently get misfiled, may never be read at all, frequently get skimmed over and  misread, often misplaced or just disappear, it would seem to me that you the patient, being the only person who knows you actually went for a particular procedure or consult, and about whom, and only whom, the information directly concerns, should be the first one to receive the results, fully explained and in writing, from the originator of the documents.

The main reason this doesn't happen is because of liability reasons. The other is that it takes  unpaid time to do so. I do believe doctors should be paid for their time, including time explaining results to you.

The belief among doctors is that you cannot sue for errors in judgment, accuracy, and competency if you have no record that these ever occurred.

In defense of this policy doctors will say you cannot understand what is being said anyway or that you will misunderstand what is being said. BALONEY!

What WOULD you do with the information? You would read it, highlight what you don't understand, and take the report with you to your doctor for a complete explanation. THIS IS A CRUCIAL STEP IN EXTRACTING THE BEST HEALTH CARE.

I believe it is the radiologists job to explain his or her findings to you, on the spot.

I believe it is the pathologist job to explain his or her findings to you when determined.

'I don't want to know', you say. 'I trust my doctor', you say. You'll find these points of view under 'famous last words'.

You get a mammogram, you get a card in the mail that says all is fine, your doctor gets a letter that says all is fine BUT THAT ONE OF EVERY TWELVE CANCERS WILL NOT BE SEEN WITH THE TYPE OF MAMMOGRAM YOU JUST GOT, OR THAT YOUR DENSE BREASTS WILL OBSCURE ANY CANCER PRESENT.

Your doctor won't tell you any of that, believe me. Don't you want to know?

NOW, what about dangers to your health that others, who are responsible for telling you, know and don't tell you?

The FDA is responsible for warning us about dangerous drugs. Right?

When is the last time you received a drug alert warning from the FDA?

Well, doctors don't get them either.

As proof of that, recently, a private oganization, is taking over that responsibility, BUT JUST FOR DOCTORS!!

ONCE AGAIN, YOU THE PATIENT, WHO SHOULD BE THE FIRST TO KNOW, WILL BE THE LAST TO KNOW ABOUT THESE DANGERS!

The organization is HCNN-Health Care Notification Network and is funded by the pharmaceutical industry.

HMMMM..., LET ME SEE, THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY IS FINANCING AN ORGANIZATION TO ALERT DOCTORS ABOUT THE DANGERS OF THEIR PHARMACEUTICALS!!! 

Here is the first notice I received concerning a commonly used antibiotic LEVAQUIN.  The WARNING applies to all fluoroquinolone antibiotics including LEVAQUIN and CIPRO: 

Dear Healthcare Professional:

 PriCara®, Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc, would like to inform

you of important changes to the prescribing information forLEVAQUIN® (levofloxacin)

tablet, oral solution, and injectable formulations.

The BOXED WARNING reads as follows:

WARNING: