my doctor's visit

I headed over to the doctor's office today, as I was feeling (quite) under the weather. It was a reminder of how problematic the American system of health care is. My 'primary care physician', i.e. the doctor I'm supposed to go see, was closed, for some reason. Knowing that this meant I couldn't see anyone else, I called my insurance company for guidance. I was directed to 'urgent care', which sounded to me like way more care than I needed (and it was more expensive), but whatever. So I go to urgent care, and after filling in some paperwork, sit and wait. Then I am taken to a checkup room, my blood pressure checked, and then I... sit and wait. Finally a doctor comes to see me. She listens to my symptoms, looks in my ears and nose, and takes a swab from my throat to check for strep throat, which was what I was afraid I had, as my throat was sore and I had a fever. And I wait (admittedly, for the test results). She writes me a prescription for a couple of things, and sends me on my way. Cost (to me) so far: one and a half hours and 25 dollars.

Then I go to the pharmacy, where they fill the prescription. This takes an additional half hour, and 10 more dollars.

Now, I'm not saying I had any reason to expect faster service, but it seems to me that in my adventure a lot of resources were mis-used. I don't think I needed to be entered into a computer (again), and I'm fairly certain I could have seen someone less qualified than the doctor I saw. And by extension, I imagine that would take less time, since the only logical wait is for the professional.

Derek (Erb) commented:
More important than America's health system, or lack thereof, is... are you OK?
on Wed Apr 25 04:29:21 2007

Nikki commented:
Feel better soon!!!
on Wed Apr 25 08:02:08 2007

sasha commented:
Thanks for your concern! It turned out to be just a virus, and David claims to feel well enough to go off on his work trip to Minneapolis today and tomorrow. Hopefully the flight won't make it worse. He's drinking lots of fluids.
on Wed Apr 25 10:08:55 2007

David commented:
Thanks for your thoughts! The trip (I'm writing this from a hotel in Minneapolis) was not the brightest thing I've ever done, but I think I will survive. I'm sure I'm making quite an impression on everyone, with my sneezing, runny nose, etc.
on Thu Apr 26 00:43:40 2007

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