nada, nothing, zero

 

I can’t tell you who. I’d be in big trouble. But I can tell you the story. The story is interesting and instructive so I will recount it for you as best I can.

The two women are sisters. One is ill and in need of help getting to and from the doctor’s office. On a particular day an appointment rolls around. It has been scheduled for many weeks and is intended to establish treatment for the very ill sister.

But the doctor has an emergency and the scheduled meeting has to be shifted several hours at the last minute. That’s okay things happen.

The two sisters do the things we all have to do when we have a doctor’s appointment. Obviously you have to drive to the doctor’s office after you have picked up your sister. Once there you have many hoops to jump through. Questions to answer. Get your blood pressure taken. Get weighed. This is after you have had to wait in the waiting room. Eventually then you get to wait again in the exam room. This is just what you have to do.

On this visit however the doctor has no news. He has no information and he really could not offer any path forward. The test results from samples taken were not back. He could not prescribe treatment without knowing what is needed to know about the disease.

I guess he didn’t know before that meeting the test results were not back. I guess there was no way to check the day before. Nor did it occur to him that when he had to postpone the meeting there was no reason to have the meeting since he had nothing to say anyway.

With all the equipment and electronics there is no system that says, “Hey Doc, the test results are not back… no reason to have an appointment. No reason to charge medicare.”

Maybe labs just work at their own pace and there is no way to call them and check. Should it occur to someone to check to see if everything is in place before the appointment? 

After years of working I don’t think I ever went into a meeting where the person who was supposed to present just didn’t have anything. Nor as a presenter do I remember not being prepared.

…and no one’s life was in question.

The medical community continues to impress me… and not favorably.