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an idea from "a mirical on 34th street"

Posted By: Lawrence Emke meta_seperate Date Posted: May 24th, 2010 meta_seperate Category:

You asked for the one thing every hospital could do to improve.
Trying to think of a positive answer, my memory took me back to
an old movie.

In it Kris Kringle helps shoppers find the best gift that the
parents can buy. He even sent some customers to “Gimbles”,
because they had a toy that the woman was trying to find.

It would be nice if Hospitals tried to do the same.
I realize this goes against the “profit” motive, but
a hospital can not be all things to all persons.

It would be nice if doctors would recommend another
hospital if there is one in the area that is a leader
in a certain field, and the patient really needed
that type of care, rather than wait for the patient
to ask if there is a better institution in the who
treats more of disease the patient has.

This especially applies to terminal illnesses. While
the doctor may view the situation as unpromising, other
points of view may exist.

Thanks for your efforts to improve medial care. I
could not ask for a more concerned organization.

Thanks again,
Lawrence Emke


2 Comments


Comment By: Craig Stevens meta_seperate Date & Time: May 26, 2010 at 12:40 pm

Lawrence, I'm not in medicine but I feel that what you're referring to already happens at the doctor level. I know there is pressure sometimes for one doctor to refer to another who is 'in the system." But it seems to me that they will often really go with the one they think is best. Even if that means sending me across town. What I would lke to see is that once I go across town that I don't have to start all over with providing the information and making sure the new doctors know what the old ones know. They have to learn to talk together across systems. That's what I would like to see change.

Comment By: Rebekah meta_seperate Date & Time: May 28, 2010 at 3:29 pm

Several times I've had one doctor refer me to another for different treatments. It so happened that they were all Wash U doctors, but I think that's because so many of them work together, they know one another on a professional level and are aware of who can provide the best treatment for different conditions.

The same goes for ER referrals. When I went to the emergency room with certain symptoms, the doctor's discharge instructions to me were to follow up with a certain doctor for further specialized treatment. The doctor was a part of the same healthcare system as the emergency room.

Although it's nice when doctors make the first move toward sending a patient to the best place for care, I also hope that patients always feel empowered to really have that active conversation with their doctors, get involved, and ask their doctors for second opinions too.