Health care costs out of control: Symptom 1

Here is a symptom of our health care crisis. The U.S. government wants to expand health care coverage with a government program. It will undoubtedly will be similar to Medicare; and Medicare is rife with cost overruns and problems. President Obama's first quick "fix" was to suggest cutting reimbursement amounts to doctors. Gee, that would cut costs, but how many more doctors will stop accepting Medicare patients? At least he is also proposing cuts on procedures, and increase payments to primary care physicians. But cutting payments to specialists will limit access to those specialists

My mother fell when visiting me a couple years ago, and cracked her pelvis. She had Medicare. The hospital did a fine job, and recommended a followup visit with an orthopedic doctor. I had to call around to finally find one that accepted Medicare. I was less than impressed with the doctor. He asked how she was doing, and asked her to move her legs, but that was it. No physical exam, no x-rays taken, and I'm not sure he even looked at the x-rays taken at the hospital. He probably didn't have time. And when the doctor was asking my mom some questions, at one point, she didn't respond. He repeated the question louder; still no response. Again he asked, then she answered. He didn't ask if she had heard him, and didn't ask me if that had happened before. In hindsight, it appears she was having a transient ischemic attack (TIA - a mini-stroke) or maybe an absence seizure. But he was too busy to worry about that!

So the solution to health care is to cut reimbursements to doctors?

Health care costs out of control: Reason 1.

I plan on listing some things that cause health care costs to be out of control.

This first one is just a minor thing, but I'm sure it happens a lot; adding up to significant waste. I ordered a refill for a prescription through the mail-order pharmacy my company has contracted with. I printed off the order number. A few days later, the refill order disappeared. So I had to call them, and they resubmitted the refill. So what's the waste?

Only problem is, is that I will run out of medicine before the refill arrives. The pharmacy phone rep's solution? Call the doctor and ask for a prescription for a temporary supply! So I will

• Have to call the doctor's office, tie up the receptionist for 5 minutes
• Then the doctor has to take 10 minutes to pull the chart, and possibly call me, to ask why I need a temporary supply, assuming the receptionist didn't bother to write down why I need the prescription.
  
• Then the doctor's office staff has to fax the prescription to the local pharmacy.
  
• The local pharmacy will probably need to call the mail-order pharmacy for an override code, since I've had the mail-order refill order placed.
  
• The local pharmacy files an on-line claim
• The local pharmacy fills the prescription
• I have to drive to the pharmacy, burning fossil fuel on the way