A patient recently told be that “nobody trusts anybody anymore.” I am inclined to agree with that to a point. Perhaps that is the reason that so many of us are being tracked. Let me explain…I am not talking about the tracking that goes on when you purchase something or look something up on the internet. That is another problem altogether. I am concerned about the tracking of so many professionals as they try to do their job. Tracking teachers. Tracking UPS drivers. Tracking physicians. That last one I know a lot about. Everyone is tracking us. Drug reps know if we prescribe their drugs. Insurance companies know how many and what kind of tests we order. (Some we don’t order because they don’t let us) Hospitals know how many of our patients are admitted. Our electronic medical records can tell how many diabetic patients we have and what their sugar runs. They cannot yet tell you how well these same patients follow directions, but that will come soon… they are tracking patients also. And calling their homes. All because they care, of course.
All of this tracking is to improve things. Perhaps there is someone somewhere who does a better job because of it? I doubt it! Mostly, it just discourages those of us who really do care and are really trying to do a good job!
Health care has created a tracking industry but it seems to have become more of a roadblock than a help. So much data and so little time to analyze it. Daily my staff opens my “tracking mail”–insurance companies being the worse offenders. This patients needs this lab, this medicine or this screening test. Most of these requests just end up in the shred pile. Does the insurance copy really think I can address all these requests during a standard 10 minute office visit?
Just as crazy, the same insurance company pays someone to discourage the use of another medication and other tests. In the past year I have had many an insurance company restrict access to ever generic medications!! For years I have told patients who want a head scan to just go to the ER — they never get their scans denied.
Is this medical system crazy or what?