Medicare can sometimes be a circus

If you have interacted with healthcare long enough, you probably have witnessed lots of frustrations over time. Some health facilities have bureaucratic processes that can drive you up the wall. Others are so disorganized that it’s a wonder patients still survive. Yet, others hardly have the slightest clue about complex diagnoses, sometimes taking you round in circles without ever getting to the bottom of what ails you. Is there ever an easy way out?

The most failsafe way out is to steer well clear of healthcare services. But that’s hardly practical. No one is completely immune from disease. Something always finds a way of cropping up, necessitating a visit to the doctors. So you are left with the task of being very selective on where to get your healthcare from. All in the interest of shortening your healthcare interactions to the barest minimum.

Let’s see what a typical healthcare journey involves. Where do you head when symptoms arise? For most, it’s likely the nearest healthcare facility. You possibly will initially be triaged by a generalist. A broad approach to your symptoms will mostly lead to non-specific testing, in the hope of stumbling onto a diagnosis. For the unlucky ones, the circus starts at that point. There will be unending testing, repeated reviews, and continuation of symptoms. The really unlucky ones will wither along the way. Some will survive by chance. Others will seek alternate opinions, or still end up in another medical circus.

It can take weeks, months, or even years for some to arrive at the most appropriate medical interventions. Granted, some rare conditions are elusive, and can take a while to be accurately diagnosed. But that’s hardly the norm. Well-structured medical services should have the capacity to deliver efficient healthcare. And always strive to make it easy for patients to negotiate healthcare corridors without undue fuss.

You can help yourself out by just being proactive during your medical interactions. Aim for one-stop appointments. That means your consult is combined with focused testing, and prompt availability of results. The results must be discussed soon as they are ready, and acted upon immediately. In many cases, this can be achieved the very day that you attend for the first consult. Shun indecisive clinicians who tend to procrastinate even on simple clinical matters. Beware most review appointments labeled as routine are a waste of everyone’s time.

Always narrow down to the most appropriate specialist. You’ll more likely avoid going round in circles that way. If unsure who the right specialist is for your symptoms, look out for renowned general practitioners. They’ll most likely know what to do with you, or when and where to refer you. If you ever find yourself in a medical circus, best to look elsewhere. You might find better services next door.

Dr Alfred Murage is a Consultant Gynecologist and Fertility Specialist. amurage@mygyno.co.ke