When thinking about the socialization of medicine–especially through Medicare regulations that lead to the micromanagement of every facet of healthcare, I had to laugh when I recently watched a television advertisement for Bayer aspirin. You may have seen it too. It depicts an airline passenger asking for some pain relief from a flight attendent. She happily offers him Bayer aspirin. MY NURSES CAN”T DO THAT! Did you know that every single pill that is given at the nursing home; every single care option a nurse may want to give to an ailing patient; and every single plan of action given by nurses and other medical personnel must be personally approved by a physician? That has led to an inundation of paperwork that comes across my desk every day. Now that may make a few doctors feel especially important but not me. It makes me stay later in my office than I would need to signing paperwork AND it makes me personally responsible for things that are completely out of my control, my area of expertise, and my sphere of comfort.
About Richard Edgerly, MD
I am a board-certified (not that it matters), Family Medicine physician who practices in rural Washington State. I am the owner of Assurance Healthcare and Counseling Center in the city of Yakima.
Always appreciating what a little humor does to refresh the soul, I have also written a collection of stories about events that have occurred over the years in my practice, and I hope that they will also make you laugh (see Just a Spoonful of Laughter Helps the Medicine Go Down).
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