DOCTORS’ LOUNGE
(continued from page 35)
premature death.
and also whether it was properly given. They
also must measure and rule on whether
adequate preventive measures were taken,
and – most important to the monster maw
– every part was properly documented. Our
health care system employs hundreds of
thousands of people just to keep track of us
and our potentially wasteful order-writing.
What’s good about this monster is that it
replaced the SGR, that mockery of a payment system. Decapitating that bad boy was
a victory for all (celebrated bloodlessly, of
course, since we do no harm).
What’s good about this monster is that
before Medicare, people never knew if they
could afford at all to be both old and sick.
Now at least since 1965 we have made medical care accessible, and not consigned every
person of limited funds to charity care, or
What’s bad about this monster is that once
again, the people in suits – and not white
coats – devise ever fancier ways to steal time
from the doctor and patient, and from doctors and our families. Focus on the new
coding, and you have turned your face away
from the lady crying, or seething, across the
room. Fill out all the forms, and you have
isolated yourself from your loved ones.
The best revenge is to beat them at their
own game. Harness your inner librarian,
and raise hell till someone else, eventually,
helps fill out all the forms. I might be long
dead before that battle is won, but I’ll go
down fighting.
Dr. Barry practices Internal Medicine with
Norton Community Medical Associates-Barret. She is a clinical associate professor at the
University of Louisville School of Medicine,
Department of Medicine.
Lend Your Voice
in our Legislative
Town Hall!
The P&A Team is hosting a legislative town hall on
Thursday, Sept. 24, at the Old Medical School to
discuss several important health care issues including
fair contracting, maintenance of certification and
Smoke Free Kentucky.
RSVP to
Onvia McDaniel at
502-736-6302 or
[email protected]
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LOUISVILLE MEDICINE