1/10/23 Hello Again Alan. I'll send the Resistbot for the second time to my legislators about electronic medical records. Back in 2010-2011 I studied medical transcription and my instructor, older like me, had visited Congress to implement universal electronic medical records. She had been a medical transcriptionist in hospitals and clinics (before they outsourced to working from home, a sweatshop in one's own bedroom) for decades.
Because of this fragmented healthcare system and from my medical transcription instructor's advice, I always now write up a medical history for each new doc or surgeon I see; some don't bother to read them and try to dictate to me what my issue is solely from diagnostics without knowing my medical history and how to resolve it (two hip surgeons told me I'd never run again after total hip replacement and were immediately fired, found the good hip surgeon now no longer performing surgery due to the 25% increase in malpractice insurance, barely made it in time--outstanding surgeon, what a tragedy).
With universal EMR I would recommend still giving new docs a patient medical history summary, but they wouldn't have to keep taking duplicate diagnostics for the same condition if it were on our lifelong medical records and the patient wouldn't have to make copies of hospital records if they were in their universal medical records.
Leave it to the USA t make simple procedures extremely complicated.
Thank you for sharing this with me Diana. First, I'm glad you are running. It also means you paid careful attention to the rehab if your back better than before!!
You are right on so many points. A physician friend of mine at PNHP told me that a large number of physicians are planning to leave practice early. He told me that it just isn't worth the expense and headache. My daughter would benefit from your suggestion of providing the medical history (pre-visit) and not do all the duplicative tests.
Regarding the software, I found there is a standard the rest of the world uses for medical records software so that they are interoperable (once you transmit the file - that's another problem in the US). The format is called Open EMR. It is free open source software. Had we participated with much of the world we would not be in this position.
Have a good day and I really appreciate your comments...Be well...Alan
1/10 Hi Alan, This is really scary that so many physicians are quitting early after all that education and training. Instead of quitting they need to get involved politically. I could never get much of a conversation with my hip surgeon. I really liked him but he was a man of few words like so many surgeons and overwhelmed with patients (until the last visit when his staff and patient load had decreased a lot due to his quitting performing surgeries).
This country will implode by default if it isn't proactive in designing a national healthcare system.
Interesting about the open source medical health records system of the world not being used by the foolish USA.
Re: Your daughter writing her own records. She could have a general template and then customize it for particular docs and specialists. Does she have CD's of her diagnostics? By law she can request them so that she can carry them with her to new physicians along with her own medical history document. I also list all medications, surgeries, supplements and allergies and give a little social history (marital status, employment status, exercise).
My new primary care loved this document, although many ignore it. They are so pushed for time that they see patients one after another with no breaks in assembly fashion.
One time my primary care's assistant asked me if I was in an abusive relationship. I started to explain that not now but in the past and she cut me off saying "We don't have time to talk about this." ????? Then why did you ask? Because it's required to ask I guess but not get an answer, send patients to a therapist--and there's not enough of THEM either!!!
Spine surgeon after life-threatening spinal infection (from volunteering with feral cat rescue) at our teaching university was so busy at my final visit in 2014, phone ringing, one patient waiting after me, that I didn't even ask what "condition" I had when he said "You have condition: You can exercise or have another surgery but surgery prognosis not good." Years later another spine doc diagnosed me with scoliosis. Oh! Was able to look up exercises and even a specialist PT for scoliosis and kyphosis. Surgeons are intimidating for a lot of women. We just smile and nod and go home and figure it out with the internet.
Trying to get help from an ER with that same spinal infection was abysmal. I live alone, no family, no close friends nearby. One ER sent me home with a narcotic and said (after I'd paid $200 for an ambulance there) "We are giving you a free taxi ride home THIS time but not in the future." Like it was a hobby to go to ER's on Friday nights looking for narcotics. Cannot describe the pain I was in. They asked no questions about my condition. I waited for two hours while they typed on their computers and finally a doctor gave me a shot of narcotic without asking about symptoms or history.
Guess they thought I was an addict. I gave them my medical cards. American ER's are stupid and overused and jaded due to this stupid US for-profit healthcare.
It took THREE ER visits to finally get a nurse smart enough to do the proper diagnostics with this severely painful and life-threatening spinal infection--a simple blood test. Meanwhile this meningitis could have paralyzed me and affected the brain.
It was the teaching university that saved my life. They are the main trauma hospital for New Mexico, UNMH. A neighbor told me to go to the teaching hospital or I would have probably died or bein paralyzed. I walked away from my five cats and didn't return for two months. Fortunately in touch with a pet sitter or the cats would have starved. Paid her $600 a month in addition to so many copays (was on a Blue Cross Advantagecare for only two months, new on Medicare, or would have been bankrupt) that I didn't pay taxes for several years due to medical deductions.
This has got to change! For decades I was completely without healthcare and had conditions that couldn't be treated for years as a result. I have a decades-old rage against the USA for many reasons, even as a white person, and particularly regarding healthcare. Though student debt, misogyny, racism, religion and lack of strong labor unions are all close seconds.
Big Bernie supporter here. I hope he's training younger politicians to socialize this country. What a shit show it currently is. The Republicans are middle school psychopaths. Yikes.
The doctors and nurses and medical professionals are going to have to get on board with demanding a national healthcare system. We the unwashed masses cannot do this alone.
How long has PNHP beein in existence? Has it even made a dent in changing US healthcare?
Hi Diana - I apologize for taking so long to reply. I shared your story with my daughter and she was so in agreement. You have had a hard medical and I am sorry for that. We are also Bernie supporters. His Medicare for All bill is pretty good but I personally favor Pramila Jayapal's (HR 1976 in last year's Congress - will likely get a new number soon) because it included a better elaborated plan for rural health care and for displaced workers. Anyway, thanks for being an advocate, you're doing good work and we need everyone!! Be well...Alan
Done!
1/10/23 Hello Again Alan. I'll send the Resistbot for the second time to my legislators about electronic medical records. Back in 2010-2011 I studied medical transcription and my instructor, older like me, had visited Congress to implement universal electronic medical records. She had been a medical transcriptionist in hospitals and clinics (before they outsourced to working from home, a sweatshop in one's own bedroom) for decades.
Because of this fragmented healthcare system and from my medical transcription instructor's advice, I always now write up a medical history for each new doc or surgeon I see; some don't bother to read them and try to dictate to me what my issue is solely from diagnostics without knowing my medical history and how to resolve it (two hip surgeons told me I'd never run again after total hip replacement and were immediately fired, found the good hip surgeon now no longer performing surgery due to the 25% increase in malpractice insurance, barely made it in time--outstanding surgeon, what a tragedy).
With universal EMR I would recommend still giving new docs a patient medical history summary, but they wouldn't have to keep taking duplicate diagnostics for the same condition if it were on our lifelong medical records and the patient wouldn't have to make copies of hospital records if they were in their universal medical records.
Leave it to the USA t make simple procedures extremely complicated.
Thank you for sharing this with me Diana. First, I'm glad you are running. It also means you paid careful attention to the rehab if your back better than before!!
You are right on so many points. A physician friend of mine at PNHP told me that a large number of physicians are planning to leave practice early. He told me that it just isn't worth the expense and headache. My daughter would benefit from your suggestion of providing the medical history (pre-visit) and not do all the duplicative tests.
Regarding the software, I found there is a standard the rest of the world uses for medical records software so that they are interoperable (once you transmit the file - that's another problem in the US). The format is called Open EMR. It is free open source software. Had we participated with much of the world we would not be in this position.
Have a good day and I really appreciate your comments...Be well...Alan
1/10 Hi Alan, This is really scary that so many physicians are quitting early after all that education and training. Instead of quitting they need to get involved politically. I could never get much of a conversation with my hip surgeon. I really liked him but he was a man of few words like so many surgeons and overwhelmed with patients (until the last visit when his staff and patient load had decreased a lot due to his quitting performing surgeries).
This country will implode by default if it isn't proactive in designing a national healthcare system.
Interesting about the open source medical health records system of the world not being used by the foolish USA.
Re: Your daughter writing her own records. She could have a general template and then customize it for particular docs and specialists. Does she have CD's of her diagnostics? By law she can request them so that she can carry them with her to new physicians along with her own medical history document. I also list all medications, surgeries, supplements and allergies and give a little social history (marital status, employment status, exercise).
My new primary care loved this document, although many ignore it. They are so pushed for time that they see patients one after another with no breaks in assembly fashion.
One time my primary care's assistant asked me if I was in an abusive relationship. I started to explain that not now but in the past and she cut me off saying "We don't have time to talk about this." ????? Then why did you ask? Because it's required to ask I guess but not get an answer, send patients to a therapist--and there's not enough of THEM either!!!
Spine surgeon after life-threatening spinal infection (from volunteering with feral cat rescue) at our teaching university was so busy at my final visit in 2014, phone ringing, one patient waiting after me, that I didn't even ask what "condition" I had when he said "You have condition: You can exercise or have another surgery but surgery prognosis not good." Years later another spine doc diagnosed me with scoliosis. Oh! Was able to look up exercises and even a specialist PT for scoliosis and kyphosis. Surgeons are intimidating for a lot of women. We just smile and nod and go home and figure it out with the internet.
Trying to get help from an ER with that same spinal infection was abysmal. I live alone, no family, no close friends nearby. One ER sent me home with a narcotic and said (after I'd paid $200 for an ambulance there) "We are giving you a free taxi ride home THIS time but not in the future." Like it was a hobby to go to ER's on Friday nights looking for narcotics. Cannot describe the pain I was in. They asked no questions about my condition. I waited for two hours while they typed on their computers and finally a doctor gave me a shot of narcotic without asking about symptoms or history.
Guess they thought I was an addict. I gave them my medical cards. American ER's are stupid and overused and jaded due to this stupid US for-profit healthcare.
It took THREE ER visits to finally get a nurse smart enough to do the proper diagnostics with this severely painful and life-threatening spinal infection--a simple blood test. Meanwhile this meningitis could have paralyzed me and affected the brain.
It was the teaching university that saved my life. They are the main trauma hospital for New Mexico, UNMH. A neighbor told me to go to the teaching hospital or I would have probably died or bein paralyzed. I walked away from my five cats and didn't return for two months. Fortunately in touch with a pet sitter or the cats would have starved. Paid her $600 a month in addition to so many copays (was on a Blue Cross Advantagecare for only two months, new on Medicare, or would have been bankrupt) that I didn't pay taxes for several years due to medical deductions.
This has got to change! For decades I was completely without healthcare and had conditions that couldn't be treated for years as a result. I have a decades-old rage against the USA for many reasons, even as a white person, and particularly regarding healthcare. Though student debt, misogyny, racism, religion and lack of strong labor unions are all close seconds.
Big Bernie supporter here. I hope he's training younger politicians to socialize this country. What a shit show it currently is. The Republicans are middle school psychopaths. Yikes.
The doctors and nurses and medical professionals are going to have to get on board with demanding a national healthcare system. We the unwashed masses cannot do this alone.
How long has PNHP beein in existence? Has it even made a dent in changing US healthcare?
Hi Diana - I apologize for taking so long to reply. I shared your story with my daughter and she was so in agreement. You have had a hard medical and I am sorry for that. We are also Bernie supporters. His Medicare for All bill is pretty good but I personally favor Pramila Jayapal's (HR 1976 in last year's Congress - will likely get a new number soon) because it included a better elaborated plan for rural health care and for displaced workers. Anyway, thanks for being an advocate, you're doing good work and we need everyone!! Be well...Alan
Jayapal’s health plan sounds solid. I hope Bernie is training younger reps and senators.
I attended an abortion rally here in Albuquerque yesterday; only 100 people. The Raging Grannies sang and young women spoke.
The Veterans for Peace were there as well as the Green Party and The Party for Socialism and Liberation New Mexico.
No Democratic officials.