As part of the stimulus package there is going to be spending to computerize medical records. The argument here is that it will help control cost and can lead to better care. While both things might turn out to be true, I had an experience with computerized medicine today that gives pause.
I've had a cold or possibly flu for the last couple of weeks. It finally lead to sinus and chest infection as such things occasionally do. So I called my doctor to see what might be done. Now my doctor works at Lahey Clinic, one of the countries best medical facilities. Lahey has extensively computerized their service delivery. So here's what computerized medical care was like for me today.
9:30 am - Called number purported to be the doctors office. Turns out it's a general number. Nice lady answers and after a brief explanation routes the call to the general medicine center.
9:30 - 9:35 am - Listen to promotional messages extolling Lahey clinic as a great medical center. Decide no one is going to answer or the call may have got lost in the phone system. Hang up.
10:00 am - Call a different number. Turns out to be even worse. Get transferred to a wrong number.
10:03 am - Call original number again. Get transferred again. Wait while listening to Lahey ads for 8 minutes.
10:11 am - Phone is answered. Explain to nice lady what the issue is. She's very sympathetic and promptly transfers me to the doctor's triage facility.
10:11 am - 10:15 am - Talk to pleasant nurse who says she'll see if the doctor will send a prescription or wants to see me. Promises to call back.
10:30 am - Nurse calls back. Doctor will issue prescription. Oh by the way, we do it electronically now it should take about 90 minutes.
1:00 pm - Call pharmacy to be sure they have the prescription and it's ready. Now I'm feeling rather poorly and am anxious for treatment. No prescription.
1:45 pm - Call pharmacy again. Ditto. On a positive note, the pharmacy answers their phone relatively promptly - AFTER I go through 3 levels of their IVR system.
2:30 pm - Call pharmacy again. Ditto. Now I'm feeling really bad.
2:30 pm - Call Lahey again. On hold for 10 minutes. Give up. Call back and plead with operator to connect me to a real live human as I'm not getting through and am now really feeling bad. Get transfered to call queue. Wait 5 minutes more. Nice lady answers phone and says the doctor has to sign the prescription electronically before it can be sent. Plead with nice lady to interveen to expedite as I'm starting to feel very bad. She says she'll phone it in.
3:00 pm - Call pharmacy. I'm becoming friends with the lady who answers their phone. Perscription is ready. Drive to pharmacy, pick up prescription, drive home.
3:40 pm - Take pills!
Time to fill simple perscription - 6+ hours. Number of people involved at Lahey - 4 phone operators, 1 triage nurse, 1 physicians assistant, and (I'm only guessing here) the doctor. Number of people involved at pharmacy - 3 including the 1 pharmacist that actually filled the prescription. Perscription cost - $3.45. God knows what the total cost of the adventure was.
I wonder why our medical system is needlessly expensive? I would note that Lahey's computerized system was in this instance part of the problem. It wasn't until a real person interveened at Lahey that the perscription was issued. One hopes Mr Obama's folks have better luck.
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