🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <CDw9v0.F0K@Cadence.COM> phz@cadence.com (Pete Zakel) writes:


>Even given that, though, I think for everyday and long term *health* care (as
>opposed to sick care, which is what you get from most insurance programs), I
>think Kaiser is one of the best and that is why I am on that health plan.
>
>No matter what your health plan is, though, or who your doctor (or other health
>care provider) is you get the best care if you make yourself knowledgable about
>your medical condition and ASK QUESTIONS.  Most people are too timid to
>question their health care providers, and lacking knowledge of your medical
>condition and treatment(s) is one of the biggest mistakes you can make.  In
>the long term, the person most responsible for your health care is you.
>
>-Pete Zakel



Well, I'm glad to see that you speak about both the advantages and the
disadvantages of this plan.  It's a lot easier to believe someone when
they're not completely on one side of an issue.

On the other hand, allow me to present another perspective:  this is re:  
a friend of mine who has had Kaiser during chronic illness(s):  

Although she was far from combative with the doctors there, her questioning
of the path of treatment proposed by her doctors resulted in being branded
an "uncooperative patient", and ended up causing her tremendous problems
getting ANYONE to listen to her after a certain point.  She has a severe
back injury that the doctors don't understand, and have no real diagnosis
for.  They recommended invasive procedures and/or tests (i.e. sticking long
needles into her vertebrae, etc etc) which she was extremely leery of. (She
also has been a bodyworker for many years, and knows enough about human
anatomy and injuries to know that this is a dangerous path to undertake)

At one point the hospital director got involved (and being the arrogant 
type that is so frequently seen with doctors) basically derided the position
my friend took and appeared to be attempting to make her seem stupid for
holding this opinion.  At one point this detestable individual decided to
do a personal examination of her, and during the examination engaged in
what we consider to be sexual molestation.  

The worst part of this kind of scenario (and it happens everywhere, not 
just at Kaiser) is that there is the constant fear that if you complain, 
or if you threaten to sue, etc etc, you know d**n well that you will end
up with the most uncooperative and unhelpful institution you can think of.
When you're chronically sick and in desperate need of medical care, this
is a "big stick" indeed.  In the case of Kaiser, their procedures for 
arbitrating these kind of disputes are so complicated and difficult (for
a chronically ill person especially) that it almost seems designed to 
discourage and other frustrate attempts to "buck the system".  

What I also find personally detestable, is that frequently when one questions
one's treatment, or makes a complaint, they send this "negotiator" (I don't
know the official title - probably a "customer service" or "counseler" or
some similiary warm-and-fuzzy title) at you to basically gloss over all
the actions of the institution, smother you with platitudes, and basically
cover up and obfuscate for the doctors.

In one case (at a different institution), during what was to be a relatively
routine office procedure, (and in direct defiance of prior instructions re:
drug sensitivities!) a friend was almost killed by a reaction to the 
anesthesia used.  I won't go into great detail here, but she ended up in
the I.C.U. after doctors had to try both shocking and injection to get her
heart started again.  This was probably 6 months ago.  TO THIS DAY she cannot
get a single doctor to tell her A) Who the attending anesthesiologist was 
or B) what drug was given to her that nearly caused her death.  Subsequent
to this horrifying experience she has ended up near-death in the I.C.U. 
TWICE MORE, for virtually the SAME reasons... and each time it is virtually
impossible to squeeze any information about her near-death from her 
"caring doctors"!  As I mentioned earlier, one lives in fear of the potential
repercussions of threatening legal action, etc, since one needs the medical
care so desperately.  

As you can see, I have BIG reservations about the value of "questioning
the system" when it comes to medical care.  Perhaps most of these people
that feel so positive about Kaiser and other institution's care, never
really had a critical illness which they disputed the course of action
initially recommended by the institution.  My experience has been that most
doctors and institutions have a HOLIER THAN THOU attitude about their
collective "expertise", and more-often-than-not become indignant, testy,
and often downright _abusive_ in response to patients questioning their
"almighty wisdom".  Certainly exceptions do exist - but this seems to be
more the rule than the exception.




Phil Koenig
pjk@netcom.com