Patient's Perspective of Healthcare - Part 3

   

It is very interesting to me how a patient’s perspective can change or just be different due to the type of insurance they have.

I read the story of a man that went into the emergency room with chest pains, and after several tests, all of them came back normal. As standard procedure they kept him overnight for observation. The next morning he just though they would assumed that he would get a stress test “but the cardiologist on duty, looking at his history of high cholesterol (even with medication), his age (46), and the way he presented himself at the hospital, and decided he wanted to see what was going on inside. So he opted for a more invasive-and more expensive-approach: angioplasty” (Atlas, July 2009). The results came in and the doctor discovered that ‘he had two severely blocked arteries and within a week's time he underwent two surgeries, receiving a total of three stents; and is now on a host of new meds and have started cardiac rehab – all covered by his insurance (Atlas, July 2009).

What if he did not had had insurance? Because all test came back normal, and under EMTALA law, he would have been released and sent home. Perhaps he would just have been given a recommendation to see a cardiologist for a follow-up. Then, the outcome would have been very different. He could have suffered a heart attack, and probably suffered other medical consequences such as: a coma, infection, stroke, maybe even death.

So, my question is, how do we judge our quality of care? It’s so difficult to know when patients lack the knowledge on what would be the best approach to a specific scenario. We put all of our faith on a medical team that might not always put forth the “Art of Medicine” to play, when money is involved.

The same applies to patients with Medicaid and Medicare. Their course of treatment could be quite different due to their method of payment, as Medicaid and Medicare have guidelines that restrict certain more expensive, yet more effective procedure, without yet using other less expensive alternatives. Therefore, changing the outcome of treament and the patient's persepctive of quality.

Patient's most effective course of action should be the motto - no matter payment method, because they are at the end with their life and health on the line.

References:

Atlas, Pierre. (July 2009). A Patient's Perspective on the Health Care Debate. Real Clear Politics. Retrieved July 10, 2011, from URL: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/07/31/a_patients_perspective_on_the_health_care_debate_97717.html