Herding Cattle….
You know that your doctor is busy. The lobby is full of patients and staff are running around the office trying to keep everything moving.
There is a front desk clerk to check you in, a scheduler to make your next appointment, a medical assistant to take your vitals, a lab tech to draw your labs, a nurse to check in on you and then finally, all of this leads up to your appointment with the doctor.
There are a lot of moving pieces and by the time you have finished with your appointment, you have probably talked to at least 5-6 different people, who all needed to know your name and date of birth, but do any of them have the time to actually talk with you? No – healthcare in the U.S. is a well-oiled machine on a good day.
This is NOT a dig to your oncologist or his/her practice – it is the stress of a healthcare system that is inundated and overworked.
I believe everyone is trying their best, but it is hard to not feel like a #.