I’ve had a doctor in a clinic for the last fifteen years where EPIC seems to guide, more and more, every encounter we have. It “guides” the provider on “best practices,” for example, statin recommendations, desirable blood pressure, and flu shots.
My last trip to the doctor, last month (he insists on seeing me every six months, or I get “scolded”) was somewhat tense. I’ve told him, for years, that I can’t tolerate statins but he keeps asking me to consider them. He tells me he doesn’t believe my BP readings are lower at home, that my new cuff must be inaccurate, and that the readings in the office (always much higher) are the only ones that matter. And that, because of controversial new BP guidelines, he would like to see me on even more medication. Then, off course, he’d like me to get the (near) useless flu shot.
He’s obviously under pressure from the big health system he works for to do what the “guidelines” tell him. And it only seems to have gotten worse over the years. I don’t feel I have the same kind of relationship with him that I’ve had with doctors in the past.
I dread this going forward as I transition into my medicare years. If this article is any indication, the time is rapidly approaching when my “provider” will be saying things like “the recommendations say you have only x years to live at such-and-such quality of life, so we don’t recommend x. Have you considered your end of life plans?”
I’m not looking forward to those “conversations.”
I work in epic every day and do some programming for it. It does guide best practices, you would be amazed at the variation in practice and quality of medical care. However it does not think for the provider and the recommendations can be ignored based on the situation. No computer is a substitute for your brain.....
The Flu vaccine isn’t worthless. It lessens your chance of getting the flu and lessens the symptoms. Best of all, it is harmless.
Low-dosage statins were problem free for me. The original dose led to leg pain.
Interesting...docs I and my husband have seen say that a higher than normal blood pressure at their office is normal...because you are at the DOC’S OFFICE!
Maybe I should be grateful our doctors don’t spend more time with us in the examining room...Hello - goodbye - in and out - and gone until the next appointment. Each time it’s “what medications are you on” as he sits reading his computer screen - barely looking up! I feel like saying, “What planet are you on?”
I see a big difference in every aspect of doctor visits today compared to 10 years ago AND Outpatient tests etc. Wonder why!!! HA! All the employees seem grumpy and incapable of treating the patients as human beings. Truly, they don’t even consider their rudeness shameful!
Had a run in with a technician doing an Echocardiogram on my husband today at Outpatient. I had all I could do to keep a civil tongue in my head. He may have known what I was thinking tho’.
I still don’t know if I want to pursue it with upper management or if I’d just be letting myself in for more stress than I can handle at this point.
After we had words he told me I couldn’t stay in the room as I would “trouble” him... I DID stay in the room - my husband needs help with clothes/oxygen etc., and tho’ they said he would have plenty of help getting ready for the test, it sure wasn’t visible to me.. No one but the nasty tech!
He kept telling me to push my husband in the wheelchair provided by Outpatient to/from the rooms and I kept telling him, “I cannot push that wheelchair” and I couldn’t. He did it grudgingly! He did push it out to the lobby when it was over while I went to get the car and seemed more docile but I couldn’t even thank him after his displays of temper. I felt guilty but why should I?
If I froth enough about it and the longer I think about it, I probably will complain for all the good it will do.