Thread: Welcome to Obamacare

but I have also known a fair number of people who are tickled pink with their Kaiser care Here are some folks who "loved" their experience....... http://www.my3cents.com/search.cgi?criteria=Kaiser+Permanent... Kaiser surely does some things well......and surely many things poorly. I do not believe the best doctors work or would even consider working there. http://www.kaiserthrive.org/

tamhas: ... My experience and reputation with Kaiser and the like is that much of this multi-level stuff is already SOP. One absolutely just doesn't call and talk to the doc. Stage one is an advice nurse, stage two might be a more specialist NP, and only if they decide over the phone that you really need to see a doctor do you get an appointment ... but in the hospital absolutely everything that doesn't need to be done by an MD...

Like many things, one can find people who have had bad experiences with Kaiser ... including bean counters deciding that certain treatment options aren't covered, which people seem so afraid of ... but I have also known a fair number of people who are tickled pink with their Kaiser care. Some of the latter is low cost, one stop shopping, but I think it is also people who take the trouble to learn how to work with the system and establish...

<<<<<<<<<<For various reasons I think the seeds are in place for a potential MLP dominated medical field decades down the line with MDs in an oversight role & as backup for the rare cases. Currently, the literature points to this *paradigm shift* not affecting patient attitudes or outcomes.>>>>>>> Fuma, so you foresee...

<< .... its knowing limitations & when you are not sure.....recognize when something doesnt feel right, and when in doubt, consult. >> Excellent post, Fuma!! Without a doubt, the most important lesson to be learned in medical training is when we're in over our heads....when we need help. But, ironically, some of the toughest problems in medicine present in the simplest of guises, like.... ....the...

We have a similar issue in law. An experienced paralegal vs. a newly minted lawyer, vs. a talented and experienced lawyers. Except for the most simplest of things, with no complicating factors (like a divorce with no kids, no major assets, no joint debts, and no real hassles) a paralegal, or heck, some forms off the Internet will probably suffice. However, if any simple complication arises, the paralegal, no matter how...

Again, its knowing limitations & when you are not sure, verify with the MD or the consulting service. This is ubiquitous for all clinicians regardless of the ending initials, MD, PA, NP... For instance, just a case we had last week: You have a rapidly progressive cellulitis in an IVDA, and are not sure if you see gas on Xray, with CRP through the roof. LRINEC score dictated a higher probability of necrotizing fasciitis than we were...

Duma: Joining two threads together, ObamaCare and MedicalTourism, it seems to me that the worst of Kaiser is better than the best of anything foreign. How do I know? No one offered "Caveat Emptor" for Kaiser. You can go there with your eyes closed and no worries. What I haven't figured out is how ambulance chasing lawyers make a living if American doctors and medical staff never, ever, make mistakes. What a wonderful...

FWIW, I love my nurse practitioners. If I want something done/want help with something, they get it done. For example, if I need something for pain, I dont ask my doctor, I ask my nurse practitioner, and it is called in usually within 1/2 a day. The doctor still is available for all critical treatment/health decisions and oversees the actions of the NP, but the nurse practitioner is the one that really takes care of me and I am happy about...

Oh yes, and in case it slipped anyone's notice, this bill will cost the Federal government, that is already more than $1 trillion in deficit each year, more than $100 billion a year. That is just with the CBO estimate. We all know that any entitlement program ALWAYS exceeds the initial cost estimates by a multiple of its initial projection. But just another $100 billion a year into perpetuity when we are already over $1 trillion in debt...