Our Health Care System at Work (or not)

I woke up this morning with a lousy sore throat, and since I have to travel for work this afternoon, I thought it might be a good idea to get in and see a doctor as soon as possible. I left a message for my primary - who failed to call me back - and when I called again to see about a quick appointment sometime this morning, I was told she couldn't make time. I actually think the receptionist said she "had a lunch."

My second step was to call my obgyn (whom I adore and whose office is always helpful) for a recommendation for another primary on short notice. And you know what they did? They recognized the urgency of my request and offered to make time a little later this morning. I didn't know that was an option, but I'm glad it is.

There is something inherently wrong with not being able to get in and see a doctor when you need it most. How do you know when you are going to get sick? You don't. I'm grateful for physicians who see the reality and are willing to work around it, but this is just one more reason why we need reform. Stat.

postscript: The irony of the whole scenario though is that I'm off to NYC this afternoon to meet with health care providers tied into HCAN, and now I'm scrambling to see a doctor so I can go speak to a group of doctors. It feels a little bit like cleaning the house before the housekeeper comes.