Inside a Doctor’s Diagnosis (by Catherine Winters) explores the obstacles and thinking patterns that may prevent a doctor from making an accurate diagnosis and what the patient must do to communicate clearly to her physician and help him/her think outside the box.
How market forces are other changes in the healthcare system have affected the doctor-patient relationship. For instance, fewer small employers are offering health benefits and those patients with insurance are paying more out of pocket for their care. At the same time, primary care doctors’ pay has flat-lined while their malpractice rates have increased. The result: longer wait times for appointments, crowded waiting rooms and rushed doctor visits, causing more physicians to opt out of the system. Among both the controversial and welcome changes in this brave new world of medicine: concierge care, a return to house calls, same day appointments and web-based care.