In the past 48 hours three people have asked me to redo their referral for a colonoscopy. They are changing to local because they can't get the scheduler at the Sacred Big City, in this instance Seattle, to call them back.
My receptionist sets up another veteran's choice patient to see me, in January. She says we are seeing doctor flight in all specialties on the Olympic Peninsula.
"Oh, no," says the triwest employee. "It's the whole west coast."
Another patient needs a surgery revision. She has been calling the specialist office for 6 weeks. She has finally gotten an appointment at the end of December. The surgeries are booking into March.
No problem, right? Got it under control, Mr Trump? The latest Aafp journal says that of 17,000 physicians surveyed, 47 percent are planning to retire, quit, become a Buddhist monk, go cash only, do concierge medicine, commit Harakiri, work in administration, experience the Rapture, do temp doctor work aka locums or be abducted by aliens in the next 1-3 years.
The US has said that in Other countries with single payer health systems patients have to Wait for treatment.....
Welcome to the new order....