Is The Doctor-Patient Relationship Like A Marriage?

It was like we were breaking up. She stared at the ground longingly, and lifted her eyes from time to time as she spoke. She valued my care of her mother. She would never forget how I stood at the bedside during those last moments. And then there was her own health crisis. The emergency surgery was made more bearable by my familiar face in the emergency room explaining what would happen step by step. She couldn't afford my new practice model. She crunched the numbers, and it just wasn't feasible. She didn't blame me. She understood that like any relationship, sometimes things just don't work out. Even businessmen and service providers have the right to raise their prices. She wouldn't argue with such innate American principles. She was going to miss me, and I, her. The doctor-patient relationship can be like a marriage. Somewhere between the pointing and clicking, the arguing with insurance companies, and the struggles with preauthorizations, a true bond forms. We were two people, thrust together by unfortunate circumstances, who stood side by side for a portion of life's uncomfortable winding pathway. Now our roads were diverging. For better or worse, we would go our separate ways. Many will look at me and point the finger of responsibility. I will not deny my role in this unfortunate travesty. But how many are facing similar circumstances forced by our current crumbling healthcare system? How many breakups are happening each day? How many primary care doctors are g...
Source: In My Humble Opinion - Category: Family Physicians Authors: Source Type: blogs