The old joke is, “Mr. Williams, I think you have a problem with your gallbladder.” ”Doc, could I get a second opinion?” ”Why, yes,” says the doctor. ”It might be your kidney.”
The son of a friend of mine suffered a broken bone recently. I asked who was taking care of him and the answer was one of the truly outstanding orthopedists that works at our facility. This very experienced and ethical doctor knew that surgery was not indicated and that this young man would heal without any surgical intervention.
I had a few thoughts when I heard this. My first thought was that when I heard who was taking care of this young man, I relaxed. There was no doubt in my mind that the right diagnosis was made and that the right treatment will be forthcoming….no doubt….none. No second opinion needed. Get it? One of those guys that always gets stuff like this right. Then I realized that the number of world class surgeons that Dr.’s Lantier and I are surrounded by at the Surgery Center of Oklahoma is impressive. Our facility is loaded with guys like this. Surgeons who get it right the first time. Surgeons who fix other surgeons’ mistakes. Surgeons who find and diagnose problems every day that many others would miss. Surgeons who regularly make diagnoses that don’t involve surgery. Surgeons who are really great people and have been kind and generous with the staff at our facility.
Then this thought: many of these guys would like to be busier. Yet, insurance plans prefer many times to send patients to hospitals where none of these great doctors will work. So some less- able surgeon works on folks that would be better served by great surgeons who would actually like more business. This cartelization of care has interfered with the discipline of the free market and channeled patients where they were harmed and kept them from the best qualified physicians in many instances.
As a patient you should keep this in mind when your insurance plan financially punishes you for “going out of network.”
G. Keith Smith, M.D.
