After an exceedingly complicated series of attempts to get my very sick brother in to see a GI doctor, we arrived in the office of Dr. Roberts. He was our last hope and -- by that point -- our only hope. While our plight before arriving at Dr. Roberts' office is too long and convoluted to fully explain, I must at least touch on this, because it epitomizes what is wrong with health care in America, as contrasted with Dr. Roberts, who epitomizes that very rare presence in today's world -- a doctor who practices medicine for all the right reasons: to heal. Here was our earlier plight in a few broad brushstrokes. My brother's former GI (gastronenterologist) doctor, affiliated with MCG, had relocated to another state. As a result, my brother was declared to be a new patient, and would therefore need a referral from his GP (family doctor) to be seen. When he called his GP, he learned that she was no longer accepting Medicare patients. No other GP would agree to see new patients within the month. Another GI in Augusta was willing to see him, but only if his old records could be transferred from MCG. MCG wouldn't transfer the records without a faxed request from the new GI doctor. The new GI doctor wouldn't do this, since our family member was not yet an official patient. Get the picture? The only option out of this Catch-22 would have been to visit one of the local ERs, which have become the de facto primary care facilities, where the treatment model is "treat 'em and street 'em," which generally involves running a few tests to make sure death isn't immminent, and then giving the patient a referral to a doctor or specialist, to the tune of a $2000-$3000 emergency room bill. Priceless. Stumbling through this horrifying plight, we finally arrived on the doorstep of Dr. Roberts' office for a 10:00 appointment. At promptly 10:00, we were taken to the examining room. Within just a few minutes, the doctor entered and proceeded to give his undivided attention to the situation. After learning the history and symptoms, Dr. Roberts agreed that my brother was indeed very ill, and assured us that he would get to the bottom of it. After a thorough explanation of the medical terminology, Dr. Roberts promptly provided us with a written order for blood work and a CAT scan, with a note that the hospital was to call him with the results by day's end. To be sure, Dr. Roberts also consulted with a local GI, to whom he was referring us. The two doctors conferred over the phone, made a few amendments to the order and, by day's end, Dr. Roberts called us with the results of the tests. This was yesterday. Today, Dr. Roberts has promised to call first thing in the morning to give us an appointment time with the GI doctor, whose appt. book is backed up for months, but can nonetheless fit us in, at Dr. Roberts' request. My brother endured 2 weeks of inhuman suffering and pain. And for what? Don't believe for one minute that he is the exception to the rule. Getting an extremely ill person in to see a doctor should not be rocket science, nor an existential exercise in the absurd. Once upon a time, you could expect to enter most any doctor's office and get first class care, where the treatment model was based on caring and healing, not on grooming the endless reels of red tape, all spinning out of control toward the bottom line: that profit margin. Entering Dr. Roberts' waiting room, you will not find an impeccably appointed decorator's showcase but, seeing the his roster of patients, you might be reminded of an old line from an old book: "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me. ..." Dr. Roberts epitomizes all that is and ever was noble about the profession of medicine, something that most doctors and institutions seem to have forgotten or, perhaps, would rather not think about, since it might niggle at their consciences to know that, given the choice between relieving suffering and worshipping the bottom line, they chose the latter.
Roberts Mark A Md is a US Doctor based in Aiken, South Carolina. Roberts Mark A Md is located at 415 Barnwell Ave NW, Aiken, SC 29801, USA.
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