Is it getting harder to coordinate our care?
How does more consolidation affect care management?
Maybe it’s just me, but it seems that coordinating my healthcare is getting harder. It’s important for those of us with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to coordinate medications and other treatments so that we get optimum results.
When I was diagnosed with COPD, all but one of my physicians operated as an independent business. Today the tides have turned, and all but one of my doctors belong to a healthcare or hospital system. While consolidation may be financially prudent and offer stability to physicians, I think it can interrupt the continuity of care.
Although it may seem counterintuitive, this consolidation leads to higher healthcare costs. If something costs more, we expect it to perform better than something that’s less expensive. In a 2014 study, the Commonwealth Fund found that this isn’t the case for the U.S. healthcare system.
Some of the reasons doctors decide to do this, as my pulmonologist noted, include lower malpractice insurance costs and assistance with office management and billing. When his office manager died from COVID-19, he said he couldn’t find a suitable replacement.
The most recent of my physicians who left independent business was my general practitioner. I got a call from a doctor whose name I didn’t recognize informing me that I had an appointment scheduled. I didn’t know how to reschedule the appointment or notify them that I couldn’t attend. I knew the appointment was with my general practitioner because the time and date were listed on an appointment card.
A friend of mine who lives in a rural area told me that this consolidation has actually improved his coordination of care. He now has to deal with only one hospital system. In my case, I’m dealing with four. My diagnostician and pulmonologist are in the Athenahealth system, while my cardiologist is still independent, and this trio works well together.
This system has made it easier to collaborate with the physicians involved, schedule appointments, pay bills, and ask questions. I credit the quick turnaround in getting my care scheduled when I thought I had lung cancer to my ability to ask questions and receive answers from my providers.
My general practitioner now is with AccessHealth, or at least I received a letter to that effect last month. I was told that I would still see my doctor at his office, but I don’t know how to contact him except through one of the doctors listed on the website.
This may well be an excellent system, but right now I feel like I’m in a river without a raft and quickly approaching the rapids.
These are some of the pros and cons that I’ve noticed regarding the consolidation of care into larger healthcare and hospital systems. What experience have you had? Please share in the comments below.
Note: COPD News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of COPD News Today or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
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