I'm still pondering the 6 minute exam. It was not an unpleasant doctor's visit, just disconcerting. I made the appmt. initially because 3 friends have been diagnosed with melanoma and a business acquaintance recently died from it, after a tragic oversite at her HMO. (Her "spot" was removed 3 times before they decided to send it to the lab.) In all fairness, the MD I saw asked if I had specific areas I wanted checked. And fortunately for me, that answer was no - I haven't noticed anything suspicious or unusual. But my friend Rosalie actually went in with a "suspicious" complaint, and that mole turned out normal - while the one on her shoulder was most definitely not. She had surgery a week after her first appmt. and now has to be scutinized every 6 months. So, what if I had had a "spot" under my bra, or along the pubic line, or on the inner thigh or armpit or top of the ear? It would still be there unnoticed and untreated.
That leaves me with this question. As a "health care consumer", which is the new paradigm, (and I hate that phrase) did I receive the product which my insurance company purchased for me? I would have to say no. It was partly my mistake in not realizing that the practice focused on cosmetic treatments rather than clinical, but as the consumer how can I make that determination? I did the research, as much as possible, and picked the doctor based on her degrees and internship at prestigious schools and facilities. Should I be sceptical of busy practices, knowing that the doctors are overscheduled? Should I rely on only word of mouth, and ingnore the PPO lists and PPO background info? Perhaps we need more accuracy in medical advertising or more access to useful background information. Otherwise, it's a roll of the medical dice. Sometimes I hit a 7 or 11, sometimes not!
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