And The Changes Continue

Our New "Family Practice"

        My how a virus has changed our lives so quickly, in so many ways.  I doubt that we will ever return to the "normal" lives we had been experiencing up to about three months ago.  Maybe wishing for the "good old days" will have more meaning.

          Perhaps the biggest changes have come in the field of medicine.  As I look back over about eight decades of medical care, it is interesting to see what has happened.  Now I don't recall much of anything before I was in first grade, although I am sure that I must have visited doctors before that.

          My first memory of a doctor came when I was in second grade and we lived in Elizabethtown.  My doctor was Dr. Wenger who actually lived a few houses from us on College Avenue.  He was a kind man and I remember going to him for my necessary shots.  He also made a home visit when my brother and I had the mumps.

          Now I don't remember going to a doctor when we lived in Lancaster, but when we moved to Lititz, Dr. Griswold took over our care.  His office was in his home on Broad St.  He also made some home visits.  I recall, during the polio epidemic, that he came to visit my sister who fortunately did not have polio.  Home visits are now something from another era.

          I recall that here I had my first experiences with the waiting room.  In those days doctors did not make appointments.  When their office was open you just went and sat in their waiting room.  There, until it was your turn, you could keep company with those who had colds or maybe even the flu.  And, in addition to the coughing, you often had to put up with screaming babies.  And sometimes your wait could be an hour or two depending upon how many were ahead of you.  I guess you had to be really ill to endure that.  I'm so glad that this has changed, although sometimes today you can still wait a considerable time even when you have an appointment.

           When we got married and were living in Sunbury we went to Dr. Heimbach in Selinsgrove.  What I remember most about him is that when we were waiting for the results of a pregnancy test he shared the results first with my father-in-law and told him to tell his daughter that she was pregnant.  Obviously that was before Hippaa regulations.

            Then we settled in Silver Springs and the Lord miraculously led us to Dr. Richard Bryson in Landisville.  He turned out to be one of our two favorite doctors.  He was so kind and friendly and would help us out at all hours and on any day.  I recall going to him one Christmas morning when one of our boys was sick.  He was our first doctor to make appointments.  He had his own closet of medications so you seldom had to go to a pharmacy.  When our boys continually got infections with high fevers he would provide us with omnipen that we could carry with us and mix when we needed it.  I doubt any doctor would do that today.  Whenever my back got bad he would provide electrical stimulations which really helped.  He eventually retired with a heart problem.  And we really missed him.

            For several years we tried several other area doctors.  Some were fine but Dr. Bryson had set a standard as a family doctor that few could approach.

          Then one Thursday evening I went to the ER with heart issues.  I was released but was told to see a family doctor the next day.  When I called our practice at Oyster Point my regular doctor was not in on a Friday and I was given an appointment with Dr. David Fuchs, the founder of the practice  And that was the beginning of a very special relationship that lasted for over 12 years.  Dr. Fuchs was a gentleman.  He was intelligent.  He went out of his way to care for us. Often he made an appointment to see us when all his appointments were already taken. He would quickly reply to our messages even when he wasn't on duty.  He would refer us to good specialists when they were needed.  He was always on time and we never felt rushed.  He would provide samples when he could to reduce our medical costs.  We always felt that we were cared for.  We lost a real friend when he retired a few years ago.

          We were blessed over the years to have good doctors, but Dr. Bryson and Dr, Fuchs were exceptional.

          Now I started this blog by saying how much medical care has changed.  If this isn't obvious with the history I  shared, let me share a few specifics.

1.    Doctors no longer have offices in their homes.  Most now have modern facilities which they share with numerous other family doctors. in their group.

2.     Doctors no longer keep supplies of medicines in their offices to give to their patients rather than providing scripts.  Seldom do any even provide samples anymore.

3.     Doctors now make appointments but some still fall behind their schedule and you end up waiting, sometimes 30-60 minutes to be seen.

4.     Family doctors today are quick to refer you to a specialist rather than treating you themselves.

5.     It is almost impossible to have a true family physician to treat you unless you are able to wait a month of so to get another appointment with the same one.  Doctors have too few appointments available and their management doesn't want them to work more patients into their schedule.

6.     Traditional visits are now often replaced by telephone visits or video visits.  One nurse recently remarked that doctors no longer want to see sick folks.  I wonder then who they really want to see.

7.     When you are seen by a doctor they often only one to deal with one problem and they usually don't want to deal with a problem that you didn't share in advance of the visit.

8.     Most doctors today have electronic portals which include results of visits and tests, future appointments and give you a chance to correspond with your doctor.  If they are kept up to date, these are a valuable modern addition to care.  The only problem is that many have their own portal and don't share data.   I presently have five different portals.

9.     And then there is the sharply rising costs of meds.  Dianne presently pays $355 a month for one of her meds.  My inhalers run me about $200 a month and my insulin about $150 a month.  And those charges are after our insurance has kicked in its share.  Then there are many more less expensive meds that we must also take. And then there are insurance costs, copays, costs of tests, and, if needed, hospital bills. Keeping well has become very expensive today.

          So there are just a few observations about changes I have seen over the years.  And the present virus is forcing more changes.  Some of these are very good, others are so-so.  As in anything, much depends upon the skill and concern of the doctor.  Some are in the business to minister to folks, others are in it for the money.  Fortunate is the person who finds a good family doctor who is available and cares for his patients.