Problems in our Medical System

In response to Publisher Art Hall’s continuing insistence that the government is responsible for the ills of our medical system, last month I suggested instead following the guidelines of the studies by the Institute of Medicine about the $750 billion in waste in our medical system. Then I proceeded to give a few examples of problems that I personally experienced with a hospital and dermatologist.
Following the suggestions of the Institute, which claims that the waste pervades our entire system, I’d like to continue my personal experiences, but this time in physical therapy.
Four years ago, I had a terrible pain in my shoulder. It went away after a week; then I went to a physical therapist who gave me papers with a list of exercises, walked me through them, and watched me as I did. That went on for four session, in each of which there was another person in the room and the therapist spent perhaps 15-20 minutes total for both of us during our hour. He charged Medicare $200 for that five minute session. I’m sure he did likewise with the other patient, thereby charging Medicare $400 for the 20 minutes.
I later met this therapist in another facility. I asked why he changed jobs. He said that the hassle he had with insurance companies just wasn’t worth it.
Two years ago I had a hip replacement. The orthopedist did a great job and the very next day, I was up and walking 80 yards in hospital halls, managing some practice stairs, using a walker with an accompanying therapist. That went on for two more days. On the fourth day it was decided that I be sent to a therapy center up by Atlantic City. After 20 minutes of being in a room there, a doctor came in, asked me to get out of bed and into a wheelchair. I did. He asked me to move my legs and foot in certain ways. I did. He said, I looked fine and told me to get back into bed. I did. He charged Medicare $200 for that five minutes of “therapy.”
Another doctor came in after an hour. I remained in bed doing the leg and foot movements he asked me to do. When I finished, he asked me why I was there. What could I say? I was sent there.
In the 4.5 days that I was there, I received exactly two hours of rehabilitative therapy and two hours of occupational therapy. Although the facility wanted to keep me longer, I finally had to insist on being released. I have no idea what the facility charged Medicare, but I imagine in was many thousands.
At home, I was assigned an in-house physical therapist. The therapist arrived in a Mercedes sports car. He gave me sheets of paper describing the exercises. After four sessions in which we spent 50 minutes in each talking about music, I suggested stopping that program. He agreed, then assigned me to an outpatient physical therapy group. I went and did everything that the therapists asked and after three sessions, asked that they be terminated. For each session, in-house and out-patient, the company they worked for charged Medicare $200/hr. I may have received one hour of actual attention in all seven sessions. And never did they suggest stopping the therapy.
As the Institute of Medicine claims, the $750 billion waste problem is everywhere – government, insurance, providers, therapists, medicines and passive consumers. And especially with apologists for the system.