While I'm not shocked that the concept of empowering patients to take a leadership role in making care decisions is taken to mean something about bureaucracy and centralized care by the usual crew of idiots, it's still fascinating to watch. There's something impressive in that.
One of the main points here is giving patients better access to their own medical records. But more than that, it is to make those patients knowledgeable about their health so that they can actually make certain decisions when it comes to their treatment.
As it stands now, healthcare providers tend to keep patients in the dark. And sometimes, it is understandable. As much information is available on the Internet and through other sources, there are many people who over-diagnose and misdiagnose themselves all the time. However, there are many who also can adequately follow their own regimen of healthcare with much less care from healthcare providers, but it requires that the patient/person either be fairly bright to begin with, or that they be given an adequate amount of information about their health so that they can be proactive in their own care.
As an example, I have Hemochromatosis. For those of us with this disorder, we are a very knowledgeable bunch. For the most part, those that I know with this disorder, including myself, know more about the disease/disorder than our doctors do. We know how to treat it, and what is effective and what is not. Because most doctors do not have great knowledge of this condition, it has made it much easier for me personally to make most of my own decisions when it comes to my healthcare needs. And this goes well beyond just medical care. It includes what I can or should eat versus what I should not. It also includes knowing when I need to go for treatments (phlebotomies) and when not to. I also know exactly what tests I need done and when I need them which allows me to search out the least expensive places to go for these tests. And because of my knowledge of my disease and the necessary treatment involved, I am living a much healthier lifestyle that should reduce my overall medical costs.
I find it interesting that so many people here, who believe in self-reliance, will just follow whatever their doctor tells them. Doctors are a great resource, and generally they do know much more than we do when it comes to diseases and conditions that we may face. However, many of them are just as in the dark as we are, and treat their patients in a reactionary form. What this leads to in many cases, is patients who end up taking twelve to twenty pills per day, all because their doctor prescribed one pill to address something that may not even be a big problem. One pill leads to unexpected side effects, so another pill is prescribed to offset those side effects. Then more pills are needed as more side effects become common place. I have seen this kind of medicine practiced on my own parents. My mother was miserable because her doctors had her on so many medications. She finally dumped all but a couple of them and now feels 1000% better.
Don't get me wrong; I'm not suggesting that everyone should stop taking all of their medications. But it is important to understand that most doctors work in this manner. They see a symptom, and they start prescribing drugs, one on top of another. And they have the pharmaceutical companies pushing them to do this as those companies offer them free trips and who knows what to push their drugs. I don't see this as a conspiracy, but it is how things work. And many of these doctors don't get it. And since the patients have no clue, they don't get it either. They just do what the doctor says, whether it is to their benefit or detriment.
