BACK TALK SYSTEMS, INC. 14998 W. 6th Avenue, Suite E-500 Golden, CO 80904-5025 800/937-3113 800/696-1165 (fax) www.backtalksystems.com Team Tip #50 PATIENT EDUCATION (Part 1) by Susan Hoy OLD-FASHIONED HEALTH CARE...WE TRY! Whatever happened to good old-fashioned health care? Remember when your family doctor knew your entire family? He knew your medical histories probably better than you did. We can probably all remember those days. It was comforting to know that our doctors were familiar with our families, and was a partner in our health care. Unfortunately, the trusted family doctor is being replaced with a medical group. In today's world, medical doctors must join forces in order to treat the multitudes and cover the hours expected by competitive insurance companies. Not only do we not always see the same doctor in the group, our employers are constantly changing insurance carriers, mandating that we see the doctors participating with that carrier. All too often, we find ourselves changing doctors on a yearly basis or even more often. Another change has taken place. We used to pay for our doctor's visits out of our own pockets until the time that we became seriously ill. Insurance took over after that. It was called catastrophic care. Today, insurance pays for our care at the onset of an illness. Doctor visits are affordable since we are responsible for only a small co-payment. Many of us held off going to the doctor and hoped that our own body's immune system would take care of the problem. Taking drugs was a last resort. Today, many people are going to the doctor as soon as they become ill. Why not, it doesn't cost very much. Drugs are administered right away in order for us to get back to our hectic lifestyles. The cost of drug therapy is also included in the co-payment, making it an affordable quick fix. We have become an instant gratification society. One has to wonder what price we are paying for this easy path to health! Are we paying too high a price for instant gratification? First, doctors' offices are very busy, making the group practice necessary. Gone are the days when our doctors knew our entire families. In fact, now we are lucky if they know us personally. How can they be expected to know all of his patients when they are coming and going at the whim of the employers' benefits package. The days of just treating the patient are over too, paperwork has become an overwhelming task over stressing both the doctor and staff. Insurance companies advertise doctor availability and no paperwork. Yet the paperwork has quadrupled for the doctor. The HMO doctor receives his allowance from the insurance company up front, making it less lucrative if too many patients show up for treatment. Doctors are encouraged to treat most illnesses themselves to help eliminate costly specialists. Drug therapy seems to be the treatment of choice since drugs can be easily administered with a simple call to a drug store. One has to wonder what message our immune systems are receiving. Possibly, they are weakening just when we need them the most. Our immune systems stand between us and disease. It needs to work in order to stay strong, just like muscles have to work to stay strong. The insurance company also is changing. It used to be the one taking the risk. Instead of insuring for the catastrophe, today many insurance companies pay during the first part of the illness, setting limits to payouts after which you and your doctor assume the risk. Yet health care costs are still rising. Our medical benefits are being managed and taken away by leaps and bounds and still premiums are going up. Whose fault is this? We are all to blame at varying degrees. Finding fault is not the reason for this article, however. The purpose here is to educate our patients and to encourage them to take control of their own health; to create an awareness that drugs are necessary but must be used sparingly. Our best friend is our immune system and it must be kept strong. Likewise, spinal manipulations improve the health of our nervous systems and also strengthen the immune system. While there is no co-payment for vitamins, and drugs seem more affordable, we need to ask ourselves what price our bodies are paying for this easy fix. Remember the old saying "there is no such thing as a free lunch". We hope that this has been a thought-provoking article, and that it hasn't offended anyone. Additionally, we hope you will continue to use this office for your health care partner. We promise to maintain personalized care, call you by name, and care about your family. As always, we thank you for your continued loyalty and commitment to natural health care. You may order our new TEAM TRAINING AND PRACTICE MANAGEMENT MANUAL package, from which this article is taken, by calling 800/937-3113 today.