With the possibility and likely probability of 30 million more patients accessing physicians under provisions of the recently-passed health care reform legislation, expect to wait longer to see a doctor when making an appointment, and expect to have less time with the doctor when you get there.
I don’t need a crystal ball to figure this out. The Association of American Medical Colleges estimates a doctor shortage that could reach 150,000 by 2025. At age 76, I don’t expect to share (more)

On a scale of one to 10, how much does your doctor annoy you? Are you forced to wait more than 30-minutes past your scheduled appointment? That would be a 10, in my book. Or, have you ever felt that he or she isn’t really concentrating on your problem? That would be another 10.

The truth about those waits is that when doctors are paid by the number of patients they see, they may double-book patients for 10 to 15-minute (more)

The headline of a recent New York Times article (July 11), “Turn 70. Act Your Grandchild’s Age. Grandma sky-dives. Ringo Starr plays at Radio City. Is this what’s expected in life’s eighth decade?” caught my attention. Not only was it my 76th birthday, but also because I’m committed to a healthy, happy and long life. Now I couldn’t play Radio City on a bet, and I have no intention of jumping out of a perfectly good airplane. Nor am I (more)