Also called the profession of the healing arts, medicine has a secret dark side lurking beneath the surface. Your “care team” might be more accurately described as a collection of antagonistic factions fighting amongst themselves for status and influence while shirking their basic responsibilities as healers.
This is maybe most obvious in the standard metrics used by emergency departments across the country to measure success. Most infamously, the “LWOB” rate, or how many potential patients arrived at the ER waiting room only to leave without being seen by a provider. Other typical areas of focus include how many patients per hour a provider can see, and how highly they can bill each visit. Extra credit for more “critical care time.” Comparatively minimal time is dedicated to discussing quality of care, patient outcomes or safety concerns.
Sure, a business needs to be profitable. But these days, it’s clear that providing high-quality compassionate care has taken a back seat to the bottom line.