Hi - not sure if this is the right sub, or if people will actually be interested, but when universal healthcare gets discussed in the US, there often seems to be a pretty bad understanding of what life in the our health care system is like.
While I'm a big believer in actual data over individual anecdotes, for good or for bad I thought it might be useful to keep a journal of my and my families' contact with the medical system.
I'm going to anonymize the heck out of it. I am not going to editorialize. I'll use this post to catch up on some less-recent medical contact (last 2ish months) but will try to be more on-time in the future, if I continue.
Family is:
- Dad: Me - Male, 40s, non-smoker, no major medical issues.
- Mom: Female, 40s, non-smoker, hypertyroid, no other major issues.
- Kid1: Female 5-10 years old, no major medical issues.
- Kid2: Female 5-10 years old, no major medical issues.
We are in the Toronto area (Ontario, Canada) and are Canadian citizens.
OHIP is the government funded universal healthcare program in Ontario.
Entry 1: Dad Cholesterol
May 3 2021: Some concern by relatives about hereditary cholesterol problems and it was suggested I (Dad) speak with my Dr. and my kid's Dr.
Called the Kid's Dr. and a phone call (Covid) was setup for that week (May 7) to consult.
I stalled until May 10th, then booked an appointment. My Dr.'s office has an online booking system. I used that and had a video appointment setup for the next day (May 11). My Dr. is on a year-long leave, so I was warned a different Dr. from the office would do the call.
Call started on time. Good discussion. Blood work was ordered. A test requisition was immediately emailed to me, which I printed. Discussed a secondary issue as well. Dr. asked for photos to be uploaded, which I did via their portal. No follow up required on the secondary issue.
I stalled a few days then called a local bloodwork clinic and set an appointment for May 20th. This appointment went off without a hitch - in and out in approx 15 minutes.
May 25, my Dr. emailed and said they had reviewed my results, nothing serious or urgent, but suggested I setup a new appointment to discuss the results. I again setup a video appointment via their portal for the next day (May 26). Appointment started on time, we discussed the results for about 15 minutes, and that was it.
All of the above was covered by the OHIP, the Ontario universal health care program.
Entry 2: Mom leg problems
In the last few months, Mom identified a potentially significant orthopedic problem with her leg. It causes some pain flares, but does not currently impair mobility.
She met with her GP, who referred her to a Ortho specialist for a video appointment. Specialist recommended some imaging (cat scan I think? Not an MRI in any case). Mom had an alternate Ortho Dr. she wanted a second opinion from. She asked her GP to refer her to that Dr. as well. Her GP agreed. Video appointment was setup for July 7th. Specialist requisitioned an MRI, recommended physio, and some over-the-counter pain meds.
MRI was setup for Aug 6 at 3am (!).
Mom contacted a local physio place to setup appointments. OTC medication was purchased.
Physio is not covered by OHIP, but is covered by our work health plans. OTC medication is not covered and is out of pocket.
Entry 3: Kid 2 Skin Issues
Kid 2 has a rash of lesions on her skin. We had became concerned and contacted her Dr, who gave us some advice and told us to monitor. After monitoring, we contacted the GP again and were referred to a dermatologist. We contacted the derm's office on June 15th, and were given a phone appointment for July 21.
July 21 phone appointment went fine. Dr. recommended three treatment options, one of which was "do nothing", and the other two require office visits.
Two appointments were available - one sometime in August, which we declined because of our schedules. The other was Sept 8, which we accepted.
All the above is covered by OHIP.
Entry 4: Dad's leg
July 10th I sprained something playing sports. It improved, but slowly.
By July 20th Mom insisted I get a Dr's opinion. My Dr.'s office has an online booking system. I used that and had a video appointment setup for the next day (July 21). My Dr. is on a year-long leave, so I was warned a different Dr. from the office would do the call.
Appointment started on time. Dr. thought probably nothing wrong, but said they had some concerns and would like an x-ray and ultrasound to be performed.
I was immediately emailed an x-ray and ultrasound requisition. I called three local imaging clinics. Appointments were offered today (July 22), tomorrow (July 23) or later next week. I took the July 22nd. Lots of spots available that day, I chose 8am.
Imaging appointment started on time. X-ray and ultrasound was performed. I was out of the office by 8:30.
Currently waiting to hear back from my Dr. and will update when that happens.
All the above is covered by OHIP.
Notes
- Video appointments are new thanks to Covid. I love them.
- It seems like specialist appointments are easier to get right now than in prior times. I have no data to support this, but Mom's ability to get two Ortho appointments within a few weeks seemed remarkable. The Derm. appointment took longer, and from previous experience I believe Dermatologists are one of the harder specialists to book in my area.
https://ift.tt/eA8V8J Submitted July 23, 2021 at 03:50AM by CdnHealthCareJournal https://ift.tt/3eNXc6f