OPINION:
Our family has seen four primary care physicians in the past five years at a major Arizona primary care facility. They come, they are knowledgeable, friendly and seemingly enthusiastic — and they leave within a year. The main communication channel is Johns Hopkins Medicine’s online MyChart portal. Once you send a message there, you have to call to see if they have read your note. When you call, however, you get a recorded message telling you they’re too busy to answer but if you leave your name and number, they’ll call you back. Smooth move — now they have turned me into their receptionist.
This is not just a Arizona problem. We are seeing the same issues in New Mexico.
Large group practices with many top-down rules probably contribute to dissatisfaction. A lack of personal patient interaction due to MyChart probably decreases connection and caring.
Looking at the taillights of my husband’s dermatology practice, I see a fading connection and commitment between doctor and patient. He saw some of his patients and their families for more than 30 years. A computerized record was not needed; he saw the patient’s grandparents and already knew the family history. Yes, it was a big responsibility, but also a delight.
Many veterinarians still operate in a similar way, and are online portal-free.
As patients, how do we change this trajectory? Are you listening, MyChart?
S.R. MILLER
Santa Fe, New Mexico
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