Eric Postal, MD, is a diagnostic radiologist with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
. Reimbursements continue to diminish, while the costs of doing business steadily increase. Meanwhile, we don’t seem to have lost any of our middlemen. In fact, the offered solutions usually seem to involve the creation of even more middlemen, who we are told will increase our efficiency and help us streamline our operation. Middlemen who will hold clipboards, sit in meetings, and spew words like “quality” and “compliance” when they have to show what they’ve contributed to the system.
Your least-favorite tech makes a rookie blunder and screws up a study, perhaps, or PACS fails just as you are hit by a quartet of STATs. What do you do with your aggravation?
Once upon a time, when I worked primarily in hospitals, “stat” referred to emergencies, or at least something with real urgency (such as the patient is being cleared to have surgery tomorrow morning, etc.). After leaving the inpatient (and ER) world for outpatient imaging centers, I encountered some other uses of “stat.”
In our insulated world of diagnostic imaging, we might not have expected "noctors" to impact us all that much. However, I’ve noticed a trend in the past year or two for an increasing number of off-the-wall imaging studies to come my way... and most of this uptick seems to be from non-physicians ordering the studies.
Especially in the current economic climate, it might not be possible to keep up with the Joneses, dollar for dollar. Under such circumstances, it’s always worthwhile to consider what intangibles you’re offering your troops, before they ever consider breaking ranks.
Yes, times are tough. Costs are up, reimbursements are down, yada yada yada. And it’s true, you might not need the flashiest equipment on the market, and the biggest price-tag does not always mean the best product. You might not need the Lamborghini when a Hyundai will get you where you need to go. But paying even less and getting a used junker which will break down once a week is going a little too far with the concept.
Some asymmetries can be really challenging to manage, and uncertainty can plaque you well after you’ve signed your reports and moved on to other things. There are other asymmetries in our professional lives, however, that can be just as taxing to us - or even more so.