NBC Preparing Americans For “Shared Medical Appointments”

By Robert Gehl on December 2, 2013 Subscribe to Robert Gehl's Feed



It appears NBC News is at the forefront of trying to socialize Americans to a “new normal.” Expensive health care, shortages and now, “shared medical appointents.”
As NewsBusters pointed out, the Today Show on Saturday ran a story about the new trend where as many as 15 people with similar medical issues gather around a single physician to discuss their problems.
There was no criticism in the story of this practice: No mention of privacy concerns – of which there would be plenty – to complaints about the lack of one-on-one time with your doctor, just happy doctors and happy patients.
Below the video link is a transcript of the segment:
http://www.mrctv.org/videos/nbc-pres...l-appointments
ERICA HILL: Shifting gears now to look at your health. When you go to the doctor, chances are it’s the two of you in the examining room. Maybe you have a family member or a nurse there at some point. But what if it was not just you, the patient, but a whole group of patients in there? As our chief medical editor Dr. Nancy Snyderman explains, it could be the office visit of the future.
WOMAN: Right now, you don’t have anything to worry about.
NANCY SNYDERMAN: Laughter, camaraderie, flowers and even refreshments. This clearly isn’t a typical doctor’s visit. In fact, it might be a model for the future of quality health care. It’s a shared medical appointment, a unique way the Cleveland Clinic is providing routine patient checkups for as many as 15 people with similar health issues — all at once.

DR. MARIANNE SUMEGO, Cleveland Clinic: They take away more. It’s bang for your buck. There’s value. You have extra time, extra information, extra resources, extra understanding.
SNYDERMAN: While a typical checkup lasts 15 to 30 minutes, a patient can have a shared medical appointment for as long as two hours, all for the same cost as a traditional visit. Here’s how it works. After a one-on-one physical exam with the doctor, everyone signs a privacy agreement.

SUMEGO: The HDL over 55…
SNYDERMAN: Then the group meets to discuss test results.
UNIDENTIFIED DOCTOR: But we really need to work on getting that lower.
SNYDERMAN: Ask questions. And share ideas about wellness, prevention, and nutrition.
SUMEGO: It’s just peanuts and oil.
FEMALE PATIENT #1: There’s a lot of things that we shared today with our health that are very good and that gives me a very good feeling of a healthy community.
FEMALE PATIENT #2: You hear other people’s comments and other people’s questions and you might even learn something you might not even thought of asking.
SNYDERMAN: The shared appointments program here is just one of many catching on across the country as hospitals struggle with more limited resources. With the growing aging population and the expected surge in new patients insured under the Affordable Care Act, some experts believe our country will need more doctors to keep up with the increased demand for care. By the year 2020, it’s estimated that the U.S. will face a shortage of more than 91,000 physicians.
SUMEGO: A very low HDL.
SNYDERMAN: And on this day, one doctor saw double the number she usually can, giving patients who started the day as strangers support toward the common goal of better health. For Today, Dr. Nancy Snyderman, NBC News, New York.


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