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Progress at the Orthopedist's Office

This morning I visited my spine surgeon for a check-​​up. What’s nice is the feeling I have about his office staff: they’re pleasant, gentle people who seem always eager in their work, and that helps. I got big hugs from his nurse, an office manager and biller. Even the x-​​ray tech­nician seemed glad to assist me.

The ortho­pedist is a won­derful man whom I credit for my con­tinued capacity to walk. All good –

For the first time in 12 years of visits to his office, the x-​​ray images of my bones were rep­re­sented on a digital device, as opposed to old-​​fashioned, plane films clipped onto a light box. The surgeon was able to enlarge and examine more care­fully an area of concern without my being exposed to addi­tional rads. Even more for­tu­nately, the fusion looks steady.

Once I arrange to get a copy of the digital image (a hassle with inex­plicable, inex­cusable high costs, as per hos­pital pro­tocol), I can include that in my elec­tronic per­sonal health record (PHR), one of my planned projects for the year ahead.

Progress in health care is painstak­ingly slow. Today I’m encouraged.

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2 comments to Progress at the Orthopedist’s Office

  • Nora Yood

    Great share . It’s nice to hear the nice stuff!

  • mag

    Dear Dr. E,
    Yes, I share the feeling of walking into a physician“s office and being greeted as a person rather than an “illness”.
    It’ nice of you to acknowledge your orthopedist’s con­tri­bu­tions to your health but your daily efforts to keep pain and other dif­fi­culties at bay might be also enormous. Do you mind sharing some with us, the readers.

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