Recently, a gastroenterologist in our group left our practice. Of course, the remaining physicians must do our best to provide ongoing care as best we can for her patients. Ongoing care does not mean seamless care even though some patients expect that a new covering physician will simply assume the reins without so much as a hiccough or a speed bump. More realistically, there will be a transition period and some inconvenience to the patients and to the covering gastroenterologists. I was assigned to cover her patients immediately after her departure when the volume of incoming laboratory and procedure results would be heaviest. Even normal laboratory and radiology results require more work than usual for a covering medical professional. We can’t simply shoot off a message ‘your biopsy result was benign’ and consider the case to be closed. There may be many other lingering active medical issues to address. A modest laboratory abnormality, which would be expeditiously handled in
MD Whistleblower presents vignettes and commentaries on the medical profession. We peek 'behind the medical curtain' and deliver candor and controversy in every post.