The Raleigh N&O: Let's Ask The Student Who Wants To Be A Kid Doctor - Not An Actual Kid Doctor

This fall, the Raleigh News & Observer is talking to people about the nation's health-care system, what works, what doesn't and what should be done to fix it.

Today, one of the articles in that series featured a fourth year medical student at (you guessed it) UNC-Chapel Hill who wants to be a children's doctor.

She enjoys working with kids.

Well, I hope so. But she is in for a rude awakening if she thinks that's all its about.

As a child, she spent months in the hospital after being diagnosed with a rare kidney disorder. In later years, she switched doctors as her family switched insurance companies, something she keeps in mind as she thinks of reforming the nation's health-care system.

Yeah, I know the feeling. When I was five, I had a tonsillectomy at Randolph Hospital. The job was botched so badly that I had to have reconstructive surgery years later (while in college). My family, ordinary folk, never even considered suing.

Part of my motivation for (1) choosing Pediatrics, and (2) ultimately coming home, was to prevent something like that from happening to another child.

In fact, years later, employed as a Pediatrician by the non-profit hospital's "controlled affiliate", suffering from recurrent sinus infections and severe facial pain, I elected to have sinus surgery at Randolph. Part of the motivation to have the surgery at Randolph was to encourage parents to consider staying in Asheboro for their ENT procedures. If I trusted the hospital, why shouldn't they?

The job was botched. A diagnosis was missed. I had to have corrective surgery again.

With Randolph Hospital, it seems no good deed goes unpunished.

Although sorely tempted, I didn't sue then either.

The article goes on to offer the future Dr. Chasnovitz's opinion on what reform needs to be.

In addition to an optional government-run insurance program, she hopes the government spends more money on basic, clinical research. She thinks the implementation of electronic medical records, with some guidelines and oversight from the federal government, could improve efficiency among care providers.

I have news for her. The government is not going to have any money left for basic clinical research if President Obama (someone who has no clue what he's talking about a good portion of the time) has his way. EMR is already here - and not exactly the panacea it was cracked up to be. And the bit about government oversight was just the pure naivete of a newbie.

I dropped a comment (modified slightly here) on the thread:

Instead of interviewing a medical student with next-to-no "real world" experience in the "reforms" she advocates ("for the children"), maybe the N&O should be talking to a Board-certified Pediatrician who got burned in public service - one who had to go on the road to make ends meet while she fought a legal battle that she NEVER SHOULD HAVE HAD TO HAVE FOUGHT had ANYONE in an OVERSIGHT position done what they were supposed to do . . . one who has worked all over this state and can speak to the good/bad/ugly reality of "access" and "accountability" and "transparency" in medicine.

Really, at this point, the cold shoulder is not just a journalistic cop-out.

It's stupid, short-sighted, irresponsible and dangerous.

I absolutely LOVED "ThoughtCrimes" comment (which preceded mine):

Editor's note: As always, The N&O is presenting semi-fictitious stories from carefully selected people to promote a Natzional Socialist health-care system . . . Ignoring what works, promoting what doesn't and what should be done to f-it up. (I'm The Obama, and I approved this propaganda . . . And soon, I'll natzionalize this failing paper.)

Honestly, when are these damned journalists at their dying newspapers (not to mention the medical educators holding the "forums") going to wake up and start talking to (and writing about) the people who are in the trenches NOW?

I intend no disrespect to the future Dr. Chasnovitz - she's earned her hood and I wish her well even as I believe the system she's entering into is shortly going to crumble down around her naive and trusting head. But this was the biggest "non-story" I've ever seen.

Sayeth the N&O: Let's not talk to a doctor with considerable way-beyond-bad experience in the very systems we're talking about expanding - a doctor who has been blogging about it for six years - a doctor who has been pleading for help . . . and real reform.

Let's ask a medical student with NO experience what she thinks.

Fluff.