Healthcare shouldn’t be like this. You shouldn’t have to double check doctors and hospital results with friends. You shouldn’t have to question level of care. You shouldn’t have to drive yourself/family 75 miles to get better care and competent care.
Healthcare
is like this, hate to break that to you.
YOU are a consumer of healthcare same as any other product or service. A good consumer does their homework. A good consumer doesn't settle for 2nd best. A good consumer of healthcare, same as with auto repairs, same as plumbing services; a good consumer finds out which doctors and which hospitals are preferred, because not all healthcare is the same. What I tell people, is that you get what YOU pay for. And for those who feel that government/taxpayer supported healthcare is going to be good enough. Well, you were lied to.
There shouldn’t be the disparate impact of your geography that can mean you live/die in medical emergencies.
Healthcare is not a right, and it is most often a business. So, like I said, you get what you pay for, so be the most informed consumer you can be. And just because the sign says "ER" does not mean it is as good as another ER. Same way not all fast food places are equal, not even ones which are part of the same chain.
Do your homework BEFORE you need those services.
Standard practices - such as checking cardiac enzymes for a patient presenting with crushing chest pain - should exist in EVERY hospital.
When you go to an ER it is for an emergency. Depending on the ER, depending on the doctor assigned, depending on how busy they are; you might just end up only getting a quick look at. ERs are not always staffed with cardiac specialists. If you aren't bleeding, not convulsing, breathing and not turning blue, or have bones sticking out. An ER visit my require you follow up IMMEDIATELY with your primary care physician, or a specialist.
Some hospitals and ERs may specialize in cardiac care. Same way some specialize in spinal injuries, burns, or even pediatric care. Knowing which hospitals that your local ERs may transfer cardiac patients to after they are stabilized is good to know. And if you feel you are having a cardiac issue, and you can drive yourself or be driven to a cardiac hospital, then a good idea to do that. Because when you call 911 and the EMTs respond, they are usually required in most circumstances to take you to the nearest ER. And the nearest one may be a CRAP hospital. So do your homework. Trauma centers are rated by "levels". Level I-V with level 1 at the top. When you call 911 you may be headed to a low level trauma center, and well.... good luck with that, and why you need to do your homework. Many cities don't have level 1 or level 2 trauma centers. Some states may only have one. I live in Southern California and we have lots of ERs/trauma centers, but only a few are level 1. Can you guess which hospitals I take my family to? Yeah, I did my homework, and I am willing to pay for the best, so there's that too.
What if we didn’t have a friend with 20 years of cardiac nursing experience that asked the right questions? And revealed we didn’t have the right answers?
You got lucky; I'm glad it worked out. But you could have asked more questions at the ER when they released you, and you should have called your own doctor immeadiatly too, and also requested a specialist. Hopefully you don't have HMO.... well, if you do... you have to push a lot harder for better care. What is it I keep saying? You get what you pay for. Want the government to pay for healthcare, well, ever been to the DMV or post office? Yeah, that!
Our healthcare system is SO broken. People die because of how broken it is. I’m grateful it wasn’t my husband this time, but it could have been.
Something needs to change. Fundamentally.
Do your own homework and be your own healthcare advocate. And be willing to pay for the best.
Good luck!