Water, Water, …

There is no dearth of proposed solutions for what ails our healthcare system. The most commonly used term as a part of the solution is ‘quality’. ‘Quality’ to a patient might be the ability to see a doctor that he wants, when he wants. The ‘quality’ to a doctor might be the ability to offer the best possible solution to his patient’s problems. The ‘quality’ to someone else might me the best use of healthcare dollars. The added problem is that the definition of ‘best use of healthcare dollars’ is different depending on which side of the desk you are.

So many proposals without any palatable solution remind me of lines in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Coleridge:

Water, water, every where,

And all the boards did shrink;

Water, water, every where,

Nor any drop to drink.

Keshav Chander, MD

Cardiologist

Smart Heart Care, Las Vegas