Assembly Line Medicine: How Efficiency Obsession is Redefining Care in America

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Have you been to a doctor’s office in the last several years?

Have you noticed any glaring changes in your own patient care in this time?

Have you felt rushed by everyone from the clinic support staff to the doctor?

Does it feel like it has become more about collecting your payment and getting you “out the door” than it is about providing exceptional care or simply doing what is best for you, the patient?

Apparently, you’re not alone!

In addition being a longstanding member of the healthcare work force (ophthalmic technician for the last 15 years), I hear from numerous patients how they:

• do not feel like they are being listened to.
• feel like “cattle,” in an assembly-line-esque rendition of healthcare.
• feel they are getting “shuffled” out the door prematurely, and before they had a chance to ask the provider questions.

In fact, these are the majority of complaints that I hear from patients day to day.

Additionally, it’s not just patients that have noticed a glaring shift in the relationships they have with their doctors and other clinicians.