Patient Perspective

As a patient using our health care system, I was asked to comment on my experiences with outpatient or primary care. As a recent graduate, I have had very little experience with outpatient and primary care. This is primarily because I don't have full health coverage due to the cost. Not only that, but I am young and feel I have been fortunate and been fairly healthy.

However, I do feel that outpatient and primary care will greatly affect me in the near future. The health care reform touches on very important topics, but honestly, it's confusing and hard to follow in the news. In the past my outpatient care experiences have been time consuming. On one particular occasion, I was waiting to see a physician about a bad allergy reaction. I had waited so long in the ER that by the time I met with the physician my symptoms had subsided. Frustrated by having waited so long, I simply took the medication he prescribed and headed off to see the pharmacist. It surprises me still that in the Emergency Room I had waited hours.

There are many things that can be improved within our health care system. Particularly with outpatient care, I feel improvements can be made with staffing. If there would have been more primary care physicians, I may have been seen sooner. Also, I would appreciate more quality time with the physician when I do have a concern. I am hopeful the new health care reform will address some of these issues, lower costs, and improve access in the long run.

--S.Lee, a patient