"Back to the Future in Healthcare"

Hello everyone! I’m home!  I had a wonderful time in India and I am missing my family and friends there, but it is good to be back to the family and friends that I’ve been missing here!

I had the opportunity to visit a hospital in Mumbai while I was there. My father-in-law was having some health issues (he is better now, thank goodness) but he needed to be seen by a physician.  We called his physician who said that he would be glad to see him the next morning, but since it was a national holiday (Independence Day) his office would be closed. He suggested meeting at the hospital in the outpatient department. I was dreading this....you know how it is in the U.S. sitting in the waiting room for hours.

Shank and I went with Aba (that is the name that his grandchildren gave him many years ago) to the hospital to see the physician.  Vivek, the driver pulled the car into the entrance to the hospital and I felt like I had been transported back in time.  Now, for those of you who don’t know me very well, I have been a nurse since 1984. When I say transported back in time, I do not mean back to the dark ages of the early 80’s. Oh no, I mean transported back into time. I felt like I was back in my childhood, only in an alien environment. The staff was out on the lawn waiting excitedly for the flag raising ceremony for Independence Day. Most of the nurses looked like the nurses of my childhood, starched white uniforms with hose and shoes and the hats. Those horrible hats that I HATED wearing for the first 10 years of my career. Those horrible hats that I miss seeing. The hats that inspired trust and gave off a sense of character. The hat that radiated the Nurse Hatchet vibe that instilled fear and trust into the heart of everyone under her care. The remaining nurses looked like Mother Teresa. They wore white and blue sari and gave off an air of compassion.

As the car came to a stop, an orderly immediately opened the door, deposited Aba into a wheelchair, and escorted us through the hospital into the outpatient department. Entering the hospital, again I had flashbacks to childhood. The lobby had a receptionist desk and a waiting area with chairs. There was no air conditioning but the hum of the oscillating fans was very comforting. The mission statement over the lobby entrance said “We Check Everything in the Hope That We Find Nothing.”

As we walked down the hall, I saw a board directing patients and visitors to different areas of the hospital. The lettering reminded me of the attendance board at Sunday School during my childhood. We passed the time clock with the paper time cards and the employees divided by job description.

The physician came in and examined my father-in-law. He was very thorough and compassionate. He then explained to me what he thought was going on and gave me the plan of care. During this whole conversation, he is writing on a pad of paper.  I assumed that this would go into the patient file. However, at the end of the conversation, he tore the sheet out of the pad and gave the entire thing to me. He was sending the entire History and Physical along with the Plan of Care and Treatment home with us so that we could review it whenever we needed. I assume that he either rewrote or dictated the visit after we left.

When the conversation was over, he asked if I had any questions and then began to talk to me about the hospital. I found this conversation to be amazing. I discovered that individual families owned the hospital. Anyone could become part of the hospital by paying a yearly membership fee. The members of the hospital paid for every piece of equipment and all of the employees’ salaries. The staff and physicians mission was to provide excellent care while keeping the price of healthcare as low as possible. As long as salaries are paid, equipment maintained and cost of business expenses are covered, the healthcare is free to members. Everyone (members and staff) works to stay within budget in order to prevent an increase in membership fees. The physician then told me about the new MRI scanner that had just been purchased to provide up to date care.

We said goodbye to the physician and left the hospital. We asked where to get the prescriptions filled and were directed to the pharmacy located on the side of the building.  There is nothing in my memory that can describe the pharmacy. However, knowing how the hospital runs of a cash basis, all I can say is it serves the purpose!

Waiting area

Time Clock

Information board

Nurses at the flag raising ceremony

Pharmacy

The only thing that I can say after the visit is I am impressed! Maybe new and state of the art is not always better. Maybe the healthcare system in the U.S. should take a trip “Back to the Future” and try to sort out where we went wrong!