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The startling efficiency of the medical system
You know, the US medical industry gets a lot of bad press, but in the course of doing this "100,000 mile checkup" I've been repeatedly impressed by how well Kaiser Permanente is using modern tech to make the process more efficient -- not simply to save money for them (and thus, me) but to create a better patient experience. To start with, I made the appointment on-line, including dropping an e-mail to my doctor to let her know the context and purpose of my visit. They've eliminated the vast majority of the creation and carrying-around of paper. Tests and referrals got ordered electronically right there in the exam room, so when I showed up in the lab they just needed to run my card. I dropped by to get my fasting blood draw on my way to work this morning, and when I got home, I had an e-mail with a link to the results, all interpreted and contextualized with links to further information. And somehow ... somehow in the midst of all this, they also seem to have cut the waiting time for everything to about 5 minutes each. Five minutes waiting for my exam, five minutes waiting to get the x-rays of my thumb, five minutes to get called for the blood draw. Wow. I spent more time trying to find a parking place than sitting in the waiting room. Oh, and my blood work is all dreadfully normal. As expected, but nice to know.
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That does not speak to their care, only their paperwork admin stuff. But it left a strong impression on me.