Shared Medical Appointments in Massachusetts

Waiting times for medical care in Massachusetts have gotten so long as a result of their "universal coverage" system, that some patients are accepting "group medical appointments", giving up privacy and one-on-one time with their physician in exchange for getting a timely appointment.

The story includes a video of such a group appointment.

As one commenter stated:

In the group setting, the patients are not allowed to remove clothing for proper physical examination due to the lack of privacy. In the video, Dr. Lindsey is shown auscultating and percussing through the patients' clothing.

As a medical student, I would flunk, that's right, flunk my standardized patient examinations if I even thought of auscultating or percussing through clothing. It is obvious that the lack of privacy even in the cardiology setting restricts the doctor from doing a proper physical examination.

If Senator Baucus has his way with his planned expansion of the Massachusetts plan to the national level, we'll soon see this in all 50 states.

(Via AAPS News.)