One Dozen Things
Who Pays the Bills?
Discussion Questions
1. In this scenario, what is the patient’s most basic concern?
2. Why is this concern an issue for this particular patient?
3. Why was the doctor unaware of this patient’s situation?
4. What did the patient say that may have been a clue to the doctor that there was problem?
5. What was wrong with the doctor’s response to the patient’s question?
6. Was it appropriate for the doctor to defer questions to the nurse? Are there ever situations in which deferring questions to a nurse might be appropriate?
7. If the doctor had been aware of the patient’s situation, how might he have dealt with the problem?
8. Aside from directly asking the patient, how can a doctor determine how much and what kind of medical insurance coverage a patient has?
9. What are the types of medical coverage among U.S. patients? How common is it to encounter patients with no medical insurance in U.S. medical practice?
10. Aside from the issue of not inquiring about medical coverage, how would you rate this doctor’s professionalism?
