In every professional field there are those practitioners who not only practice with brilliancy and would be considered the very tops in their field. Those very few love what they're doing, are constantly updated on the latest info to benefit their clients and even more than that, TRULY CARE - emotionally care about these people who come to them. Whether dentists, docs, lawyers, teachers - it doesn't matter what the profession but all of their peers know who they are, know how great they are. Within the organization in which they practice everyone from the receptionist to the technicians - everyone knows because everyone talks about it, in every field.
Let's talk about medicine. When you as a patient need a doctor for any reason, you usually try to get a referral from someone you know and trust. That's usually how it's done but we warned, unless you have intimate knowledge of that particular profession, having worked in it or studied it, that referral might or might not be a good one for you. The best way to understand that is the following example:
Many years ago I worked with the TOP internist in the country, a man whose patients were referred to him by his own peers, before he even graduated medical school. The very top of his profession. Years later in practice, I recall a patient in his 60s coming into our office whose diagnosis was critical. I was surprised to the point where I asked the doctor why is this man in this condition. He did not have a life threatening illness, yet he was imminantly dying. The doctor's response to me was that the man had been treated for YEARS by a doctor who treated him incorrectly and he is so far gone from these mistakes that there is nothing I can do to save him. It's very important for all of us to understand that these great practitioners are few and far between, even so there are others who can be considered extremely fine. You do not jeapordize your life by going to them. Then there are those docs, and there are many of them, who enjoy an excellent rep in the field and are highly referred but they don't have the heart for their clients. They are people who think so much of themselves that they think a great deal of themselves personally, more so than they think of their patients and their well beings. These people know how to protect themselves medically because they know what they have to do for the patient with the patient to not get into a position where they are liable. Sometimes though, they let down their guard and I know that at least three patients in Galen's practice could have and should have RUN to a good medical malpractive attorney. These people were not placed in a position where their life was in danger but could have been in years to come because of the mistakes made by this very talented doc.
Dr Steven Galen, Chief of Internal Medicine at Cedars is such a physician. Surely he has more patients than he can handle and ultimately mistakes have to occur under these circumstances, and will, and do. But this doctor doesn't think so. He thinks he is the best. He thinks very highly of himself and as far as his patient's are concerned, I'm really not sure how much he thinks about them. This is a very nasty situation because unwitting patients can really get hurt under these circumstances. People have to be wiser than they are regarding every form of practice.
Just beware and be smart. Do all you have to do to really know whose hands you're putting your life in the hands of. Since this is a forum read by many I suspect it will reach a number of people and it's for this reason I have used it to say what I have to say in your best interests. read more
