STAT July 31, 2024
In my third week as a medical intern, I learned a vital lesson about the realities of everyday medicine that textbooks and professors hadn’t taught me: how profoundly the financial cost of care affects patients.
I was caring for a man admitted to the hospital with uncontrolled atrial fibrillation, an irregular and often rapid heartbeat. After much deliberation, I prescribed a new anticoagulant to prevent the formation of blood clots in his heart, instructed him to continue using his current drugs to keep his heart rate steady, and arranged a much-needed appointment with a primary care provider. It was a rather routine proposal; my patient nodded in understanding as I presented it. Nonetheless, I felt a sense of satisfaction at...
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