A great idea whose time has come
Dr. Arthur Siml for president ... of something. His “Tips For reducing Medicaid costs” letter of May 4. is near genius. It is smart and so simple, I am sure it will be ignored.
His letter should be reprinted every day for a month. This medical service is presently being provided by several different drugstores. I have used the outpatient clinic at Walgreens and have had good results. This is an excellent service for the many aliments that truly do not need a doctor such as shots, colds etc., as the article points out. It is a good way to save time and money on your minor health needs.
The idea needs to be followed up by our politicians and incorporated into a new and more practical system. This would also put a clinic within walking distance in most parts of Chicago and other larger cities. I intend to personally send a reprint to every politician I can think of. It will be interesting to see who will oppose widening the availability of these services.
Naturally, lawyers comes to mind, and perhaps some doctors who fear misdiagnosis. However, that would be no worse than our present system and the savings would be very significant. I am sure that the misdiagnosis can be controlled; after all, we are often seen by an assistant doctor or a nurse practitioner, when seeing our family physician. This is an important idea whose time has come.
D.O. Lipensky
Wheaton