alt Hacker NewsI understand that insurance is not your friend and you must advocate for yourself in the modern healthcare landscape, but if appointments take months to get to because everyone is overbooking limited oncology specialists to get their second and third opinions, at what point is this counterproductive for wider healthcare outcomes?
Particularly with cancer, when earlier treatment is better.
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From the perspective of both individual patients and the system as a whole, the best long term potential lies in more accurate and widespread cancer screening. If it can be detected earlier then treatment becomes much easier and cheaper. The liquid biopsy assays available today still aren't accurate enough to recommend for everyone but they should improve. In a few decades I expect adults to be getting them every few years.
After reading this thread it seems to me that differences in doctors are so vast that multiple opinions are necessary to ensure good care.
If doctors improve (maybe by using better analysis tools), hopefully it will no longer be necessary.