Dr. Google Will See You Now

‍Calling Dr. Google...?

Google receives 70,000 healthcare searches every minute of every day. That’s just over 100 million searches a year, seeking healthcare information, guidance, and understanding - from a search engine. And that’s not to mention ChatGPT or Bing… When did Dr. Google become the high authority, the Healthcare Oracle? How is The Internet the trusted source - and where did Dr. Google get her license to practice medicine?

This sad fact demonstrates how little trust Americans feel toward their health plans. A poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research last year—N.B., I googled this fact—reported that only 12% of those polled think healthcare is well handled in our nation’s system of care. Over half of those polled are dissatisfied with the US Healthcare system.

Now granted, there is a big difference between perceptions of our national public/private system and the local doctors, nurses, and hospitals that people experience. And pundits are quick to point out:  ALL healthcare is local. Nonetheless, Google is the most accessible, friction-free source of healthcare information. Apparently, this is the critical criterion that promotes Dr. Google to replace your primary care physician.

Most consumers and members remain befuddled by the unnavigable, unbreachable walls of health plans. We all have heard loud and clear that if we are calling about a medical crisis, hang up and go to the nearest emergency room. Good to know. But what about the other 99% of healthcare issues needing attention?

Yesterday, my wife read to me a clip from the Washington Post that referred to a comment from a “physical health provider.” I guess we are to assume there are all sorts of providers - like mental health providers or digital health providers. Is a headache a physical health malady or a mental health symptom? Does it matter? How do I navigate to the right provider for my gnawing healthcare issue?

I am in awe of how many minor ailments disrupt my daily activities. Tinnitus - my primary care doctor said I’d eventually become inured to it and not even be aware of it. After 8 years, I’m not so sure. My right eye seems to tear up uncontrollably. My restless leg syndrome keeps me awake for hours, despite medication. My legs cramp sometimes, for no reason. I seem to be getting more cavities, late in life. I’ve had two GERD surgeries in my life to resolve persistent heartburn. Urinary spotting? How could you tell? When did losing my balance become a daily concern? 

Each of these issues is either a nettlesome inconvenience impacting my health and quality of life. The health issues waste time and make life less easy. And there’s nothing unique about my organ recital (i.e., constant complaining about my failing organs) in my seventh decade, when compared to my peers’ host of ailments and complaints.

Well, perhaps there is. Data recently released from the CDC about older Americans is shocking. Among those 65 and older, chlamydia diagnoses more than tripled between 2010 and 2023. Gonorrhea cases multiplied about sixfold. And syphilis cases increased nearly tenfold. Seniors suffering from chlamydia or gonorrhea likely see a different provider than a mental/physical/digital provider. You get my point.

I am a fan of life made easier. And I believe strongly that my health plan should feel the same way about my issues. But I, too, find Dr. Google much easier to access and interrogate than my local Kaiser plan. For health care to improve its standing with seniors, it’s got to be more intuitive and approachable. I recommend beginning with the difference between medicine and health.

Physicians are much less knowledgeable about lifestyle medicine than medical care. They receive very little education on nutrition in their four years of medical school. Oncologists manifest little interest in choices for wigs or fingernail pain. There was a time when doctors reported a similar dependence on cigarettes as the general public. Obesity persists in the medical profession about as much as in our general population. These are all lifestyle issues that permeate medicine when they predominate for too long and thus become chronic diseases like lung cancer and Type 2 Diabetes. Further, we don’t need a medical degree to render insightful advice.

I believe we should bifurcate the unpopular US Healthcare system into two categories: medical care and health care. Both require a dose of empathy from the chosen provider. Health care needs fewer diagnoses and much more prevention in its curriculum; medicine remains the province of digital, mental, and physical health providers. 

My vision includes using the platform of trust that Healthrageous has achieved to peel off some of the health care inquiries aimed at physicians in “health plans.” After all, engagement is a science unto itself—also not taught in medical school—and it is a set of skills and techniques for which Healthrageous receives a lot of credit.

In summary, health plans must become more user-friendly, focusing on preventive care and lifestyle changes, while utilizing trusted platforms like Healthrageous to address everyday health concerns. This approach can help reduce the burden on traditional health care systems and improve overall patient satisfaction and outcomes.

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