Experts from the University of California Medical Center comprehensively analyzed and carefully evaluated Deborah Clark's condition from the perspective of their respective fields. They believed that her pancreatic tumor was discovered fairly timely and that comprehensive treatment can bring hope of cure.
The consultation lasted for more than an hour before it came to an end.
Then, based on the results of everyone's discussion, Dr. Crawford finally formulated a high-level treatment plan, that is, "cutting the sausage into three sections": first perform neoadjuvant chemotherapy to shrink the tumor, then perform surgery, and perform surgery after surgery. Chemotherapy is then performed to consolidate and reduce the probability of recurrence.
Dr. Crawford explained the treatment plan to the Clarks carefully. As he listened, Mrs. Karaka was suddenly shocked!
"Wait!" Mrs. Clark interrupted Dr. Crawford's story.
"how?"
"What happened?"
Mr. Clark and Dr. Crawford looked at her at the same time.
I saw Mrs. Clark taking out a folded document from her bag, then unfolded it, flipped through it a few times, and then said with disbelief: "Dr. Crawford, you, you... …”
"What's wrong with me?" Dr. Crawford asked in surprise.
Mrs. Clark said: "I have a treatment plan here that is almost exactly the same as what you just talked about!"
"Impossible!" Dr. Crawford was stunned for a moment, but then said, "Have you ever gone to other major hospitals for treatment? If so, it's not surprising, because for this serious disease, there is no truly suitable treatment. There aren’t many choices in terms of methods, it’s normal to arrive at the same destination through different paths!”
Mrs. Clark shook her head slightly and said, "But... we only went to a small clinic..."
"What? How is it possible?" Now, it was Dr. Crawford's turn to be shocked. He quickly snatched the treatment plan from Mrs. Clark's hand, and then read it carefully!
This look made me even more horrified!
my God! Could it be that the diagnosis and treatment plan we carefully negotiated through multidisciplinary consultation was leaked?
Although he just said that experts from other big hospitals may give similar treatment plans, but the other party is just a small clinic!
"You are going to the Mayo Clinic, right?" Dr. Crawford asked, unwilling to give up.
The Mayo Clinic, called a clinic, is actually a super hospital! It’s still ranked above the University of California Medical Center!
Mrs. Clark said: "No, it's the Iris Clinic on Powell Street in San Francisco. Well, that clinic is very small. Now there is only one young doctor and two young nurses."
"What?" Dr. Claudeford was so shocked that he almost dropped his gold-rimmed glasses, and his heart was in turmoil!
If a few days later, the couple brought a similar treatment plan and said it was from a small clinic, he would definitely suspect that the other party had copied them. Maybe through some unknown channel. For example, some students are interning here and secretly watch it, or they are observing during consultations.
However, the meeting had just ended, and how much time had passed. In addition, the treatment plan that Mrs. Clark brought out was obviously wrinkled. It had been printed out at least one or two days in advance!
Therefore, leaking secrets is absolutely impossible! Rather, the other party really has this level!
Dr. Crawford was stunned for four or five minutes before he finally came to his senses. He resumed his expert demeanor and felt that he had been really rude just now. So he smiled slightly and said to the Clarks: "The clinic you went to is quite amazing. Well, what is the name of that doctor?"
"My name is Zhou Qiao, he is a young Chinese guy." Mrs. Clark said.
"Zhou Qiao?" Dr. Claudeford shook his head, saying he had never heard of it. But Zhou Qiao, a peculiar Chinese doctor's name, was imprinted in his mind from this moment on, leaving a deep impression on him.
"Well, let me continue to introduce you to this treatment plan and the drugs used!" Dr. Claudeford said.
…
After half an hour, the Clarks finally had a rough idea of the way forward.
"It's too late today. You can come over tomorrow for preliminary chemotherapy. Well, you don't need to be hospitalized for preliminary chemotherapy. If you finish it during the day, you can go home and rest that day." Dr. Claudeford said after the introduction.
Daytime chemotherapy is quite popular in the United States. And during chemotherapy, I usually hang out with my friends, talk and laugh, drink coffee, listen to music, eat ice cream, or put my feet up, binge-watch a new drama, laugh out loud when I see something that makes me happy, or take a nap... …Instead of the one who is sad and sickly lying in the ward as everyone remembers, sighing while undergoing chemotherapy.
An optimistic mood is helpful for recovery.
"Okay, thank you doctor."
"Thank you, doctor! In addition, I would like to ask how much the total cost would be if I were treated in your hospital?" Mr. Clark asked.
Dr. Crawford pondered for a moment and then said: "The cost of treatment for a year is about 378,000 US dollars. Of course, according to your medical insurance information, you only need to pay about 4% of the cost, which is 15,000 US dollars. About a thousand dollars.”
"Oh, thank you doctor."
After they went out, they did not go home immediately. Instead, they sat on a chair in the corner of the hospital hall, took out two treatment plans, and compared them one by one. Of course this treatment plan can be taken away, they have already paid the bill today! The cost of the treatment plan is also included, which is several thousand dollars!
Of course, I only paid about eight hundred dollars out of pocket. I have to say that the medical fees at the University of California Medical Center are expensive!
The two treatment plans are actually exactly the same. Even if there are differences, they are in details. Even the drugs used are almost exactly the same.
However, on the last page of Zhou Qiao's treatment plan, there was also a line of small text, which was the estimated price of this treatment plan.
The Clarks had just seen it at this time.
That line of small print is an estimate of the entire treatment cost. According to Mrs. Clark’s medical insurance information, it is estimated that after deducting medical insurance expenses, the couple will only need to spend about $5,000 out-of-pocket at the Iris Clinic!
In other words, the University of California Medical Center is three times more expensive!
This kind of price is really advantageous! After all, although the Clarks also have generous pensions, they spend as much as they can, take vacations every year, eat, drink and have fun. They can be called moonlighters and hardly save much. He didn't have more than three thousand dollars on him.
In fact, most Americans do. They have no concept of saving money since they were young. Unlike the Chinese, if you don’t have savings, you will be extremely anxious.
