Dr. Vicki Rackner is probably the best listener in town. But then, a major portion of her job is to listen to the problems and complaints of people under a doctor's care or in the hospital, to discern how she can help them navigate the maze of medical terminology, insurance and procedures.
"The first thing I do is listen to what the patient has to say,'' said Rackner. "I get a lot of people who are dissatisfied because they feel they aren't being heard."
Changes in medicine that allow insurance companies to dictate whether or not a doctor is allowed to do a certain procedure, or see a patient for more than 15 minutes, have caused many to feel short-shrifted at their doctor's office.
"Medicine has become a business, which is frustrating for doctors, who often have to see a patient every 10 to 20 minutes, and for patients, who can't get all their questions answered in that amount of time," said Rackner. "I help patients and their families get help, information or description of treatment options they need to get the best possible treatment."
Rackner feels she's helping put patients in charge of their own health care, helping them become more savvy about medicine in general. An example she cites is of a patient with breast cancer who felt she had many questions about treatment options, but wasn't getting answers. Rackner stepped in and urged her to make a list of her five most pressing questions and fax it to her doctor's office prior to her appointment. The woman's doctor agreed to spend more time answering her questions and the patient agreed to pay for the extra time.
"This is a systems problem,'' said Rackner. "My job is to facilitate a solution that allows everyone to get what they need."
Another patient had several specialists working on her case and felt that none of the doctors was talking to the others. Rackner stepped in and elected one doctor as the "quarterback" of the woman's medical team, to make certain all the physicians were on the "same page" about treatment. Rackner has helped other patients sort through reams of Internet research to find what was legitimate and useful, interpreting medical language and jargon into something easily understood.
"I was able to assure the patient that she was getting the best medical care and the right treatments,'' she said. ``I'm not going to assume the person's medical care, or become their doctor, I'm just going to help them get the best care they can get and know what to expect."
A Minnesota native, Rackner earned her medical degree at Boston University and did her residency in general surgery at Virginia Mason. She set up a private practice in Seattle.
Later, after having a baby, she decided to take a leave of absence from work.
"I decided that my priority was going to be my son," she said.
The consulting work she's doing now evolved as she got calls from friends and family diagnosed with everything from ulcerative colitis to heart disease.
"What I observed is that people generally like their doctors, but don't have much trust in the health care system. It's no longer clear whether doctors are primarily respecting the requests of
the insurance companies or watching out for the welfare of their patients, as they have historically," Rackner said.
As a patient advocate/consultant, Rackner can step in to stick up for her patients when their primary care physician can't. Rackner feels that her experience as a physician helps give her inroads that others might not have, allowing her to cut through red tape and assist patients in a special way.
"Medical language isn't really English, and many people get lost and don't ask their doctor
to interpret all the diagnostic information they're hearing,"
she said.
In order to have informed consent, a patient needs to know the risks, benefits and alternatives to treatment, she said.
"I'm a non-threatening individual, and I have nothing to sell; I'm only accountable to the patient. I give them the tools to take control of their health and make appropriate decisions."
Rackner, who has lived on Mercer Island for a decade, said one of the frightening aspects of opening her own advocacy business on Mercer Island last year was knowing that there was no one else like her out there.
"I have no teachers for this," she said. "I had to ask myself 'What should I call myself? What do I call what I do?'" Rackner charges an hourly fee on a sliding scale, so no one will be turned away.
Though she says it's a shame that patient advocacy is needed, Rackner also believes that this is her calling, her life's work.
"The reason that I became a doctor was to alleviate suffering," she said. "This is something people are going to continue to need, and I feel good about helping them get the best care possible — and perhaps I can alleviate some suffering along the way."
Reprinted with permission of
The Mercer Island Reporter
Contact us if you have any questions.
