My first Italian medical appointment

My First Italian Illness and visit to the doctor
The burning in Naples is bad some days and about two weeks I ago I drove through heavy smoke in the city on my way to work one morning. I complained to my colleagues all day about my throat burning and my sinuses clogging up. It happened again the next day, and sure enough by the weekend, I have a full blown sinus infection. Took Monday off work and starting running a fever with tight cough and chest. So I call the International SOS referral that Boeing provides to us; they locate an English speaking doctor for me not too far from the apartment, and schedule me for Tuesday afternoon.

The doctor is a very nice older man, studied in the US at two prestigious East Coast universities as well as doing hospital work there. He speaks good English and gave me a good exam and prescribed what I would have expected from any US doctor (having been through these sinus and bronchial infections all my life). Altogether I am confident in the treatment and already feel better.

Here is my typical experience in the US: I am used to US medical clinics with receptionists, lots of paper, waiting in waiting rooms while people cough all over you and you cough all over them, medical assistants that take your vital signs, another wait in the doctor's back room, a quick visit by the physician who is booked at 5 minute intervals all day, a prescription and off you go.

This doctor's office is in what looks to be a residential apartment building in a middle class neighborhood. I had to ask directions because the street number turns out to be an apartment number, not on the building itself. The doctor himself buzzes me through the front door and greets me by name in the corridor. There is no receptionist, nurse or medical assistant. The office was indeed an apartment at one point in time, a bathroom and small kitchen/eating area to one side, and then the office/exam room to the left, all very clean but decor would remind you of the 1940s.

The doctor himself takes my history, looks over my current medications (looks up a couple things he wasn't sure about) and does the exam. The examination table is in the same room with his desk; he talks to me first, then has me get on the table and listens to my heart and breathing, etc., than has me sit back down again at his desk. He writes out a prescription by hand on a plain piece of letterhead paper, and explains how I will take the medicine. He writes me a receipt on a standard invoice pad you get at any office supply, puts his stamp on the top and collects cash from me. (He charges US prices) We spend a few minutes talking about what brings me to Italy, about his experiences living in the US, his children, his plans for retirement in the future. He shows me pictures on the internet of the retirement homes he is considering. Then he asks me to call him in one week to let him know how I am doing as he may want to increase my antibiotic if I am not better. He gives me his private cell phone number to call him. I leave the office after about 30 min.

This is a totally unique experience in my adult life; I can remember when I was very young and we still had a family doctor that did house calls, and vaguely remember visits to his office being more similar to this experience. I have no idea if this is typical of an Italian doctor visit or not as I have not basis for comparison. I did learn he is a private doctor and not part of the Italian national healthcare system. I don't know if public doctors see patients like me who are not covered under the national health care, or how any of that works. I will ask around and find out. I will probably never get reimbursed from my insurance as I am sure they will require multiple forms to be filled out and the simple receipt I got from him will never suffice. That paper chase will be a topic for a future blog!