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“Goodness, you cannot fall for him,” London said, hoping to God that she wasn’t already there.
She put Drew out of her mind and turned her focus to the eight patients currently occupying beds on the surgical floor. As she left her office, London spotted Aleshia marching down the corridor. The other doctor grabbed her by the hand and pulled London back inside.
“What’s going on?” London asked.
“That’s my question,” Aleshia said. “Is the rumor about the new telehealth system true?”
“Where did you hear about that?” Trident had only discussed it with the group of ambassadors an hour ago.
“Where I heard about it isn’t important—except for the fact that it didn’t come from you. You’re supposed to be my spy on the inside, remember?”
“I’m not spying,” London said. “And, to answer your question, yes, one of the changes Trident will likely propose is utilizing telehealth to cut back on in-person care delivery.”
“I knew it.” Aleshia folded her arms over her chest. “So, did you share with the folks at Trident why practicing medicine via smartphone is not the best move for this hospital?”
“Initially,” London said. She had never been one to shy away from technology, but she adamantly opposed the impersonal nature of telehealth.
Until Drew hit her with the cold hard facts.
He shared statistics from over a dozen hospitals Trident had worked with this past year, and the results didn’t lie. Increasing virtual visits had no adverse effects on patient care and lowered operating cost substantially.
“What do you mean byinitially?” Aleshia asked.
“I’ve seen the numbers,” London said. “Not only will it save County millions over the next five years, but surveys from patients who have switched to majority telehealth visits show that they’re just as happy with their care. And it saves them time. Think about the people we serve and how many of them have to catch several city buses to get here or take time off from work.”
“I hadn’t thought about that,” Aleshia said.
“Neither had I, and if I’m being honest, I’m a bit ashamed,” London admitted. “In all this time, I never really looked at telehealth from the patient’s perspective—at least in the way it would make life easier for them. We both pushed back against it because we believe face-to-face is better, but is it up to us to make that choice for our patients?”
Aleshia released a sigh. “Fine. I get what you’re saying.” She turned and London followed her out of the office. “Just don’t let Trident get rid of the slushie machine in the cafeteria,” her friend added. “I understand budget cuts are necessary, but let’s not go too wild.”
“I promise to fight for your slushie machine, even if I have to chain myself to it,” London said.
“It’s why I love you,” Aleshia said.
London’s laughter trailed off as she continued down the hallway, her mind returning to the debate she’d had with Drew and his team over implementing a more robust telehealth program at County. London’s argument had been based on her gut and emotions. Trident’s was based on logic and substantiated data.
She prided herself on putting her patients’ well-being above everything, but how often did she make decisions for them based on what she believed was best without considering how those decisions would affect other aspects of their lives?
The thought left a sour taste in her mouth.
She would find time for a little soul-searching later. Right now, she needed to focus on the kids due to have surgery soon.
She walked into the room of her first patient, Ahmad Jefferson, and found him playing a spirited game of trash can basketball with Drew. So much for her focus.
“And what exactly is going on here?” London asked as she walked over to the whiteboard to the right of the mounted television.
“Give us two minutes, Dr. K,” the fifteen-year-old cancer patient told her. Towing the IV standing behind him, he did a half-spin move and skirted around Drew’s left side on his way to dunking the balled-up wad of paper into the wastebasket, which had been hung up on a second, out-of-service IV stand.
London folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the wall, watching them go at each other.
She could tell Drew was taking it easy on his opponent when it came to the physical game, but he pulled no punches when it came to the trash-talking. As she watched them, she wondered where Drew stood when it came to kids. Did he have any interest in eventually starting a family, or did his job take up too much of his time?
Why are you even thinking about this?
Drew Sullivan’s procreation plans were of absolutely no concern to her.
“All right.” London clapped her hands. “That’s enough, LeBron and Steph.”
