October 9, 2025 • 7 mins
Dr. Arthur Caplan speaks with Mendte in the Morning about the feeling among many Americans that doctors offices are outdated and not worth it to visit.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now let's get to doctor Arthur Caplan. Don't have to
wait for him, professor of bioethics at New York University
Land Gone Medical Center. He's with us every Thursday at
this time, doctor Kaplan. Are you a Yankees fan?
Speaker 2 (00:13):
No?
Speaker 1 (00:14):
I say this every I know I know.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Let me quote Big Poppy this morning, the Yankees lose.
The Yankees lose.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
I wish I didn't bring it up. You really made
me regret bringing it up. As how was your wife man?
Speaker 3 (00:35):
I felt for her.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
I don't know. She doesn't talk to me in a
couple of.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Was that Does that have to do with the Yankees
or is this something you can't talk about it? It?
Is it unrelated?
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Get a Yankee fans, big, big, big, Also Giants fans,
which is coming up tonight. So uh, it's it's almost
like I picked teams to root against New York. But
I'm an Eagles fan too. From the time Larry you
and I were down in Philly, well.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
You are front runner. It sounds like aren't you you got.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
No no no I when they were horrible, They're terrible.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Let's talk about something else that is horrible and terrible.
And I love that you're talking about this topic today
because it and I didn't even think about it until
I read what you had. But doctors' offices are incredibly outdated.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Well, there's a story that ran that said, basically, people
under forty can't believe what they go to when they
go in for a doctor's visit, just in terms of
the look, you know, sort of nineteen seventies cocky table.
There's nothing that's electronic in there that they can watch.
(01:55):
They look at their own cell phones, but you know,
they don't get health information set up on their phones
that they should be looking at while they're there getting ready.
You know, you can do some billing thing and talk
to an administrative person for what thirty minutes while you
go through insurance. That should all be done. They are
(02:16):
absolutely antiquated. Plus a fair number of these younger people
are starting to say, why am I going in here?
I mean, if all they're gonna do is check my
blood pressure or help me with my diet or diabetes,
can't they do that on zoom or you know, on
the internet.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
You can do it at the mall. Thing's gonna check
your blood pressure?
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Now?
Speaker 1 (02:36):
I mean, everything has been updated, but the doctor's office
and What gets you more upset is when you go
to the back. Everything's modern, it's all nice, it's all
amazing where the doctors are, but where you are when
you come in, it's it's antiquated, it's old.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
I don't know if I totally agree. I enjoy looking
at a nineteen eighty six Meaders digest.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
They have piles of magazines. You can't buy a magazine.
They don't make magazines anymore.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
They have them all. I keep saying, whenever I get
a chance to my doctor friends, could you like put
some things like tablets with medical information or questions you
might have about things, or even just plain, you know,
interesting stuff to look Magazines with magazines. What is this like? Uh, Bulgaria?
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Yeah, what it could be? Think about what it could be. Well,
you could walk in and just check in by hitting
a computer button, by hitting something in the front. You
don't have to sit there and wait for the receptionist
to get off the phone or you have to. You
don't have to look around seeing why nobody's sitting there.
You could check in yourself or.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
And by the way, one other thing. A lot of
these places the air conducting air transmitting air around airflow
in the office is from nineteen fifty four. We know
that there are people coming in there with colds, with
the flu, with whatever. Could we like upgrade even like
the air handling in our offices so we don't make
(04:20):
each other sick when we go to the doctor.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
So who's to blame for this? It can't be the
doctors themselves, right, somebody else doesn't want to spend the
money on this, and they make an obscene amount of money.
Who is it?
Speaker 2 (04:34):
It's private equity sometimes those investors who buy up outpatient
surgery Dirham Clinics lasiks, and they don't want to spend
money on anything except, you know, maximizing profit. The landlords
don't want to hear about it. You know, they're sort
of maximizing profit. I think the doctors would love to
(04:57):
update and modernize and at least stagger into this century.
That would be nice. So the economic forces don't favor it,
and there's no real reward. You might get it on
customer satisfaction, but you're not going to get it in
terms of reimbursement. So begs you change. We should start
to give a little financial reward if you upgrade your office.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Oh, that would be great, and you know what, can
they please get rid of the clipboard with the pen
on the string?
Speaker 2 (05:27):
Thank you, you're right, you're right, and check the boxes.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
And take that out.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Good. That reminds me, I haven't seen that since I think,
you know, like the fourth grade, use a number two
pencil while you're here.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
Oh no, I had that hand the doctors. I had
that same thing handed to me. So they think I'm
going to steal the pen. And by the way, if
I steal the pen, what does it matter? Who cares
if I take the pen? You have another pen there.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
By the way, you could probably steal the pen. Who
uses pen? They're all piping.
Speaker 4 (06:01):
I know.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
It's I always think to myself, I'm filling out this
form right, checking the boxes, doing the little circles. It's like,
who's looking at this? I mean this should.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Well I don't. I'm sorry. I'm sorry to take all
our time fetching about this. But you fill out the thing.
The nurse hands it to the doctor. The doctor puts
it on the table and it.
Speaker 4 (06:23):
Says, so tell me about your that's exactly right, And
why does it what is going on in the back
that they can't see me at the time?
Speaker 1 (06:33):
That I show up.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Well, I mean occasionally they fall behind because somebody takes
more time. But no, no, I'm sorry. Occasionally that's the reason.
Other times you're late, they're late, who knows, who knows?
I mean, I give some slack. There are you know,
interviews and sessions where something happens and they gotta spend
(06:57):
a little more time. By the way, would it hurt
to just come out and explain that.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
It yes, very good?
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Yeah, absolutely, because honestly, I can get through a you know,
a Starbucks drive through and they're giving away free frappuccinos
faster than I can get through my doctor's office for
an exam, rightep.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Absolutely, because they know. By the way, as long as
we're complaining about it, it isn't just inconvenience to you.
It's wasted resources.
Speaker 4 (07:22):
You know, you're not at.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Work, you're losing time with the babysitter you had to hire,
and all of a sudden, they're you know, costing you more.
I mean, there's there's more serious consequences just than just
sitting there saying, oh, Life magazine, I didn't.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
Realize that I'm enjoying this then fast. I really loved
complaining about this today. We'll do it again next week.
Doctor Arthur Kaplan, professor of Bioethics at New York University,
lend Going Medical Center with us every Thursday at nine
oh five
Now let's get to doctor Arthur Caplan. Don't have to
wait for him, professor of bioethics at New York University
Land Gone Medical Center. He's with us every Thursday at
this time, doctor Kaplan. Are you a Yankees fan?
Speaker 2 (00:13):
No?
Speaker 1 (00:14):
I say this every I know I know.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Let me quote Big Poppy this morning, the Yankees lose.
The Yankees lose.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
I wish I didn't bring it up. You really made
me regret bringing it up. As how was your wife man?
Speaker 3 (00:35):
I felt for her.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
I don't know. She doesn't talk to me in a
couple of.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Was that Does that have to do with the Yankees
or is this something you can't talk about it? It?
Is it unrelated?
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Get a Yankee fans, big, big, big, Also Giants fans,
which is coming up tonight. So uh, it's it's almost
like I picked teams to root against New York. But
I'm an Eagles fan too. From the time Larry you
and I were down in Philly, well.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
You are front runner. It sounds like aren't you you got.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
No no no I when they were horrible, They're terrible.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Let's talk about something else that is horrible and terrible.
And I love that you're talking about this topic today
because it and I didn't even think about it until
I read what you had. But doctors' offices are incredibly outdated.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Well, there's a story that ran that said, basically, people
under forty can't believe what they go to when they
go in for a doctor's visit, just in terms of
the look, you know, sort of nineteen seventies cocky table.
There's nothing that's electronic in there that they can watch.
(01:55):
They look at their own cell phones, but you know,
they don't get health information set up on their phones
that they should be looking at while they're there getting ready.
You know, you can do some billing thing and talk
to an administrative person for what thirty minutes while you
go through insurance. That should all be done. They are
(02:16):
absolutely antiquated. Plus a fair number of these younger people
are starting to say, why am I going in here?
I mean, if all they're gonna do is check my
blood pressure or help me with my diet or diabetes,
can't they do that on zoom or you know, on
the internet.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
You can do it at the mall. Thing's gonna check
your blood pressure?
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Now?
Speaker 1 (02:36):
I mean, everything has been updated, but the doctor's office
and What gets you more upset is when you go
to the back. Everything's modern, it's all nice, it's all
amazing where the doctors are, but where you are when
you come in, it's it's antiquated, it's old.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
I don't know if I totally agree. I enjoy looking
at a nineteen eighty six Meaders digest.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
They have piles of magazines. You can't buy a magazine.
They don't make magazines anymore.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
They have them all. I keep saying, whenever I get
a chance to my doctor friends, could you like put
some things like tablets with medical information or questions you
might have about things, or even just plain, you know,
interesting stuff to look Magazines with magazines. What is this like? Uh, Bulgaria?
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Yeah, what it could be? Think about what it could be. Well,
you could walk in and just check in by hitting
a computer button, by hitting something in the front. You
don't have to sit there and wait for the receptionist
to get off the phone or you have to. You
don't have to look around seeing why nobody's sitting there.
You could check in yourself or.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
And by the way, one other thing. A lot of
these places the air conducting air transmitting air around airflow
in the office is from nineteen fifty four. We know
that there are people coming in there with colds, with
the flu, with whatever. Could we like upgrade even like
the air handling in our offices so we don't make
(04:20):
each other sick when we go to the doctor.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
So who's to blame for this? It can't be the
doctors themselves, right, somebody else doesn't want to spend the
money on this, and they make an obscene amount of money.
Who is it?
Speaker 2 (04:34):
It's private equity sometimes those investors who buy up outpatient
surgery Dirham Clinics lasiks, and they don't want to spend
money on anything except, you know, maximizing profit. The landlords
don't want to hear about it. You know, they're sort
of maximizing profit. I think the doctors would love to
(04:57):
update and modernize and at least stagger into this century.
That would be nice. So the economic forces don't favor it,
and there's no real reward. You might get it on
customer satisfaction, but you're not going to get it in
terms of reimbursement. So begs you change. We should start
to give a little financial reward if you upgrade your office.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Oh, that would be great, and you know what, can
they please get rid of the clipboard with the pen
on the string?
Speaker 2 (05:27):
Thank you, you're right, you're right, and check the boxes.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
And take that out.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Good. That reminds me, I haven't seen that since I think,
you know, like the fourth grade, use a number two
pencil while you're here.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
Oh no, I had that hand the doctors. I had
that same thing handed to me. So they think I'm
going to steal the pen. And by the way, if
I steal the pen, what does it matter? Who cares
if I take the pen? You have another pen there.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
By the way, you could probably steal the pen. Who
uses pen? They're all piping.
Speaker 4 (06:01):
I know.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
It's I always think to myself, I'm filling out this
form right, checking the boxes, doing the little circles. It's like,
who's looking at this? I mean this should.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Well I don't. I'm sorry. I'm sorry to take all
our time fetching about this. But you fill out the thing.
The nurse hands it to the doctor. The doctor puts
it on the table and it.
Speaker 4 (06:23):
Says, so tell me about your that's exactly right, And
why does it what is going on in the back
that they can't see me at the time?
Speaker 1 (06:33):
That I show up.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Well, I mean occasionally they fall behind because somebody takes
more time. But no, no, I'm sorry. Occasionally that's the reason.
Other times you're late, they're late, who knows, who knows?
I mean, I give some slack. There are you know,
interviews and sessions where something happens and they gotta spend
(06:57):
a little more time. By the way, would it hurt
to just come out and explain that.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
It yes, very good?
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Yeah, absolutely, because honestly, I can get through a you know,
a Starbucks drive through and they're giving away free frappuccinos
faster than I can get through my doctor's office for
an exam, rightep.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Absolutely, because they know. By the way, as long as
we're complaining about it, it isn't just inconvenience to you.
It's wasted resources.
Speaker 4 (07:22):
You know, you're not at.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Work, you're losing time with the babysitter you had to hire,
and all of a sudden, they're you know, costing you more.
I mean, there's there's more serious consequences just than just
sitting there saying, oh, Life magazine, I didn't.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
Realize that I'm enjoying this then fast. I really loved
complaining about this today. We'll do it again next week.
Doctor Arthur Kaplan, professor of Bioethics at New York University,
lend Going Medical Center with us every Thursday at nine
oh five
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