Comparing Clinical Realities

Ben and Laura discuss health expenditure and clinical workflows over dinner at a seafood restaurant in Boston.

Comparing Clinical Realities

Listen and choose the right answer

What does Laura say about the speed of the UK's national health service compared to Boston?

• It is significantly faster and more efficient.
• It is a far cry from the prompt service available in Boston.
• It matches US turnaround times perfectly.

What specific feature of the US system does Ben find frustrating?

• The excessive administrative costs generated by the insurance-based system
• The lack of advanced MRI scanners in hospitals
• The strict primary care gatekeeping rules

What aspect of the British system does Ben admit he would actually like to have?

• The mandatory patient co-payments
• The zero-paperwork GP referral system
• The extensive waiting lists

How do both doctors conclude their discussion about their respective health systems?

• They agree that both systems are flawless.
• They realize they both secretly covet elements of the system they criticize.
• They decide to quit clinical practice and move into hospital administration.

Listen again and complete the sentences

• Ben: Look at our ____ figures for this quarter, Laura; it's staggering how much we spend.
• Laura: Well, the US dedicates nearly twice the ____ to health care compared to the UK.
• Ben: That's true, but our ____ generates administrative costs that drive me completely mad.
• Laura: At least you don't have to cope with a ____ that stretches into next year.
• Ben: Is the ____ really nowhere near as fast as patients claim in London?

Sources: photo by Gustavo Fring on Pexels