Haircut

 

How much time should a specific service take? How much time should we allow? 

Quick oil change establishments brag that your vehicle's oil change requires only 10 or 15 minutes to complete. 

A grilled cheese sandwich should cook for 10-15 minutes in a skillet.

Heating a charcoal grill should take about 15 minutes and for well-done burgers, one should allow about 9 minutes.

Men's haircuts can take as little as 10 minutes with an average of 20 minutes, while women's haircuts can be 30-40 minutes without color or blow-dry.

Data collected through self-reported surveys show that primary care physicians tend to spend 13-16 minutes with each patient while specialists tend to spend slightly more time in each appointment.

What is is about our healthcare system that makes it commonplace and acceptable to spend more time getting a quick haircut than reviewing health or illness with a physician?

Our system is inappropriately named, healthcare. It is more aptly named, illness remediation complex.

Complex doubles as a place and description indicative of difficulty and also restricts authentic access for people who simply cannot navigate it all.

Simple telephone calls to providers go unreturned. Portal messages are inaccurate and impersonal.

If it isn't a quick question, an acquired injury, or broken bone, actual health care or even illness remediation requires some Q&A, some detective work, and reciprocal communication. 

Otherwise, the time that is spent by both parties is wasted and you don't even leave with a cute new hairdo to show your friends.