The doctor's office just told me that they were not allowed to call in

[Aristus]

224. Wow. Now you have me killing people, huh?

If the State of Washington finds out, they may not renew my license to practice clinical medicine.

I don't know anything about this relative of yours other than that he died.

Think before you post.

If a patient walks into any medical facility with a fever and a cough, he's going to get more than Tylenol. Certainly from me, he will. I'll auscultate his lungs very carefully. If there are no adventitious sounds, I'll defer antibiotic treatment. If there are rales or crackling, I'll prescribe an appropriate prophy antibiotic. If his O2 saturation is less than 95%, he'll get a nebulizer treatment. If he doesn't have diabetes, I'll prescribe him a prednisone taper for lung inflammation, an albuterol inhaler for maintenance, an appropriate cough suppressant, and refer him for a chest x-ray. I'll schedule a follow-up appointment, and advise him of precautions if his symptoms get worse. "If respiratory distress develops, have someone take you to the emergency room right away."

There. You see? A proper workup. That's how it's done in the big city. Or the small town. Or in rural medicine.

That's how it's done.

I'd feel bad if your relative died just so you could make a poorly informed point...