The Burden of America’s Uncoordinated Health Care System: How Specialty Medicine Adds Complexity

Susanne Gilliam, 67, slipped and fell on black ice while walking to retrieve her mail in January. The incident left her in severe pain, with her left knee and ankle bearing the brunt of the impact. Gilliam managed to make her way back to her house, but what followed was a frustrating and convoluted journey through America’s fragmented healthcare system.

Gilliam’s orthopedic surgeon, who had previously treated her knee issues, declined to address her ankle problem, leaving her to find an ankle specialist. This led to a series of challenges