An inaccurate diagnosis can quickly decimate prosperity. We get advice from professionals and assume they couldn't be wrong. We despair and think we need to drain savings or max out a credit card.
We forget to get multiple opinions so we can keep our money.
Instead we pay $25,000 for a car that turns out be a lemon because we don't ask a mechanic to check it out. We think we have diabetes because one physician diagnosed us. We think a vacation costs $5,000 because one travel site or one travel magazine or one "expert" friend told us so.
A few years ago I became aware of a physician who misdiagnosed hundreds of patients over many years. He diabolically advised healthy patients to seek heart surgery. With few exceptions, his patients accepted his faulty diagnoses and scheduled unnecessary surgery costing thousands and thousands of dollars. The hospital and doctor hauled in cash for years while patients experienced life-altering, needless surgery.
Perhaps we think it is too time consuming to get multiple opinions. Perhaps we don't want to question authority. But we would save thousands of dollars by taking time to humbly ask for a few additional diagnoses.
Questioning the diagnosis means:
- Frequently asking questions of professionals
- Asking multiple professionals
- Questioning their diagnosis
- Seeking multiple solutions to the final diagnosis (Hint: draining savings or maxing out a credit card are rarely good solutions)
(Photo courtesy renjith krishnan)
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