Last Thursday, my son fell off his bike and hurt his left arm so I spent the afternoon at the hospital.  My past experiences with doctors and hospitals is 90% frustration and it was no different this time.  I think the medical practice can be overhauled to let trained professionals other than doctors handle mundane medical treatments which should result in:

• more affordable health care
• reduce health insurance costs
• higher quality of service
• less waiting
• less forms
• create more jobs
• improve local economy

The main idea is to encourage specialization and leverage technology to allow clusters of medical service 'stores' to spring up.  You can go to an X-ray shop to get an X-ray without making appointments as if it was a photo shop.  Next door is the X-ray diagnose service which uses remote pool of specialist doctors to assist in difficult cases.  To get a splinter or a cast, go to the bone shop where someone who is truely skilled in splinters and casts will provide you with better service than average nurses and doctors.  Nearby is a store specializing in medical supplies.  Another store could sell books and videos that help people treat minor injuries themselves.

As to the issue of liability, stores are individually owned so they can be closed down for malpractice without threatening rest of the 'medical mall'.

Maybe I am dreaming, but I think this is possible.  If not, some of ther solution must be found because I just don't see the medical system changing for the better in the future without a drastic change like the one I am proposing.