Last week I read an article in my local newspaper about an eye doctor who runs a one-man office. 
Not only does he do all the eye examinations, but he makes appointments, does the billing, maintains files, and cleans the place. That could work out well. If something goes wrong, you know who to blame. Then again, it could work out badly. If something goes wrong, you have only yourself to blame.
This eye doctor is a rare breed in an age when most medical professionals have a large, very specialized staff. The last time I took one of the kids to the eye doctor, we saw a receptionist, two different assistants who performed different tests, the doctor, another assistant to escort us to a waiting room, yet another assistant to bring us back to the examining room, the doctor, an Sticker-Giver-Outer when the appointment was done, and someone in the billing office.
This is a far cry from the dentist we used to see when we were kids. Dr. Green did everything himself. His office was in the basement of his home, so he didn't even have to commute to work. When you got to the office, a bell would ring in the examining room, and when he had a free minute, he'd peek out the door to see who was in the waiting room. He'd call you when he was ready, take care of your dental work from X-rays to fillings to cleaning, bring out the box of animal erasers and "gem or skull" rings for children to choose a prize after a particularly painful session, and arrange the bill. Frankly, I kind of miss that setup. Especially those cool fake-gem rings that usually were lost by the time we got home.
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