"I shoulda brought a book."

I have a test I put doctors through. Of course they don't know it. And, even if they did they probably wouldn't care. But I think my test is a very good yardstick to measure how much a doctor really cares about his or her patients. It's a simple test. All it involves is the number and variety of magazines. Many doctors who are cold and greedy usually have very few magazines in their waiting rooms. The ones they do have are usually golf magazines, because that's what they subscribe to, or Today's Health, which they probably get free. If you're one of their patients, you'll have to bide your time reading pamphlets on cancer, adults onset diabetes, or—if it's a dentist—gum disease. I have a great doctor. He rarely keeps you waiting, and—true to form—he has piles of Time, GQ, Vogue, Readers Digest, The Smithsonian and lots of other popular reads. Trust me, if your doctor has lots of magazines for you to read, he cares about you. If he doesn't, he cares about money. On one of my recent visits to a new specialist, I could choose from about four magazines: a year-old Golf Digest and three medical journals. The decorations on his walls were advertising posters. Seeing this, I wasn't surprised at how long I had to wait. With nothing to read, of course.