Health policy and public health

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Articles, page 179

Physician payment reform is the key to fixing the health care system

June 1, 2009Jun 1, 200913

Changing the way doctors are paid is more important than the debate over the public insurance option, or the arguments over whether we should adopt a single-payer system or not. Atul Gawande's recent New Yorker article is a tour de…

Changing the way doctors are paid is more important than the debate over the public insurance option, or the arguments over whether we should adopt a single-payer system or not.

Atul Gawande’s recent New Yorker article is a tour de force, and gets down to the core of why American health care is so expensive. I won’t bother summarizing it here – it deserves to be read in its …

Physician voices

ACP: A practice model for increasing the appeal of General Internal Medicine

American College of Physicians

June 1, 2009Jun 1, 20099

The following is the first in a series of original guest columns by the American College of Physicians. by Steven Weinberger, MD, FACP Much is written and discussed these days about the importance of care coordination by a primary care…

The following is the first in a series of original guest columns by the American College of Physicians.

by Steven Weinberger, MD, FACP

Much is written and discussed these days about the importance of care coordination by a primary care physician, not only to facilitate patient-centered quality of care, but also to curb the unsustainable growth in the nation’s health care tab. Yet, we hear that the current shortage of …

Health policy

7 top medical comments, May 17th, 2009

Kevin

May 17, 2009May 17, 2009

Here are some of the more interesting comments readers have left recently.1. Anonymous on whether IV sedation is overused:I think it depends on the patient and on the procedure. For my colonoscopy, I did prefer the sedation. It wasn't something…

Here are some of the more interesting comments readers have left recently.

1. Anonymous on whether IV sedation is overused:
I think it depends on the patient and on the procedure. For my colonoscopy, I did prefer the sedation. It wasn’t something that I cared to remember.

But I’ve also had a core needle biopsy of an abdominal tumor. The tumor was right …

Read more…

7 top medical comments, May 17th, 2009

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Health policy

AMA: Curbing the rise in health care costs is key to health-system reform

American Medical Association & J. James Rohack, MD

May 14, 2009May 14, 2009

The following is the first in a series of original guest columns by the American Medical Association.by J. James Rohack, M.D.In an unprecedented endeavor aimed at achieving health-care reform this year, the American Medical Association (AMA) stood with President Obama…

The following is the first in a series of original guest columns by the American Medical Association.

by J. James Rohack, M.D.

In an unprecedented endeavor aimed at achieving health-care reform this year, the American Medical Association (AMA) stood with President Obama and other key health-care stakeholders Monday to announce efforts to “bend the spending curve” on health care. U.S. health-care …

Drugs and prescribing

6 top medical comments, May 3rd, 2009

Kevin

May 3, 2009May 3, 2009

Here are some of the more interesting comments readers have left recently.1. Carla Kakutani on the lack of primary care access in Massachusetts:So we have a chicken and egg problem. Do we wait health care reform until we have revived…

Here are some of the more interesting comments readers have left recently.

1. Carla Kakutani on the lack of primary care access in Massachusetts:
So we have a chicken and egg problem. Do we wait health care reform until we have revived US primary care, or is that even possible without health care reform to create the disruption needed to change our entrenched fee-for-service, procedure-happy payment …

Read more…

6 top medical comments, May 3rd, 2009

Physician voices

How the primary care doctor shortage threatens Obama’s health reform plan

Kevin Pho, MD

April 27, 2009Apr 27, 200920

Top story in The New York Times.Excellent.There's hope that maybe, just maybe, we're getting through to the decision makers in Washington.The article itself is old news to regular readers of this blog, and regurgitates many of the arguments impeding health…

Top story in The New York Times.

Excellent.

There’s hope that maybe, just maybe, we’re getting through to the decision makers in Washington.

The article itself is old news to regular readers of this blog, and regurgitates many of the arguments impeding health reform, as well as the problems in solving them.

“Obama administration officials, alarmed at doctor shortages, are looking for ways to increase …

5 top medical comments, April 12th 2009

Kevin

April 12, 2009Apr 12, 2009

Here are some of the more interesting comments readers have left recently.1. Dr. Gwenn on limited health literacy:For us to do a better job with patients and teach them to be better advocates for themselves, we need more time -…

Here are some of the more interesting comments readers have left recently.

1. Dr. Gwenn on limited health literacy:
For us to do a better job with patients and teach them to be better advocates for themselves, we need more time – plain and simple. At the same time, patients need more community supports to understand the complex health world and build the skills they need …

Read more…

5 top medical comments, April 12th 2009

Physician voices

Most hospitalists are good, but some, like these ones, aren’t

Kevin Pho, MD

April 1, 2009Apr 1, 200912

It's a well known phenomenon that hospitalists are taking over inpatient medicine.And no wonder, the payment system strongly discourages newly minted doctors to practice outpatient medicine, and the demand that hospitals have for inpatient physicians is surging at an unprecedented…

It’s a well known phenomenon that hospitalists are taking over inpatient medicine.

And no wonder, the payment system strongly discourages newly minted doctors to practice outpatient medicine, and the demand that hospitals have for inpatient physicians is surging at an unprecedented rate.

It’s a good time to be a hospitalist, but, as this reader writes to me, that may lead to an increasingly variability in the quality …

Health policy

Op-ed: Unbiased research for doctors is good medicine

Kevin Pho, MD

March 26, 2009Mar 26, 2009

The following op-ed was published on March 26th, 2009 in the USA Today. As a primary care doctor, I am frequently faced with decisions where the choice is not always clear. Do the latest, more expensive drugs work better than…

The following op-ed was published on March 26th, 2009 in the USA Today.

As a primary care doctor, I am frequently faced with decisions where the choice is not always clear. Do the latest, more expensive drugs work better than the less costly, older medications? Will ordering an MRI help me treat a patient’s lower back pain? Often, the answer to these questions is, “I’m not sure.”

Because …

Physician voices

Will reforming the malpractice system be a deal breaker for health reform?

Kevin Pho, MD

March 17, 2009Mar 17, 200924

In a surprise, President Obama has signaled a willingness to discuss medical liability as part of the health reform process.Good for him for standing up to the trial lawyers, a core constituency of the left.That's a good sign, as the…

In a surprise, President Obama has signaled a willingness to discuss medical liability as part of the health reform process.

Good for him for standing up to the trial lawyers, a core constituency of the left.

That’s a good sign, as the costs of defensive medicine brought on by the broken malpractice system, should be addressed if there is any hope of reducing health care spending. …

Health policy

Will patients or doctors be the biggest obstacle impeding health care reform?

Kevin Pho, MD

March 10, 2009Mar 10, 200911

If both patients and doctors don't accept the changes required of their behavior, no amount of comparative effectiveness studies will cut health care spending.Two prominent medical journalists write as much in their respective blogs.First, the NY Times' Tara Parker-Pope notes…

If both patients and doctors don’t accept the changes required of their behavior, no amount of comparative effectiveness studies will cut health care spending.

Two prominent medical journalists write as much in their respective blogs.

First, the NY Times’ Tara Parker-Pope notes that patients have to realize that, yes, they should demand the best care possible. However, that means, “we will have to accept that ‘best’ …

Health policy

Op-ed: More coverage requires more doctors

Kevin Pho, MD

February 25, 2009Feb 25, 20094

The following op-ed was published on February 25th, 2009 in The New York Times' Room for Debate blog. With the number of the uninsured having risen to 48 million Americans, clearly the need for reform is dire. But President Obama…

The following op-ed was published on February 25th, 2009 in The New York Times’ Room for Debate blog.

With the number of the uninsured having risen to 48 million Americans, clearly the need for reform is dire. But President Obama made no mention of who exactly will take care of these patients, even if they get insurance under a successful health reform initiative.

As a primary care physician in southern New …

Tom Daschle withdraws, and how that will impact health care reform

Kevin Pho, MD

February 4, 2009Feb 4, 20098

There's no shortage of informed opinions on the Tom Daschle debacle, and how this will affect the chances of successful health care reform.I don't pretend to be a political pundit, so instead, here is a collection of selected insights from…

There’s no shortage of informed opinions on the Tom Daschle debacle, and how this will affect the chances of successful health care reform.

I don’t pretend to be a political pundit, so instead, here is a collection of selected insights from news sites and health policy blogs that I regularly read.

First off, the NY Times says it will likely halt the momentum for health reform, and …

Health policy

Op-ed: Ease ER overload

Kevin Pho, MD

December 3, 2008Dec 3, 20082

The following op-ed was published on December 3rd, 2008 in the USA Today. Emblematic of soaring health care costs, which are projected to reach $3 trillion by 2011,is the nationwide crisis of emergency department overcrowding. More than $18 billion is…

The following op-ed was published on December 3rd, 2008 in the USA Today.

Emblematic of soaring health care costs, which are projected to reach $3 trillion by 2011,is the nationwide crisis of emergency department overcrowding. More than $18 billion is wasted annually on unnecessary visits to the ER,with volume rising by 32% and wait times almost doubling to one hour during the past decade. Relieving this strain …

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Op-ed: Ease ER overload

Health policy

The cost of chronic disease is the real health care crisis

Val Jones, MD

October 6, 2008Oct 6, 20082

A guest post by Val Jones, MD.On the eve of our second presidential debate, I had the chance to interview Dr. Ken Thorpe, Executive Director of the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD), about America's healthcare crisis. Here's what he…

A guest post by Val Jones, MD.

On the eve of our second presidential debate, I had the chance to interview Dr. Ken Thorpe, Executive Director of the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD), about America’s healthcare crisis. Here’s what he had to say:

1. I was part of a press conference call with you and former Secretary of HHS, Tommy Thompson …

Health technology

Op-ed: Why doctors still balk at electronic medical records

Kevin Pho, MD

October 1, 2008Oct 1, 20084

The following op-ed was published on October 1st, 2008 in the USA Today. Despite the fact that we can complete our taxes and perform complex financial transactions digitally over the Internet, medical records have faced an impasse preventing a transition…

The following op-ed was published on October 1st, 2008 in the USA Today.

Despite the fact that we can complete our taxes and perform complex financial transactions digitally over the Internet, medical records have faced an impasse preventing a transition to the digital age. Patient charts are still paper-based in most doctors’ offices across the country.

President Bush’s goal was for every American to have an electronic medical …

Physician voices

Op-ed: What we have in health care today is a failure to communicate

Kevin Pho, MD

June 23, 2008Jun 23, 20087

The following op-ed was published on May 4th, 2008 in the Nashua Telegraph. Communication in medicine grows worse by the day. What should be a pillar of quality health care is instead a resounding failure. Patients are rushed through office…

The following op-ed was published on May 4th, 2008 in the Nashua Telegraph.

Communication in medicine grows worse by the day. What should be a pillar of quality health care is instead a resounding failure.

Patients are rushed through office visits and often leave without having their questions answered. Labyrinthine barriers have to be overcome before speaking with a physician. Reaching a medical provider via the …

Health policy

Op-ed: Shortage of primary care threatens health care system

Kevin Pho, MD

June 20, 2008Jun 20, 200815

The following op-ed was published on March 13th, 2008 in the USA Today. Crippling health care bills, long emergency room waits and the inability to find a primary care physician just scratch the surface of the problems that patients face…

The following op-ed was published on March 13th, 2008 in the USA Today.

Crippling health care bills, long emergency room waits and the inability to find a primary care physician just scratch the surface of the problems that patients face daily.

Surveys suggest that health care is a top domestic priority in the presidential election, and there is no lack of ideas on how to fix our system. …

Health policy and public health

Articles, page 179

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