Nothing exemplifies more the complete lack of understanding of the issues surrounding our healthcare system than an article that appeared in the New York Times recently.
Author Jane Brody’s piece attempts to address issues with the astronomical costs and misuses of emergency department (ED) visits in the US today. While I agree that ED visits for routine issues are a waste of resources and money, her suggestion that physicians should …
During my sophomore year of college as a pre-med, I volunteered at the front desk of a free clinic, where it was typical to see patients waiting sometimes for more than two hours. At first I figured it was just because some patients took longer to examine than others. It wasn’t until I got certified as a nurse’s aide and started working in the medical department at the same clinic …
It’s not exactly Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but everybody knows my level of patience varies from time to time. So I was surprised to find myself happily telling the emergency room that I would assess the patient shortly. The kids were horsing around on the playground, and I knew I would have to call my wife and ask her to come home. It would be my second 45 minute trip to the hospital on …
There continues to be a push for more docs to answer patients’ emails. And not get paid for it. The only way this will work is in a direct pay model where doctors are paid on a monthly basis and no insurance company is involved. American Medical Newsdiscussed how more patients not only want to email their doctors but want a quick response as well.
It is easy to assume that the real problem with our healthcare system is “not enough” – not enough physicians, not enough MRIs, not enough money.
But a growing number of studies show that more healthcare is not always better and the more expensive drug or treatment option is not necessarily the right choice. In fact, sometimes more care – specifically care that you don’t need – can be harmful for …
Doctors, psychologists, ethicists and others, along with our society at large, debate whether “the ends justify the means.” But nobody debates whether “the means justify the ends.” There is no point even looking for an answer to a question that is patently silly. For now, just hold that thought, please.
Medical ethics can be very challenging. There are the difficulties of interpreting “do everything” in desperate situations where heroic …
It has been a couple of weeks since the landmark Oregon experiment paper came out, and the buzz around it has subsided. So what now? First, with passage of time, I think it is worth reflecting on what worked in Oregon. Second, we should take a step back, and recognize that what Oregon really exposed is that health insurance is a small part of a much bigger story about …
What user personas do healthcare technology designers and entrepreneurs have in mind as they create their products? And how often is it the family caregiver of an elderly person?
This is the question I found myself mulling over as I wandered around the Health Refactored conference recently, surrounded by developers, designers, and entrepreneurs.
The issue particularly popped into my head when I decided to try Microsoft HealthVault after listening to …
Getting rid of Medicare’s SGR formula has been organized medicine’s Holy Grail. But medicine has gotten no closer to finding a solution to the SGR than the medieval knights did in their search. This year could be different, though. The House and Senate both are working on bipartisan plans to repeal the SGR and reform Medicare payments, plans that are being developed with the input of physicians.
The summer before starting medical school I had the fortune of traveling to both Southeast Asia and Central America on humanitarian medical relief mission trips. I was initially exhilarated by the idea that I soon too will acquire the skills honed by the doctors, nurses, and other health care providers I was working with. The idea of mastering the science of healing had inspired me for so long, yet the …
For all intents and purposes, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the president’s signature piece of legislation, will provide more health care coverage to poor and underserved populations. Persistently disadvantaged communities have much further to go than those with insurance, and new means of accessing and paying for care will benefit them disproportionately. Nevertheless, with more than 20 percent of the nation’s black population uninsured, more than 30 percent of Hispanics …
Sexual health, though fundamentally important to every human being, is rarely discussed between patients and their healthcare providers. It’s an important conversation and one that requires doctors and patients to venture into less-than-comfortable territory.
Who exactly should treat sexual health issues? Many assume that this should be the territory of a gynecologist for women or a urologist for men.
But because we see our patients more frequently than any other doctors, general …
This, apparently, is a map of my mind. It’s a little shocking to find out that my mind looks like a sea creature, a bug, or perhaps a vegetable. Actually, “Rob’s mind” and “vegetable” are often used in the same sentence.
Someone suggested to me that I may benefit from mind mapping. I don’t know how to describe it, but I think spatially; …
Over the past several years, I have had the honor of representing the American College of Physicians at scientific conferences and professional society meetings. In addition to hearing about the latest advances in internal medicine at these events, I learn what is on the minds of physicians in …
Do you find yourself spending too much time on things that have nothing to do with seeing patients, and then getting home later than you would like?
Do you notice that for every 15 minutes you spend with a patient you spend way more than that messing around in the EMR and being distracted by things like prescription refills, test results and a hundred other forms of two bit clerical work …
Maligned over the last decade as places to avoid because of the price of the care they delivered, a study by the RAND Corporation goes a long way toward improving the image of hospital emergency rooms (ERs). The ER price tag was too high for the insurance companies that paid the bills, so many of them tried to discourage ER use by designing policies with high coinsurance and copayments …
Today I am going to write about how the US could save up to 10% on its healthcare bill.
The US spends more on health care than any other nation, $8,500 per person per year. Multiply that by 300 million people and try to grasp the vast sum of $2,5 trillion.
A lot of changes are taking place with the intent to save healthcare dollars. So far, many of those changes have …
As a 24-hour-a-day, seven days a week, on-call nurse practitioner serving elderly and frail patients, my work day is anything but typical. I start my day not at a hospital or clinic, but at my dining room table. There, I document patient visits from the day before, write up my notes and place an average of 10 or more calls—ranging from setting up appointments to calling my patient’s family members …
Have you ever been to a Genius Bar at an Apple store?
The last time I was there — checking out a pesky problem on my iPhone — I couldn’t help but wonder: why can’t we have something like that to deal with our common health issues?
Genius Bars are located in Apple Stores in easy-to-access shopping areas, like malls. The Genius Bars are …
As someone who has been a parent for 22 years, I know firsthand just how hard driving kids around can be. When they are little they cry, as they get older they ask a million questions and fight with their siblings, and when they get older there’s the whole issue of the radio, not to mention the chaos of friends in the car. But a study recently released suggests that when …
