For those who don't know, every piece of work that a doctor performs is quantified and measured.The base unit of physician work is known as the relative value unit (RVU). Most physician salaries are determined by the amount of RVUs…
For those who don’t know, every piece of work that a doctor performs is quantified and measured.
The base unit of physician work is known as the relative value unit (RVU). Most physician salaries are determined by the amount of RVUs a doctor produces in a given year, and in most cases, can range between$35 and $45 per RVU in primary care, depending on geographic location and …
The following op-ed was published on February 26, 2009 in the USA Today. Have you ever noticed the pens, coffee mugs and prescription pads at your doctor's office? Chances are, they were prominently adorned with the brand name of the…
The following op-ed was published on February 26, 2009 in the USA Today.
Have you ever noticed the pens, coffee mugs and prescription pads at your doctor’s office? Chances are, they were prominently adorned with the brand name of the prescription drug its company is touting.
The pharmaceutical industry has been giving these types of small gifts to doctors for years, in hopes of raising physician awareness of …
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.
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
The following op-ed was published on April 23rd, 2008 in the USA Today. A recent analysis by PricewaterhouseCoopers concluded that more than half the dollars in our $2.2 trillion health care system are wasted. Medical errors, inefficient use of information…
The following op-ed was published on April 23rd, 2008 in the USA Today.
A recent analysis by PricewaterhouseCoopers concluded that more than half the dollars in our $2.2 trillion health care system are wasted.
Medical errors, inefficient use of information technology and poorly managed chronic diseases were all cited as factors. Dwarfing these reasons is a phenomenon in which doctors order tests to avoid the threat of a …
A reader writes:I agree with you completely on the importance of having a physician functioning as the coordinator of care for a patient (I have always assumed that a primary care physician would do that) my experience has been that…
A reader writes:
I agree with you completely on the importance of having a physician functioning as the coordinator of care for a patient (I have always assumed that a primary care physician would do that) my experience has been that they resist that role. I have become my own and my wife’s primary care person because of that.
The following op-ed was published on August 22nd, 2008 in the USA Today. "Why should I care if doctors get a pay cut?" my patient recently asked me. Therein lies the delicate dilemma physicians face today. While the common perception…
The following op-ed was published on August 22nd, 2008 in the USA Today.
“Why should I care if doctors get a pay cut?” my patient recently asked me.
Therein lies the delicate dilemma physicians face today. While the common perception is that the medical profession is well-compensated, there are serious implications in targeting physician pay to control medical spending.
Congress recently passed a bill protecting doctors from a 10.6% …
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 …
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. …
The following is a reader take by Dr. Rob.I don't remember why he came to see me on that day. He was anxious on most of his office visits, so I had to spend most of my time dealing with…
The following is a reader take by Dr. Rob.
I don’t remember why he came to see me on that day. He was anxious on most of his office visits, so I had to spend most of my time dealing with his surplus of symptoms. As I walked in to see him on this day, he started rapidly hitting two fingers of against the top …
The following op-ed was published on August 6th, 2007 in the New Hampshire Union Leader. Medicare is planning to cut physician payment rates by 10 percent in 2008. These reductions will continue annually, and it is predicted that the total…
The following op-ed was published on August 6th, 2007 in the New Hampshire Union Leader.
Medicare is planning to cut physician payment rates by 10 percent in 2008. These reductions will continue annually, and it is predicted that the total cuts will be about 40 percent by 2016.
The topic of physician compensation generally elicits little public sympathy. After all, the average primary care physician salary in 2006 …
I'm happy that this study is getting some play in the media. Essentially, many of the "routine" tests done on a physical are not recommended (the whole concept of a "routine physical" is controversial - but that's for another discussion).…
I’m happy that this study is getting some play in the media. Essentially, many of the “routine” tests done on a physical are not recommended (the whole concept of a “routine physical” is controversial – but that’s for another discussion). Merenstein concludes:
# 37 percent of checkups included a urinalysis.
# 9 percent of checkups included an electrocardiogram.
I have written before that the physical exam is useless in American medicine:This is why the physical exam is useless in American medicine - it cannot hold up in court. Clinical evaluation and judgment skills now needs to be supported…
This is why the physical exam is useless in American medicine – it cannot hold up in court. Clinical evaluation and judgment skills now needs to be supported with objective, and often expensive, tests. Here we have a case of three separate physicians who, in their clinical opinion, did not feel a CT scan was warranted.
