Let me start by saying that this post is not meant to attack the chronic conditions of compliant patients who require frequent hospitalizations. As physicians, we’re obligated to “do no harm” and provide the best care for our patients. Yet despite our most sincere attempts to educate our patients about disease prevention, some…
Pundits cite the cost of healthcare as one of the leading issues facing our country. Every year, an increasingly larger fraction of our GDP goes towards labs, images, and medications which are, often times, ordered for no meaningful purpose. Some will argue that physicians over-order tests for the sake of…
Benjamin Franklin is credited with once saying “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.” Such is the state of modern healthcare. We all want costs to go down, but how have we actually changed our approach to managing patients? Medical…
If you’ve not seen this letter by Dr. Roger Jones circulating over the Internet, here’s your chance to read one of the most poignant and accurate depictions of our health care system’s real problem – the culture crisis.
I’ve discussed this topic with several classmates but am surprised that I’ve never written about it – as a physician, would you treat a loved one?
Estimates say that with Obamacare now in place, the United States will have a shortage of roughly 35,000 primary care physicians over the next decade. Currently, only 30-35% of all physicians are in primary care. Why? Like with most things in this country, you’ve gotta follow the money.
One of the main points emphasized in the management electives I’ve taken is the concept of healthcare costs vs. GDP/inflation. It doesn’t matter how much we try to lower the cost of healthcare – if the rate of healthcare expenditure increases faster than the GDP, it won’t be long before…
Very few people will argue against the notion that our healthcare system is in shambles; however, even fewer people have a legitimate plan for resolving the problem. Yesterday afternoon, two Baylor Med MD/MBA students presented for the last health policy elective session. They provided their insight as to how focusing…
We’re all aware of the emphasis on healthcare spreading through Capitol Hill. This morning, I read an interesting article by Steven Pearlstein, a business columnist with the Washington Post, dealing with what he feels is a major source of the problem – doctors. He writes that: If we really want…
