According to the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), inpatient hospital costs account for nearly 30% of healthcare spending in the United States and are increasing by about 2% per year over inflation. This cost issue is a focus of the Affordable Care Act, which is accelerating the move away from fee-for-service to a single, diagnosis-related comprehensive payment, similar to Medicare reimbursement. Such payment systems punish unnecessary testing, prolonged hospitalization, and readmissions.
On April 8, 1966, Time Magazine caused a national commotion when the issue’s cover was emblazoned with the question, “Is God Dead?” The Time article was a measured consideration of how society was adapting to the diminishing role of religion in an age of stunning scientific advances. The writer posited that people would no longer believe things out of received doctrine, but faith would steadily succumb to the scientific method as mankind unraveled the truths of the physical world at the expense of the myths of the metaphysical.
I strongly suggest that a pledge to read a synopsis of the philosophy of the 13th century Franciscan William of Ockham on a weekly basis be inserted in the oath of office taken by every government employee. Clearly highlighted should be his nominalist doctrine, Ockham’s razor, which avows that the best solution to a problem is usually the simplest. Pare to a minimum the number of confounding variables.
Supplement Makers: The Teflon Industry - All-Natural Health Evades FDA Regulations, Invades Consumers’ Wallets
In the weekend review from ACEP, two articles caught my attention. The first one was on new guidelines from the American Society of Addictive Medicine on the use of prescription medication to treat opioid addiction. These guidelines were created soon after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) declared opioid use and resultant death as an epidemic. The second article refers to a study showing that pain is underdiagnosed and undertreated in the ED. This is the challenging dichotomy we live and work in.
About 25 years ago, my sister called to discuss her health issue with me. Her mammogram had shown an abnormality that was biopsied and diagnosed as ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and her surgical oncologist recommended a bilateral subcutaneous mastectomy with subsequent staged breast reconstruction.
The fast-growing arena of personalized genetic medicine provides an intoxicating brew of hype and hope. The technology will purportedly provide revolutionary benefits in medical care.
Recently I read in a New York Times magazine article that the 130th richest man in the United States wants to match his age with his Forbes magazine wealth ranking. His riches have not bought him a unique, scientifically-formulated elixir for immortality; nor is he a wacky proponent of perpetual hyperbaric oxygen chambers or cryogenics.
Concomitant with the metamorphosis of the practice of medicine into the business of healthcare delivery, patients have been transformed into customers. Healthcare providers compete not only on the basis of outcomes, best practices, centers of excellence, advanced technology and cost, but also on customer service
Now that physicians are learning to work with the new provisions of the Accountable Care Act, many are taking the time to look at some of the issues that have arisen, specifically regarding cyber insurance and risk management.
Shakespeare’s Hamlet proclaimed, “What a piece of work is a man,” but now, almost half a millennium later, this could be amended to what a set of sequences is man. The nobility, reason, infinite faculty and admirable form can be attributed to the 20,000 or so genes that contain the chemical
code for specific protein formation
The Michigan Physicians Society is offering physicians a free networking and real estate seminar, 6 pm to 7:30 pm, Thursday, November 12, 2015 at Fleming's Steakhouse, Birmingham, MI. The event will offer physicians an opportunity to learn about buying, selling, building and investing in real estate in Southeastern Michigan.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was endorsed by Congress in 1996 and was the last significant legislative legacy of Senator Ted Kennedy. It is enforced by the Office for Civil Rights and mandates nationally recognized regulations for use and/or disclosure of an individual's health information by a “covered entity”. Such an entity is a health plan, healthcare clearinghouse or healthcare provider.
Although individual judgment and technical dexterity are obviously important, best surgical outcomes, particularly for complex procedures, reflect the performance of many medical providers before, during and after an operation. Professionalism and a competitive business environment both stimulate medical centers to continuously focus on quality assurance programs, and to improve patient safety.
Why do Americans pay so much for healthcare? Ask a lawyer and a common answer is greedy practitioners. Ask a physician, and the scapegoat is the plaintiffs’ bar with usurious malpractice premiums and unscrupulous attorneys. Unfortunately, this antipathy does nothing to address the real issues
We are regaled in the lay press about new medical breakthroughs a novel cholesterol-lowering drug mimics the effects of a genetic mutation and improves lipid profiles when conventional treatment is ineffective; new cancer therapies are tailored medications designed to specifically attack tumor cells without the nonspecific toxicity of conventional chemotherapy; hepatitis C can be cured by short-term oral agents, not prolonged courses of parenteral infusions; mitral valves can be repaired percutaneously without the potential risks of extracorporeal circulation.
The Michigan Physicians Society (MPS) supports excellence in healthcare by supporting physicians. Our team of physicians, entrepreneurs, and business professionals help physicians earn more, spend less, protect what they have, and navigate regulations.
Here at Michigan Physicians Society, we’re dedicated to the financial betterment of physicians by providing continuing education and technology, along with an extensive network of other like-minded professionals in our space....
There is another skewing of physician allocation with similar serious implications, particularly in the current maelstrom threatening the financial sustainability of our healthcare delivery.
In 2012, the United States spent 17.7% of its almost 17 trillion dollar economy on healthcare. Rounding out the top 20 largest budgets, the remaining nations spent 8.9-11.6% of GDP on medical care. Do Americans live 33-50% longer and better to validate this increased cost?
The United States healthcare system is often berated for how it treats patients near the end of life. They are purportedly attached to tubes and machines and subjected to unnecessary invasive procedures that cause inordinate pain with no potential benefit, there is underutilization of more compassionate hospice services. This “travesty” is expensive, as the care of dying seniors consumes over 25% of Medicare expenditures. We hear this story so often; it is almost taken as gospel-- but is it actually true? Is it more expensive and invasive to die in America than in other developed countries?