December 9th, 2009 by KevinMD in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion
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Have electronic medical records made a difference in patient care?
According to a study looking at digital medical record adoption of 3,000 hospitals, electronic records have made little difference in cost or quality of care.
That’s discouraging, considering that the government is investing billions of dollars into the technology.
Very few physicians use electronic record systems effectively. For instance, many are simply scanning paper records into a computer, which provides minimal benefit. It’s difficult to track quality improvement data doing that. The problem is further compounded by the archaic interfaces that the current generation of EMRs have, which is akin to a user interface circa Windows 95.
It’s no wonder that most doctors find electronic medical systems actually slows them down. The next generation of systems needs to focus on facilitating the doctor-patient encounter, rather than being an impediment. Taking a few lessons from Google, and improving the user interface would be a good start.
Only then can EMRs realize the potential relied upon by the government and health reformers.
*This blog post was originally published at KevinMD.com*
December 5th, 2009 by DrStanleyFeld in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion
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President Obama said he will not sign a healthcare reform bill that was not budget neutral. You can view this statement at 3.50 minutes into this video clip.
The only way that can happen is if the healthcare expenses in both bills are hidden, unrealistic expense estimates are or expenses deflected to other areas in the budget. The Senate and House bill do both. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Repairing the Healthcare System*
November 17th, 2009 by KevinMD in Better Health Network, Health Policy
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By Rahul Parikh, MD
There is plenty to criticize in our bungling trek toward health reform. Leaders on the right, left and at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue have sidestepped the crucial conversation of controlling the cost of care, in favor of partisan rhetoric about “death panels” and “rationing care.” Worse, the entire focus of reform has centered on spending billions of dollars on technology solutions that will only make marginal changes in the cost and quality of care Americans get.
I want to refocus the debate on what matters most: relationships. Let’s reinvest in the sitting down with, listening to, empathizing with and touching patients. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at KevinMD.com*
November 16th, 2009 by DrWes in Better Health Network, Health Policy
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I don’t mind health reform. In fact, I believe we need it. But when reform bills fund projects that already exist, or fund special projects for other non-health care professionals, like lawyers, I have to wonder what Congress is doing.
The recently passed House bill (H.R. 3962 pdf) contains a multitude of grants and “demonstration projects.” I wasn’t sure what some of these grants were meant to support, so I looked them up. I was surprised to find that many of the grants duplicate programs or departments already in place. While this list is by no means comprehensive, I thought I would provide a few comments on a few of these grants shown in italics): Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes*
November 14th, 2009 by DrGwenn in Better Health Network, Health Tips
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I opened a fortune cookie the other day, expecting it to say something relatively nonsensical or meaningless, only to have it read:
“Money is not everything. You can buy a doctor but not heath.”
This fortune tells the story of more people than most of us can count, including ourselves at times. All too often we fall into trap of thinking that the more we spend on health the healthier we will become. Not true. In fact, good health is a state of mind and need not cost more than time for exercise, time to give ourselves the R&R we need to nurture our souls, the price of food to eat for proper weight and overall good health, and the occasional co-pay for our primary care physician and needed prescriptions.
We can toss money at vitamins, pricey health clubs, personal trainers, diets, alternative health treatments, doctors, second opinions, medications, prescription and nonprescription, as many people do, but those things can’t get us healthy. More times than not, they only produce the facade of good health. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Dr Gwenn Is In*
November 12th, 2009 by DrJonLaPook in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion, Video
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Watch CBS News Videos Online
President Obama has stressed the importance of “bending the cost curve” in order to put the brakes on galloping health care expenses that total 2.5 trillion dollars a year and are increasing at 6% a year. The fastest way to do this is shockingly simple: carefully explain to patients the known risks and benefits of procedures. Read more »
November 12th, 2009 by Emergiblog in Better Health Network, True Stories
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Sam Nouv runs a little donut shop about a mile from my house.
When John was in the hospital, that’s where I bought the donuts for the nurses.
After immigrating to the U.S. from Cambodia in 1987, Sam started working at the shop and by 1990 he owned it (Update via Steve in comments: When he was 13, his parents were murdered by the Khmer Rouge. He spent several years in a displacement camp in Vietnam before finally being sent to the States as part of an entire plane load of orphans).
With the exception of a few holidays, Sam is in the store every morning at 3:30 am and works until 6:00 pm.
Seven days a week.
His wife, Lori, works with him, but she wasn’t there on that Wednesday morning in October.
Thank God. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Emergiblog*
November 12th, 2009 by drval in Health Policy, Opinion
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There hasn’t been much discussion about serious tort reform in the current healthcare reform debate. That’s probably because most policy experts don’t believe it will make a significant dent in healthcare costs. I happen to believe that tort reform would be a huge boon for healthcare (just ask Ob/Gyns in Texas) and save a lot in defensive medicine practices and unnecessary testing, but even if I’m wrong and it wouldn’t result in cost-savings, there’s another issue at play: access to primary care physicians.
We all agree that we’re in the midst of a major shortage in primary care physicians. Many different solutions have been proposed - everything from “let the nurses do it” to forgiving medical school loans to physicians who choose primary care as a career. However, solving the PCP shortage isn’t just about recruitment, it’s about retention. And with up to a half of PCPs saying that practice conditions are so unbearable they’re planning to quit in the next 2 years - Houston, we have a problem. Read more »
November 11th, 2009 by DrRichardCooper in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion
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The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has addressed seven key health care reform questions and offered answers that capture today’s consensus. No surprises, but good clear analyses. But what if the underlying conceptual framework is not an excessive use of services by wrongly incentivized providers but the tragic over-use of services by the poor? Here are seven “what ifs” plus an eighth question.
1. Is health care too expensive?
What if health care is the economy, the major source of jobs and the basis for America’s worker productivity? And what if the problem is an unfair insurance system and inequitable distribution of fiscal responsibility?
2. How much too expensive is it?
What if regional variation is not a manifestation of excessive spending but of income inequality and the intersection of wealth and poverty? And what if differences in price and economic development, rather than waste and inefficiency, differentiate costs among countries? Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at PHYSICIANS and HEALTH CARE REFORM Commentaries and Controversies*
November 7th, 2009 by DrToniBrayer in Better Health Network, True Stories
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I took my son to the ER for a broken thumb. It was a minor injury but the thumb is the most important digit on the hand. The ER care was just fine…a quick look, an Xray and a small splint. We didn’t have to wait long and everyone was courteous.
Imagine my surprise to receive the bill from the hospital. Yes, I have insurance. My out of pocket expense was minimal but here is what the insurance company was charged:
- Hospital Misc.- $56.00 (could this be the splint?)
- Diagnostic Xray - $342.00
- Emergency Care- $952.00
- Surgery - $570.00
- Total $1920.00
Take a look…surgery? There was so surgery, no procedure. There was no break in the skin. The doctor component of the visit was about 7 minutes (mainly because I knew the doc and we chatted about politics)
This bill is unreal and is comprised of unreal health care costs. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at EverythingHealth*
