November 30th, 2011 by StevenWilkinsMPH in Opinion
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I may not know how to tell the difference between an empowered patient, an engaged patient, or an activated patient. But I do know that the fastest way to disempower, disengage, and de-activate any patient is a trip to the doctor’s office or the hospital. A visit to an average primary care physician (or specialist) is to an empowered/activated/engaged patient what Kryptonite is to Superman. It will stop all but the strongest willed patients dead in their tracks.
We patients have been socialized that way. Think about your earliest memories of “going to the doctor.” For me, I remember my Mom taking me to the Pediatrician. Early on I learned by watching the interaction between my Mom and the doctor that they each had a role. The doctor’s role was that of expert – he spoke and my Mom listened. I was there just to have one or more extremities twisted and prodded. And oh the medicinal smell…
Things haven’t changed much in the 40 years since I was a kid sitting in Dr. Adam’s office. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Mind The Gap*
November 30th, 2011 by DavidHarlow in Health Policy, Opinion
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Harvard Pilgrim Health Care is re-launching Let’s Talk Health Care, which started life as former CEO Charlie Baker’s blog. There’s a series of related discussions going on now in the Let’s Talk Health Care Linked In group, sponsored by Harvard Pilgrim. I’ve been participating (at the request of the group organizer; disclosure: client) and would like to invite you to do the same.
A salient characteristic of the site and of the group is the focus on three broad categories of care and cost: fostering health and wellness, balancing quality and cost, and redefining care coordination — all of which are informed by a focus on chronic health care issues.
One of the great successes of modern medicine is the conquest of most infectious disease. (Equitable global distribution of the tools necessary for eradication is another story — and some of the more compelling chapters of that story are being told these days by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.) One of the great failures of the modern consumer state is Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at HealthBlawg :: David Harlow's Health Care Law Blog*
November 30th, 2011 by John Di Saia, M.D. in Health Tips, Opinion
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Question:
When I was pregnant, my daughter pushed against my belly button the last couple of months and stretched it out. Then I ended up having two hernias which also stretched it out. Unfortunately I pierced my belly button when I was 15 and the skin above my belly button is now extremely loose. Can you fix this?
I am 26 and had my baby in Sept of 2010. I gained 30 pounds (healthy) and immediately had the two hernias. I think they were a result of the pregnancy or labor. I had them repaired in Jan of 2011. I am planning on having one more child. If it’s not a boy, then we’ll be having another one. Lastly, no I am not a fitness model. I’d like to be!
Belly button plastic surgery is usually referred to as umbilicoplasty. It is a routine part of tummy tuck operations as it becomes necessary when moving the position of the umbilical opening. As you have discovered,
Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Truth in Cosmetic Surgery*
November 30th, 2011 by PJSkerrett in Research
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My fingers hate diabetes. Several times a day they get poked with a sharp, needle-like lancet. The drops of blood they give up tell me how my blood sugar roller coaster is doing. That’s really important information I need to determine whether to eat, exercise, or give myself some insulin.
It would be such a treat to check my blood sugar (glucose) without pricking a finger, squeezing out a drop of blood, and placing it on a small test strip attached to a meter. Help may be on the way—though I’m not expecting any big breakthroughs for another few years—as researchers across the country explore prick-free ways to measure blood sugar.
Here are three interesting approaches. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Harvard Health Blog*
November 30th, 2011 by GruntDoc in Opinion, Research
1 Comment »
I really like this idea, but … well, see after the quote.
It’s easy to compare prices on cameras, vacations, and homes. But in the United States, patients fly blind when paying for health care. People typically don’t find out how much any given medical procedure costs until well after they receive treatment, be it a blood draw or major surgery.
This lack of transparency has contributed to huge disparities in the cost of procedures. According to Castlight Health, a startup based in San Francisco, a colonoscopy costs anywhere from $563 to $3,967 within a single zip code. EKGs can range from $27 to $143, while the price for a set of three spinal x-rays varies from as little as $38 to as high as $162.
When someone else is picking up the tab, mystery pricing is not much of a problem. But these days, Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at GruntDoc*
We patients have been socialized that way. Think about your earliest memories of “going to the doctor.” For me, I remember my Mom taking me to the Pediatrician. Early on I learned by watching the interaction between my Mom and the doctor that they each had a role. The doctor’s role was that of expert – he spoke and my Mom listened. I was there just to have one or more extremities twisted and prodded. And oh the medicinal smell…
