May 29th, 2011 by John Mandrola, M.D. in Opinion
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I have been in Hamburg, Germany for the past five days. I enjoyed an amazing opportunity to visit one of the world’s most respected heart rhythm labs. Among other things, the main purpose was to learn a new way to ablate atrial fibrillation.
It was an incredible learning experience, one for which I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the kind and generous people of Dr Karl-Heinz Kuck’s EP lab. Though these people are famous, they treated me as a respected colleague.
Details of all that I learned regarding this newly-approved ablation technique is a matter for future posts. Suffice it to say, I already feel like a better AF doctor.
For now, may I highlight a few of the more striking differences between Europe and the States, as noted by a Kentuckian on his first trip across the Atlantic? Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Dr John M*
April 5th, 2010 by DrWes in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion
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As the dust settles on the Great Healthcare Reform Bill of 2010 passage in Congress, it’s time to ask what we got for the effort. No matter what people thought of the bill before, like it or not, it’s here.
Still, few people really understand what the bill contains and when the benefits and costs for the measure will be incurred on a year-by-year basis. Given the bill’s complexity and tortuous path though Social Security and IRS tax codes, this really isn’t a surprise, I suppose.
So here’s my simplified broad-brush overview, broken down by year, culled from several sources as referenced. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes*
July 12th, 2009 by EvanFalchukJD in Better Health Network, Health Policy
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Many Americans look to Canada, as an example of a government-run health care system that works.
But is that really what it is?
Health care in Canada is funded mostly publicly, but is provided mostly privately. That is, most care is delivered by privately run hospitals and medical clinics, with fees paid for by the various provincial governments.
Americans often call this system “single payer,” but it’s really not true. There are many other payers.
For example, if you’re injured on the job, your care is paid by a workers compensation insurance plan funded by employer premiums. Millions of Canadians also have supplementary health insurance policies, typically called “extended health care” coverage, which cover things not paid for by the government, like prescription drugs and other medical services. There is also a growing market for full medical insurance plans, and critical illness plans to provide cash to offset the out of pocket burdens of medical cost. As much as 30% of Canadian health care expenses are funded through these non-government payers.
However paid for, supply (and funding) for health care has not been able to keep up with increasing demand. The result has been well-documented: long waits for health care services. Waiting is a normal part of the Canadian health care experience, with provincial governments publishing information on wait times and working to fix them. The Canadian Supreme Court admonished the provincial governments in 2005, saying “access to a wait list is not access to health care.”
And so an interesting dynamic has emerged.
Canadians are justifiably proud of their extraordinary health care system, and care deeply about preserving its core principles. But they also care deeply about looking after each other, and are as creative and innovative as any people on the planet. As wait times have grown, so has a burgeoning private market.
Hospitals running diagnostic imaging equipment like MRIs are only paid by the government to run during certain hours of the day. So creative hospitals decided to run the same machines during the overnight hours, charging patients (rather than the government) a fee for the service, which could be provided on an expedited basis. While politically controversial, it made it possible to serve more patients without the need for additional government funding.
These types of ideas have grown, extending now to stand-alone diagnostic centers. A couple of days ago, I visited one, Mayfair Diagnostics, in Calgary. This center was created by a group of physicians, who, like others I have met, knew they couldn’t change the system, but could improve the part in which they work. So they bought leading imaging equipment and opened up centers that cater to self-pay patients, as well as those funded through other sources. They actively promote themselves as a way to get needed medical insight only a couple of days – as opposed to the 6-8 week average wait patients would otherwise face. Doctors working in this center also work in hospitals serving government-sponsored patients, making the Mayfair center and others like it a supplement to the government system. And at a price of $650 for an MRI, it’s inexpensive by U.S. standards.
Other kinds of private centers have opened up as well. Some operate almost as membership-only medical practices, offering much of what might be considered primary care. Others provide even more comprehensive services, making most aspects of ambulatory care available on a privately-paid basis. For certain specialties like orthopedics, some even offer complete hospital surgical services.
The Canadian system remains very different from the American one. Canadians do not want their system transformed into anything that reflects American “rugged individualism.” And yet the natural human desire to look after oneself and ones family poses dilemmas. When a loved one is sick, all the abstract ideas melt away, and you think – how can I do everything I can to get help, now.
We’re all entitled to that kind of help — Americans, Canadians, whatever.
The ways Canadians are trying to make sure everyone gets that help are slowly changing the face of Canadian health care.
*This blog post was originally published at See First Blog*