February 6th, 2010 by DrRich in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion
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In his last post, and not without some little trepidation over the propriety of doing so, DrRich offered to enter into a “constructive dialogue” with Bob Doherty of the ACP Advocate Blog, regarding the important topic of medical ethics. What occasioned this offer was the fortuitous selection of each of us as finalists in the 2009 Medical Weblog Award Competition, in the category of Best Health Policy/Ethics Blog.
Ever since the inception of the Covert Rationing Blog (and even before that, in his book) DrRich has taken strong exception to the new code of “medical ethics for a new millennium,” formally promulgated in 2002 by the American College of Physicians and several of its equally respected sister organizations (a grouping DrRich has termed the Millennialists). And when he saw that the ACP Advocate Blog (an official publication of a principle component of the Millennialists) had become a co-finalist for a Weblog Award in the category of medical ethics, DrRich could not resist offering to engage in a discussion over same. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The Covert Rationing Blog*
February 6th, 2010 by DrRich in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion
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Yesterday, DrRich noted (with his usual affecting humility, modesty, self-deprecation, &c.) that the Covert Rationing Blog has been named a Finalist in the 2009 Medical Weblog Award Competition, in the category of Best Health Policy/Ethics Blog. He now calls to his readers’ attention the fact that, among the other two finalists – both of which are of very high quality and undoubtedly are more deserving of this award than DrRich – is none other than the ACP Advocate Blog.
The ACP Advocate Blog, written by Bob Doherty, is a publication of the American College of Physicians, and its purpose is to explain, elaborate on and advocate for the ACP’s positions on important matters related to health policy and medical ethics that affect its members, namely, internal medicine specialists. Doherty – who DrRich does not know, but of whom he has heard many very complimentary things – is an insightful analyst of matters related to healthcare policy, and to boot he is an excellent writer. DrRich is a loyal reader of the ACP Advocate Blog, which in fact has habitually led off DrRich’s blogroll.
Here’s why this is interesting. While both the ACP Advocate Blog and DrRich’s blog are finalists in the medical ethics category, it so happens that DrRich and the ACP are far apart on that very issue. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The Covert Rationing Blog*
January 11th, 2010 by DrRich in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion
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As has been pointed out (pointedly) to DrRich, we do not have death panels in the United States. And indeed, considering that we’re not conducting military tribunals for Islamist terrorists who have tried (or succeeded in) killing and maiming as many of us as possible, it seems relatively unlikely that we’d assemble death panels (which sound even less due-process-friendly than military tribunals) for American patients.
What we will have, however, is a federally-mandated assembly, body, committee, commission, board, diet, parliament, or posse (but not a panel) of experts which will carefully evaluate all the objective clinical evidence regarding a particular medical treatment, and make “recommendations” to doctors about whether or when to use that treatment. The model which frequently has been offered up for our consideration, as we contemplate the workings of such a non-death-panel, is the British National Institute for Clinical Excellence, or NICE. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The Covert Rationing Blog*
January 4th, 2010 by DrRich in Better Health Network, Health Policy
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One would think American health insurance companies would be caterwauling about the provisions laid out for them in the healthcare reform legislation which Harry Reid (and a few of his elves) assembled for us Americans in their secret workshop just before Christmas.
On their face, those provisions do not appear to allow insurance companies a viable business model. Insurers under Reid’s bill would be required to accept all comers, regardless of age or underlying medical conditions. They would be required to cover all manner of healthcare services, including outpatient and inpatient services, maternity and newborn care, mental health and substance abuse services, rehabilitative services, lab services, preventive and wellness services, chronic disease management, prescription drugs, dental care, and eye care. They would be limited in what they can charge in the way of insurance premiums, and their profits (if by some miracle there were any), would be strictly capped. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The Covert Rationing Blog*
November 22nd, 2009 by DrRich in Announcements, Better Health Network
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DrRich urges his readers to consider entering Dr. Wes’ Healthcare Reform Photo Contest.
Dr. Wes, like DrRich himself, is an electrophysiologist, and is therefore a person of exquisite artistic taste. Even better, he’s married to Diane, who probably actually knows what she’s doing.
Your submission (which Dr. Wes fully expects you to torture and disfigure mercilessly with Photoshop, not unlike the actual healthcare reform bills) can espouse a point of view either for or against healthcare reform. The winner (after Wes and Diane cull out all the completely inappropriate and disgusting submissions, and choose the five or six finalists), will be determined by a reader poll. So while it may defy the odds, it is not outside the realm of possibility that a pro-reform photo can win – especially since the pro-reform photos are less likely to be excluded for offensive subject matter.
Best of all, the winner gets an iPod touch, with which you can listen to DrRich’s podcasts.
The rules, deadlines, etc. can be found at Dr. Wes’ blog.
*This blog post was originally published at The Covert Rationing Blog*
