November 15th, 2009 by DrRich in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion
Tags: Founding Fathers, Healthcare reform, HR 3200, HR 3962, Madison
No Comments »
DrRich has not read the healthcare reform bill (HR 3962) passed by the US House of Representatives late Saturday night, and he does not plan to. He spent far too much time this summer wading through the prior version of the bill (HR 3200), only to conclude that it did not say anything in particular, but rather, was intentionally vague on most key points. The new bill, being nearly twice the length of HR 3200, must necessarily be twice as vague.
So that anyone hoping for DrRich’s analysis of the new bill won’t go away disappointed, he offers here an observation on the new bill, which, he asserts, you can take to the bank.
The observation originates from James Madison, the primary architect of the US Constitution (and ironically, a founder of the Democratic Party). It is an observation DrRich quoted this past summer in reference to HR 3200. It holds doubly well here:
“It will be of little avail to the people, that the laws are made by men of their own choice, if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood…” – The Federalist #62 Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The Covert Rationing Blog*
November 15th, 2009 by Edwin Leap, M.D. in Better Health Network, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: Flu, Flu Shot, H1N1 Vaccine, Healthcare Workers, Mandatory, Vaccine
No Comments »
To inject or not to inject, that is the question
Last week I took my wife and children for our yearly family flu vaccination. The one Elysa used to call her ‘flea shot.’ Lord knows we’ve had enough fleas; if that would work, I’d consider it. But I digress.
The same day, I went to work and found that the employee health/infection control folks were offering H1N1 vaccines. I was told that as long as I took it in the opposite arm, I could go ahead and have mine. So, possessor of two punctured arms, I went back to work and felt fine. In fact, that was four days ago and I still feel fine. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at edwinleap.com*
November 13th, 2009 by KevinMD in Better Health Network, Opinion
Tags: Doctor Patient Relationship, Doctor's Role, Internal Medicine, Psychology, Translator
No Comments »
By Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD
If asked what a doctor does, most people would probably come up with the standard description of diagnosing and treating disease, usually while wearing an ill-fitting white coat. Before I entered practice, even during my medical training that probably would have been my answer too.
But my years in the trenches of real medicine have altered that definition greatly. I do spend time doing the things I learned in medical school like diagnosing disease and writing prescriptions, but that turns out to be only a part of the job, often a very small part.
Much of the time I find myself acting as sounding board. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at KevinMD.com*
November 13th, 2009 by Happy Hospitalist in Better Health Network, Humor, Opinion
Tags: Child Life Specialist, Child Psychology, Emergency Medicine, Pediatrics, Psychology, Rewards, Stickers
No Comments »
What’s the deal with hospital stickers these days? I found this sticker laying around in Happy’s emergency department the other day. Should we be encouraging children to come to the emergency room and feeling happy and excited about the sticker they get? I’m not sure putting a happy robot on a sticker and proclaiming ones exciting visit to the emergency is the best public health policy. Perhaps we need to take a different course of action before another entire generation of citizens feel obliged to use the emergency department as their sole source of medical care. Perhaps instead of a hospital sticker, children in the emergency room would all get a saline injection in their shoulder. Now that’s the kind of memory you want kids to have of their emergency room visit. They should fear the hospital and do everything in their power to stay healthy as adults. Not feel giddy about happy robots on hospital stickers.
Do children get hospital stickers at your facility?
*This blog post was originally published at A Happy Hospitalist*
November 12th, 2009 by Jon LaPook, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion, Video
Tags: Bending The Cost Curve, Cost, Dartmouth Atlas, Finance, Healthcare reform
No Comments »
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 »
