July 15th, 2010 by David H. Gorski, M.D., Ph.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Quackery Exposed, Research, True Stories
Tags: Berwickian, Centers For Medicare And Medicaid Services, CMS, Dr. Don Berwick, Evidence Based Medicine, General Medicine, Healthcare Consumers, Healthcare Legislation, Healthcare reform, Information Exchange, Institute For Healthcare Improvement, Patient Empowerment, Patient-Centered Care, Patient-Centered Medicine, Patient-Centeredness, Patients As Consumers, President Obama, Primary Care, Recess Appointment, Science Based Medicine, The Patient Is Always Right, U.S. Healthcare System, Woo
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There’s been a bit of buzz in the health blogs over President Obama’s decision last week to use the mechanism of a recess appointment to be the director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
Recess appointments, for those who may not be aware, allow a President to put a nominee in place when Congress is in recess in order to have him in place without the messy process of having him approved by the Senate. True, the Senate still has to approve a recess appointment by the end of its term, or the seat goes vacant again, but it’s an excellent way to avoid having nasty confirmation fights during election years. Of course, both parties do it, and the reaction of pundits, bloggers, and politicians tend to fall strictly along partisan lines.
If you support the President, then a recess appointment is a way to get around the obstructionism of the other party. If you don’t support the President, it’s a horrific abuse of Presidential power. And so it goes. Either way, I don’t really care much about the politics of how such officials are appointed so much as who is being appointed.
The man who was appointed last week to head CMS is Donald Berwick, M.D., CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. His being placed in charge of CMS will likely have profound consequences not just for how the recent health care/insurance reform law is implemented, but for how the government applies science-based medicine to the administration of the this massive bill. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Science-Based Medicine*
July 14th, 2010 by AlanDappenMD in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion, Primary Care Wednesdays, True Stories
Tags: Direct Pay Medical Practice, DocTalker Family, Dr. Alan Dappen, Healthcare reform, Primary Care Crisis, Primary Care Shortage, Primary Care Wednesdays
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The vexing problem with “truth” when it comes to healthcare is to understand its limits. Let’s start with two popular notions. The first: canaries are harbingers for detecting chemical leaks. The second: primary care specialists claim higher salaries for their work will prevent their extinction. Both claims sound plausible, but then come the conditions, the nuances, the variables and empirical testing and observation — the so called threads of truth.
Notion 1, The Canaries: In 1972 my brother passed through the military’s basic training and was Vietnam bound until a perfect score on a standardized test, his Phi Beta Kappa and a chemistry degree from college rerouted his destiny to a remote patch of the Utah desert. Instead of being a foot soldier, he gave back to his country in a chemical warfare lab. Read more »
July 13th, 2010 by EvanFalchukJD in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Research, True Stories
Tags: Bad Information, Below-Average Hospital, Boston, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Compare Care Quality, Confused Healthcare Consumers, eHealthInsurance.com, Empowered Patients, ePatients, General Medicine, Government-run Healthcare, Hallmark Health System, Harvard Teaching School, Healthcare Decision Making, Healthcare Decisions, Healthcare Marketplace, Healthcare.gov, HealthConnector, HHS, Internet-Based Healthcare, Kathleen Sebelius, Massachusetts, Misinformed Patients, Misleading Patients, National Average, Obama Administration, Online Healthcare Information, Online Insurance Shopping Website, Outcome Of Care, Patients On The Internet, Patients' Anxiety, Primary Care, Public Health, Public Health Initiative, Quality Measures, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Unprecedented Transparency
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If a website touted misleading healthcare information, you’d hope the government would do something about it. But what do you do when the government is the one feeding the public bad information?
Last week the Obama administration launched the new Healthcare.gov. It’s mostly an online insurance shopping website. It’s very much a federal government version of sites like eHealthInsurance.com or Massachsetts’ HealthConnector site, which have been around for years.
So when HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, in announcing the new site, claims it gives consumers “unprecedented transparency” into the healthcare marketplace, you should wonder what she means. But that’s not the big problem with this site. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at See First Blog*
July 13th, 2010 by Davis Liu, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Health Tips, News, Opinion, Research, True Stories
Tags: Cancer, Cellphone Usage, Cellphones And Driving, Cellphones And Walking, Dangerous Driving, Disclosure To Consumers, Driver Safety, General Medicine, Hands-Free Devices, Hands-Free Listening, Motor Vehicle Accidents, Multitasking, Pew Internet & American Life Project, Preventive Medicine, Primary Care, Public Awareness, Public Health, Public Safety, Radiation, San Francisco, Silent Epidemic, Text And Drive, Texting While Driving, Traffic Accidents
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San Francisco recently passed a law requiring disclosure to consumers of the amount of radiation emitted by cellphones at the point of sale. Research has been inconclusive on whether there is a link between cellphone usage and cancer. More definitive findings could be years away.
Understandably the law addresses a universal concern that we all have. We are more fearful of threats we can’t see, smell, hear, taste, or touch. Radon, carbon monoxide, and radiation fit these criteria.
Yet, cellphones kill in other ways which are far more immediate, equally as subtle, and just as concerning. This silent epidemic is increasing at an alarming rate. Everyone sees it, but does nothing about it. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Saving Money and Surviving the Healthcare Crisis*
July 11th, 2010 by DrRob in Better Health Network, Humor, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: Addicted To Work, Doctor Burnout, Doctor's Lifestyle, Downtime, Family Medicine, General Medicine, Lifeskill, Not Enough Vacations, Paid Vacation, Physician Behavior, Physician Happiness, Physician Stress, Primary Care, Private Practice Medicine, Rest and Relaxation, Time Away From Work, Time Off, Vacation, Work Ethic, Work-Life Balance, Workaholic, Working Too Much
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I just got back from extended time off, which brings to mind a post I wrote two years ago:
Here’s an observation: most physicians in private practice don’t take enough vacations. I am often (rightly) accused of this sin. My staff, colleagues, and even patients regularly encourage me to take time off, but still I find it hard.
Why is this? Is it that I love my job so much that I can’t tear myself away from it? Is it that my self-worth is wrapped up in being “the man” for my patients, and being away from this makes me feel insecure? Is work my addiction –- the one place that I have control of my circumstances and positive reinforcement? Perhaps. But I think the reasons are more basic than that. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Musings of a Distractible Mind*
