January 8th, 2010 by Dr. Val Jones in Audio, Expert Interviews
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Edelman has been a leader in surveying and analyzing consumer health opinion on a global scale. In 2008 they released the results of a Health Engagement Barometer, confirming the public’s strong desire for personal engagement with health experts and peers online and beyond. I clearly remember Edelman’s revelation that medical bloggers (particularly healthcare professional bloggers) are one of the most trusted sources of health information online. That made me feel good.
This time around, Edelman created a new survey (The Health Engagement Pulse) focused on consumer expectations of their employers. The results reflect a further shift away from traditional siloed roles and relationships (where employers have nothing directly to do with healthcare) and a new era of blended responsibility. To understand this shift, I interviewed Nancy Turett, Edelman’s Global President of Health. Please listen to the audio interview or enjoy the synopsis below.
[Audio:https://getbetterhealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/nancytourettjan.mp3]
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January 7th, 2010 by Stanley Feld, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion
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It is easy to introduce bias into poll results and surveys. Most people are cynical about polling results
However, when every one of the major polling services’ come up with the same answer, one must believe the results represent unified public opinion. The Democrats in the House of Representative, the Democrats in the Senate and President Obama are ignoring the fact that the American public is against President Obama’s healthcare reform plan.
There is no question that America needs healthcare reform. It does not need President Obama’s version of healthcare reform as I have discussed in the past. Most importantly President Obama’s healthcare reform system will not work. It ignores the basic problems and defects in the present healthcare system. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Repairing the Healthcare System*
January 6th, 2010 by DrRob in Better Health Network, Humor, Opinion
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This past year was a big year. We got:
- A new president, whose name rhymes with “llama” (which is cool)
- A healthcare reform bill (results pending)
- I got to meet a bunch of bloggers (including the South African blogger, Bongi)
- I became a podcaster, joining Grammar Girl’s posse
- Idaho remained in the union despite the underhanded actions of the plumbers’ union
- The long-awaited sequel to Alvin and the Chipmunks (although I too was disgusted by the violence of the fans)
- Oprah was still afraid of me, announcing her retirement from TV.
- Dr. Phil’s badgering phone calls continued.
- I was on NPR, was in Medical Economics, authored the chapter of a book (forgot to tell you), and bought some really comfortable shoes.
- I got stressed-out (although not more than Oprah) and took some time off. People were really nice to me when I did. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Musings of a Distractible Mind*
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*
January 4th, 2010 by DrWes in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News
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It’s sad that cardiologists have had to sue as their last resort to save their practices:
“Heart specialists on Monday filed suit against Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius in an effort to stave off steep Medicare fee cuts for routine office-based procedures such as nuclear stress tests and echocardiograms.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, charges that the government’s planned cutbacks will deal a major blow to medical care in the USA, forcing thousands of cardiologists to shutter their offices, sell diagnostic equipment and work for hospitals, which charge more for the same procedures.
Perhaps other professional organizations will be forthcoming with similar suits as private doctors and their patients pay dearly for the reform efforts underway. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes*
