I am very fortunate to have never been sued. That is not necessarily because of my amazing ability as a physician. I always practiced in Veterans Affairs medical centers, where my status as a federal employee meant I would not get sued by my patients. I also had an incredibly appreciative patient population. But I…
As I pointed out in a recent post, experts have been debating what has caused the recent slowdown in medical spending in the United States. They are also try to figure out whether that slowdown will continue. And figuring this out is pretty darn important, because it has a major impact on how we budget…
There has been lots of talk lately about a slowdown in health care expenditures. This has caused even more debate about whether the slowdown is temporary or permanent, and whether the Affordable Care Act deserves any credit for it. Below here is a picture from a recent analysis in Health Affairs, which shows the change…
A recent article in the New York Times, projects increasing problems with federal budget deficits over the next several decades, problems caused in no small part by the likelihood of increased health expenditures. More evidence of the importance of overcoming partisanship. Whether you are a liberal or conservative, you have to recognize that Medicare and…
I was recently struck by two news headlines that hit my email inbox on the same day: “Most Doctors Don’t Meet U.S. Push for Electronic Records” and “Sebelius touts new emphasis on healthcare data“. Do you see the problem here? If we really want to leverage “big data” to improve health care, we need physicians…
I wrote not too long ago about a way to overcome the potential shortage of primary care physicians, the shortage some experts worry about because of the increased demand for primary care that will be created by Obamacare. I promoted the idea of primary care physicians teaming with allied healthcare professionals, so they can manage…
A recent survey described in the April issue of Health Affairs reveals widespread disenchantment with the US healthcare system, as compared to a number of other developed countries. Keep these results in mind the next time you hear someone raving about how the US healthcare system is the best one in the world. (Click here…
Health policy wonks have been pointing for a while now to large variations in Medicare spending across different parts of the country. Live in Miami, and the government is probably going to spend a heck of a lot more for you on Medicare than if you live in Minneapolis, even after accounting for how healthy or…
Imagine you are a small business owner deciding whether to hire two new employees, your 50th and 51st workers respectively. Would you hire them knowing that, by surpassing the magic number 50, you will now be obligated under Obamacare to pay a penalty unless you offer all your employees affordable healthcare insurance? Imagine you are owner of…
For most Medicare patients in United States right now, Medicare pays for hospital stays on the basis of what are called Diagnostic Related Groups or DRGs. You get diagnosed with pneumonia, and your hospital gets payment to treat a typical case of pneumonia. Name the diagnosis, and the hospital will know what it gets paid….