That's a tall order for many American physicians.
Atul Gawande recently addressed the graduating class of the University of Chicago medical school. In his speech, which is an extension of his celebrated New Yorker piece, he looks at so-called "positive deviants," or doctors who practice higher value, higher quality care, than everyone else.
What makes these doctors so special? In essence, they have to "resist the tendency built into ...
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The following is part of a series of original guest columns by the American Medical Association.
by J. James Rohack, M.D.
Physicians started this month with some good news from the White House. After intense AMA education and outreach, the administration announced that it would remove physician-administered drugs from the archaic formula used to determine Medicare physician payment rates.
This important development will significantly lower the costs of a permanent repeal of ...
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An investment banker recently told a doctor, "I’d love a job where I didn’t have to constantly think about money."
Oh, how wrong he was.
In a recent essay in The New York Times, cardiologist Sandeep Jauhar talks about the difficulty divorcing revenue from medical decision making. While moonlighting, he writes that, "It is hard not to order a heart-stress test when the nuclear camera is in the next room. ...
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"If you aren't at the table, then you are on the menu."
That's a priceless quote from Dr. Val Jones, who primary care physician Rob Lamberts cites in a piece from MedPage Today. With health reform dominating Washington D.C. this summer, both patients and doctors "on the ground," so to speak, are missing from the table. Many physician organizations are composed of doctors who may not be practicing ...
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Thanks to Dr. Val Jones for organizing Health Care Reform: Putting Patients First, a panel discussion where health reform will be discussed from a medical blogger perspective.
I have graciously been invited to speak and participate in the ensuing discussion, which also includes other prominent primary care and specialist physician and nurse bloggers like Rob Lamberts, Alan Dappen, Valerie Tinley, Kim McAllister, Westby Fisher, Rich Fogoros, and ...
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The following is a guest post from the American College of Radiology.
by James H. Thrall, M.D.
Health care reform cannot be approached with a “one size fits all” cost-cutting mentality. Reducing costs in the long term often requires an investment in the short term — particularly, in regard to medical imaging.
Medical imaging saves lives. Imaging also saves dollars through earlier disease diagnosis, less invasive medical procedures, shorter hospital stays, ...
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Those on the left will pretty much sacrifice everything to attain their goal of universal coverage.
But, in this well-reasoned piece by conservative economist Tyler Cowen, expanding coverage won't necessarily control costs, which is a more imperative issue. The bandied about means of cost control, such as electronic medical records, cutting provider payments, and preventive care, all will have little nor no impact in controlling costs.
Take physician reimbursements, for ...
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Medicare currently pays doctors in a "fee for service" system, with little regard for quality of care or patient outcomes. The more procedures or office visits, the more revenue a physician generates.
Instead of spending time with patients or counseling them in preventive care, there is financial pressure to see as many patients as possible. And this financial pressure is a fundamental reason why health care costs are spiraling out of ...
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Here are some of the more interesting comments readers have left recently.
1. Rogue Medic on how Oprah should be handling medical issues:
If she is going to give medical advice, and she is giving medical advice, and she is going to focus on giving advice contrary to the guidelines of reputable medical organizations, maybe some of her viewers need to start suing her for the bad medical advice.
I am guessing ...
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Here are the top posts from the past month, based on the number of times they were viewed.
1. How did Michael Jackson die, and the medicine behind sudden cardiac death
2. Did Demerol cause Michael Jackson’s cardiac arrest and death?
3. A surgeon dumps post-op patients to hospitalists
4. The worst medical malpractice cases you can possibly imagine
5. My reaction to President Obama’s speech to the AMA
6.
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"A comprehensive and extremely useful roadmap for doctors."
-Eric Topol, MD, author of The Creative Destruction of Medicine
Learn More...
Past 6 Months
Dear lawmakers: This is what it’s like to be a doctor today
Matthew Moeller, MD | PhysicianA gun owner responds to Sandy Hook
Edwin Leap, MD | PhysicianIs Chris Christie too obese to run for president?
Jeffrey Parks, MD | PhysicianIf I’m wrong about guns, can you please explain why?
Claire McCarthy, MD | PhysicianPrimary care doctors may no longer be needed
Doug Olson, MD | PhysicianWalgreens moves into primary care, and it’s our own damn fault
Kevin Pho, MD | Kevin's Take