Everything seems to be pointing toward two years of partisan and ideological confrontations over health reform. The leadership of an emboldened Republican party has made it clear that it will use its newfound House majority to seek to "repeal and replace" the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and if that doesn't work, to "defund" it. Huge GOP gains in statehouses make it likely that more states will resist implementation. Meanwhile, President ...
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Our national health status is in imminent danger from the effects of a condition that most population health experts acknowledge is out of control.
I am speaking of obesity -- and, in particular, its increasing prevalence in American adolescents and children.
Almost every study that has been done concerning obesity shows a correlation with soda consumption. As a result, some states and municipalities have tried to implement initiatives that make it more ...
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According to the Washington Post, it is highly unlikely that Congress will undo the planned "sustainable growth rate formula" (SGR) mandated Medicare fee schedule cuts. While there's an outside chance of a fix, the American Medical Association, as well as other organized physician groups, can't be happy about the constant threat of the 20% payment reductions.
Recall that the SGR was signed into law back in 1998. It was designed to ...
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The Association of American Medical Colleges predicts that by 2025, the US health system will have 46,000 fewer primary care physicians than it needs.
If the prediction proves correct and we fail to develop effective mitigation strategies, the manpower shortage will create quite a mess. Ironically, the health reform law signed by President Obama in March will exacerbate the problem by increasing demand for services provided by primary care physicians.
The American ...
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I don’t know about you, but as I watched coverage of President Obama signing the health care bill three months ago, it was hard not to notice the constant ads for power wheelchairs. Emblazoned across the ads was a flashing notice reminding viewers: Medicare may cover this!
Don’t get me wrong. As a primary care doctor who takes care of low-income patients, I was glad to see something being done to ...
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Here are the top posts from this past week, based on the number of times they were viewed. 1. Will Bret Michaels survive his subarachnoid hemorrhage? 2. High blood pressure treatment that patients need to know 3. Medical conditions as seen in the movies 4. President Obama should have had colonoscopy without sedation 5. Top doctors may not always be the best physicians
Jack Cassell is either Florida's most hated, or loved, urologist, depending on your point of view.
He famously taped a sign outside his office, advising President Obama supporters to seek care elsewhere.
Slate wrote a piece saying, from a civil rights perspective, Dr. Cassell is probably in the clear: "While the law bars physicians from excluding patients on the basis of traditionally protected ...
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by Michael Kirsch, MD
Does anyone out there know why President Obama underwent a virtual ‘colonscopy’ (VC) instead of a conventional colonoscopy earlier this year?
In my gastroenterology practice, we do not offer colon cancer screening to 48-year-old individuals, unless special risk factors are present. Of course, maintaining the president’s health is in the national interest, so I understand why professional screening guidelines might not apply to him. For ...
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The health reform legislation was decidedly unpopular, with a variety of polls showing the majority disapproved of the bill. What did the people want? The ACP's Bob Doherty linked to a post by Princeton's Uwe Reinhardt, who observed 10 things that the public wants in health care reform:
1. Lets only patients and their own physicians determine how to respond clinically to a given medical condition, never an insurance clerk or, even ...
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President Obama has decided to place all his bets on an “up and down vote” on his health care bill.
The stakes are enormous and rests on ten risky Obama bets.
Bet One – His legacy depends on the outcome. If he loses, he may be a one-term president, and Democrats may lose their majorities in the House and Senate come November.
Bet Two - The American people will ultimately recognize this is ...
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"A comprehensive and extremely useful roadmap for doctors."
-Eric Topol, MD, author of The Creative Destruction of Medicine
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Past 6 Months
Dear lawmakers: This is what it’s like to be a doctor today
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Claire McCarthy, MD | Physician