Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Is our health care system based on untruths?

Michele Luckenbaugh
Conditions
September 28, 2022
20 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

As Americans, we live in one of the most affluent countries in the world. Outwardly, many of our citizens seem to possess the necessities of life: shelter, food, job employment, and world-class health care. But what happens when we take a closer look? Do we see cracks in the foundation?

If we are honest, the answer is a resounding yes. When one looks at the area of health care, there is cause for concern and action.

Let’s start with the cost of prescription drugs. “Americans spend more on prescription drugs — average costs are about $1,300 per person per year — more than anyone else in the world.” Many people struggle to have enough money to pay for prescriptions and other necessities of living. And so, to stretch dollars, individuals cut medication doses in half, spread out the frequency of taking medications, or simply don’t take them at all. As a result, the individual’s health suffers.

At the same time, pharmaceutical companies state that they must increase prescription costs so that they can continue drug research. But where does this all end? It’s like the proverbial “dog trying to catch its tail, ” never coming to a resolution. The insured person has seen increases in the copayment prices of generic drugs; the cost of drugs still under patent protection literally will bring a patient to his knees. Also, the cost of acquiring health insurance has increased substantially in recent years, and pity the person who finds himself without health insurance and is facing a life-threatening illness.

In August, President Biden signed a bill that attempts to make some inroads into the high cost of prescription drugs. Due to prior political wrangling to get the bill passed by Congress, aspects of the original bill were pared away. But I guess something is better than nothing. For many, the struggle to make ends meet will continue.

Let’s take a look behind the curtains of corporate medicine. Many doctor-owned primary care offices have been absorbed by corporate health care systems over the past several years. Under the guise of lowering costs for the physician while at the same time offering that physician a sense of protection under the corporate umbrella, many individual practices no longer exist. The physician’s sense of autonomy and control of how they practice medicine has been severely impinged upon. The mode of care for patients is often dictated by the regulations espoused by the corporate health care systems, governmental regulations, or regulations put in place by insurance companies. Those in administrative boardrooms have largely ignored the voices of doctors and nurses.

Assignment of non-medical tasks to qualified clerical staff rather than the physician has often been ignored. And so, a physician scrambles through the day seeing his patients and completing all related chart work and paperwork, often long into the night.

Frustration and stress have led to burnout among the very best in our medical professions and in others who serve on the frontlines of health care. And so, the “huge boulder of corporate health care” continues to roll across the backs of those who have taken oaths to tend to the sick and dying.

So what impact does all of the aforementioned have upon the patient? Upon entering an exam room, the patient is usually allocated approximately 12-15 minutes to describe his symptoms to his physician, who then formulates a diagnosis and prescribes a method of care. Some situations are certainly not that “cut and dry” and require the physician to run passed his scheduled time with the patient, causing a “rolling snowball effect” on those patients waiting in the schedule to see that same physician. This means stress on the physician and the patient and potentially less than optimum care given to the patient.

As patients, we want to have the ability to tell our health stories to our physicians, not to feel that we are merely data but rather individuals who have come to seek solutions to our health problems.

It seems that corporate health care systems are forever expanding — new acquisitions and new construction. New construction often is relegated to those aspects of health care that bring in the biggest bucks, like surgical and cardiovascular suites.

I am not saying that these areas are not important, but let’s keep everything in perspective. Since primary care is the foundation of most individuals’ health care, why not invest in securing adequate staffing and structure to house primary care practices where “first impressions” are formed?

Our physicians and nurses have been told that positive change will come, but it takes time. My question is, how long must they wait before visible signs of positive change appear? More and more patients are “falling through the cracks” in health care, and more and more physicians and nurses are leaving their professions. Is our system of corporate health care based upon untruths?

There is a Latin phrase, “Dum spiro, spero.”Translated, it means, “While I breathe, I hope.”

This phrase gives me the hope to face my medical issues and that needed and necessary changes to our health care system will come to be.

Michele Luckenbaugh is a patient advocate. 

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

The slippery slope of utilization management

September 28, 2022 Kevin 2
…
Next

Where do trans and visibly queer people go to residency?

September 28, 2022 Kevin 1
…

Tagged as: Patients, Public Health & Policy

Post navigation

< Previous Post
The slippery slope of utilization management
Next Post >
Where do trans and visibly queer people go to residency?

More by Michele Luckenbaugh

  • Voices unheard: the plight of patients and clinicians in the health care system

    Michele Luckenbaugh
  • A mundane ultrasound? The emotional weight of diagnostic tests.

    Michele Luckenbaugh
  • Lean on me: the power of human connection and the support of a caring doctor

    Michele Luckenbaugh

Related Posts

  • How social media can help or hurt your health care career

    Health eCareers
  • To “fix” health care delivery, turn to a value-based health care system

    David Bernstein, MD, MBA
  • Behavioral health providers face challenges in value-based care

    Martin Lustick, MD
  • To fix health care, ask patients to change their understanding of how a health care system should work

    Richard Young, MD
  • How our health care system traumatizes patients

    Linda Girgis, MD
  • Fixing health care requires putting patients and their health teams on top

    Matthew Hahn, MD

More in Conditions

  • The psychoanalytic hammer: lessons in listening and patient-centered care

    Greg Smith, MD
  • 5 essential tips to help men prevent prostate cancer

    Kevin Jones, MD
  • Changing the pediatric care landscape: Integrating behavioral and mental health care

    Hilary M. Bowers, MD
  • Unlocking the secret to successful weight loss: Curiosity is the key

    Franchell Hamilton, MD
  • The teacher who changed my life through reading

    Raymond Abbott
  • Revaluating mental health assessments: It’s not just the patient you should consider

    Tomi Mitchell, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • Healing the damaged nurse-physician dynamic

      Angel J. Mena, MD and Ali Morin, MSN, RN | Policy
    • The struggle to fill emergency medicine residency spots: Exploring the factors behind the unfilled match

      Katrina Gipson, MD, MPH | Physician
    • From physician to patient: one doctor’s journey to finding purpose after a devastating injury

      Stephanie Pearson, MD | Physician
    • Breaking the cycle of misery in medicine: a practical guide

      Paul R. Ehrmann, DO | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • The hidden dangers of the Nebraska Heartbeat Act

      Meghan Sheehan, MD | Policy
    • The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters

      Catherine Hennessey, MD | Physician
    • The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools

      Helen Kim, MD | Policy
    • Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • Why are doctors sued and politicians aren’t?

      Kellie Lease Stecher, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • The psychoanalytic hammer: lessons in listening and patient-centered care

      Greg Smith, MD | Conditions
    • From rural communities to underserved populations: How telemedicine is bridging health care gaps

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Physician
    • 5 essential tips to help men prevent prostate cancer

      Kevin Jones, MD | Conditions
    • Unlock the power of physician compensation data in contract negotiations [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • From pennies to attending salaries: Why physicians should teach their kids financial literacy

      Michele Cho-Dorado, MD | Finance
    • From solidarity to co-liberation: Understanding the journey towards ending oppression

      Maiysha Clairborne, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 6 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Senators Press HHS Chief on Alzheimer's Drugs, Opioids at Budget Hearing
  • Despite Abortion Restrictions, Ob/Gyn Remains Competitive Residency
  • Cholera Outbreak Widens; What Beethoven's DNA Revealed; Grindr's Free HIV Tests
  • FDA Panel Supports Tofersen for Rare Genetic ALS
  • Pregnant, Black? Here's Your Drug Test

Meeting Coverage

  • Outlook for Itchy Prurigo Nodularis Continues to Improve With IL-31 Antagonist
  • AAAAI President Shares Highlights From the 2023 Meeting
  • Second-Line Sacituzumab Govitecan Promising in Platinum-Ineligible UC
  • Trial of Novel TYK2 Inhibitor Hits Its Endpoint in Plaque Psoriasis
  • Durable Vitiligo Responses With Topical Ruxolitinib
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • Healing the damaged nurse-physician dynamic

      Angel J. Mena, MD and Ali Morin, MSN, RN | Policy
    • The struggle to fill emergency medicine residency spots: Exploring the factors behind the unfilled match

      Katrina Gipson, MD, MPH | Physician
    • From physician to patient: one doctor’s journey to finding purpose after a devastating injury

      Stephanie Pearson, MD | Physician
    • Breaking the cycle of misery in medicine: a practical guide

      Paul R. Ehrmann, DO | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • The hidden dangers of the Nebraska Heartbeat Act

      Meghan Sheehan, MD | Policy
    • The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters

      Catherine Hennessey, MD | Physician
    • The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools

      Helen Kim, MD | Policy
    • Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • Why are doctors sued and politicians aren’t?

      Kellie Lease Stecher, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • The psychoanalytic hammer: lessons in listening and patient-centered care

      Greg Smith, MD | Conditions
    • From rural communities to underserved populations: How telemedicine is bridging health care gaps

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Physician
    • 5 essential tips to help men prevent prostate cancer

      Kevin Jones, MD | Conditions
    • Unlock the power of physician compensation data in contract negotiations [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • From pennies to attending salaries: Why physicians should teach their kids financial literacy

      Michele Cho-Dorado, MD | Finance
    • From solidarity to co-liberation: Understanding the journey towards ending oppression

      Maiysha Clairborne, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today iMedicalApps
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Is our health care system based on untruths?
6 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...