We work with dozens of physicians employed by hospital systems (a radical change from my practice years, when few physicians worked for hospitals). In almost every instance of contract renewal negotiation, the physicians are told or shown on spreadsheets just how much money the hospital loses on them. You’d think that any rational hospital administrator would…
A little while back I wrote a blog entry about a young woman going to the ER for a panic attack. I ended with these thoughts: Here are my questions: – Why are young people going to the ER for panic attacks? – Why are so many young people having panic attacks and anxiety? I…
After getting his proposed budget cuts to Medicare stuffed in March (cuts to doctors and hospitals, of course), Pres. Trump zoomed down to hit the Florida hustings to cheer on the continued survival of this beloved program. He hit the premier gray ghetto in The Villages, promising to protect Medicare from “socialism,’ which is akin to…
Combination drugs are always fun. Tweet
Pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive. If you worship money and things — if they are where you tap real meaning in life — then you will never have enough. Never feel you have enough. It’s the truth. Worship your own body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always…
This is a challenging blog to write. On one hand we say to people to pay their bills. On the other hand we have the plight of the poor. This article references 5,700 lawsuits against patients by Ballad Health in its first fiscal year as a health system, which ended in June and 5,400 in the…
In the United States the most profitable business is healthcare. It’s the only country where the wholesale cost of medication ranges from pennies to a few dollars and the sale cost the same medications is increased exponentially, and it’s all due to middlemen known as pharmacy benefit managers. This article isn’t about these legalized criminals, but rather…
Often writing for this site, I am reminded of the fantastically apt Jeff Goldblum line from “Jurassic Park”: “YEAH, BUT YOUR SCIENTISTS WERE SO PREOCCUPIED WITH WHETHER OR NOT THEY COULD THAT THEY DIDN’T STOP TO THINK IF THEY SHOULD.” Amen. Right out front, let me cheerfully admit that I don’t like much of what…
Good surgeons versus good bedside manner.More than two decades ago, our regional hospital started an open heart surgery program. The new heart surgeon had a stellar record and we all met with him as the program readied for its launch. A common statement was circulated among the doctors: “He’s a really nice guy. I hope that means he’s…
This article articulates several reasons for physician led healthcare, and I couldn’t agree more. If implemented, I think this would be the most beneficial change that the ailing system has seen in a long time. For one, “research shows physician-run hospitals score approximately 25% higher on hospital-quality scores and overall hospital quality”. Why is this?…