Why Physicians Oppose The Health Care Reform Bill

There's a commentary on Forbes.com titled, "Why Physicians Oppose The Health Care Reform Bill." Dr. Daniel Palestrant, Founder of Sermo, sums it up like this:

"Health care without active physician participation is no health care at all."

Do you agree? As some like to say, "We've given everyone a free bus pass, but there's only one bus for hundreds of people who need to travel somewhere." I guess waiting 6 months for a primary care visit is better than never having a visit. I guess it's also better than using the ER and then filing for bankruptcy because you can't pay your medical bill. I'm not sure that we're going to improve health unless we can come up with several new ideas to engage physicians in the reform movement.

Here's a compelling snippet from the article:

A recently released poll of more than 2,000 physicians, conducted by Athenahealth and Sermo, is alarming. The poll, part of a broader Physician Sentiment Index, indicates that 79% of physicians are less optimistic about medicine since the passage of health care reform. Fifty-three percent indicate they will consider opting out of insurance plans with passage of the bill. Worst of all, 66% indicate that they will consider opting out of all government-run programs. The same reform bill that will provide "care for all" may drive away more physician caregivers than attract previously uninsured patients. What a predicament that would be. 

To read the entire commentary, visit Forbes.com. 

Robots in hospitals improving patient safety

I love robots. R2-D2 from Star Wars is my favorite robot. When I retire someday, I'm planning on building a full-size R2-D2 that will move around my house and fetch me my slippers.

We're seeing more robots in the hospitals. Most of these won't be roaming the halls (except for the slow robot that delivers the mail), but quite a few are being used to dispense medications and to perform other tasks in the inpatient setting. A few months ago, Forbes had an article titled, "R2-D2 Has Your Pills." They mentioned how the Robot-Rx (medication-dispensing robot made by McKesson) is being used in a John Muir hospital to reduce medical errors related to drug dispensing. According to that article:

McKesson has installed 400 medicine-dispensing robots at hospitals around the country. They cost between $750,00 and $1 million. McKesson builds the robots at a factory in Pittsburgh, PA. 

Speaking of robots, I'm still waiting to see some iRobot Roomba and Scooba robots in the hospitals. They're great for floor cleaning. Speaking of iRobot, did you know that several members of the management team and Board Members are MIT graduates? No surprise, is it? Sometimes I wonder what my life would have been like had I pursued a career in robotics and biomechanical engineering.

Shopping for health insurance

Over the long weekend, I had a chance to catch up on some reading. I pulled out the August 3rd edition of Forbes and started reading the "Fact and Comment" section by Steve Forbes, Editor-in-Chief of Forbes magazine. The heading for this column was "Washington: Still Abusing the Economy... and Undermining Health Care." These days, it seems like you can publish just about anything when it comes to politics and health insurance reform.

Forbes suggests some "helpful and constructive measures" that may move our country to a more genuinely "free-enterprise" health care system. One of the points he mentions is this:

• Allow consumers to shop for health insurance across state lines.

I don't know how often people think about health insurance plans in other states. If you move around quite a bit, then perhaps you're aware of the differences that may be present. However, unless you're a student and you have your health insurance through your parents who live in a different state, you won't find many people who have coverage through a different state. You simply can't purchase health insurance from a different state.

When looking to buy insurance, you can save time and money by getting auto insurance quotes or health insurance quotes from reliable insurers. I recently did some insurance shopping for my family and I got quotes from everyone. It helps to use a broker if you're too busy to fill out forms, but you may be surprised to know that much of this can be done online these days. I also used comparison sites like J.D. Powers and Associates to compare different insurance plans.

When we see a public health insurance plan emerge, will this new plan actually cause enough competition that private insurers lower their prices? If it's properly designed, then I'm sure we will. Otherwise, it will flop. I'd like to be optimistic and hope that the government sponsored health insurance plan will be a success. If so, I'd like to see some public insurance options for auto, homeowners, and malpractice insurance.

Dr. Oz on Forbes - headaches about resveratrol

There's a story on Forbes titled, "A Headache for Dr. Oz." Poor Dr. Oz. Forbes says, "The celebrity surgeon's endorsement of a longevity pill has sparked a ragtag industry of dubious sellers - starring Dr. Oz."

He's a celebrity because of Oprah, but now it seems like he's facing many headaches about resveratrol. Maybe it's just one major headache. Dr. Oz talked up the antiaging properties of resveratrol and now many companies are using his name and photo to promote resveratrol. The problem is that some (actualy, many) of these companies appear to be questionable at best. They have been reported to the Better Business Bureau and have been rated with an "F" plus over two thousand customer complaints.

Resveratrol is not a miracle drug. It is still being researched (see Harvard Researcher and the Secret of Aging). Don't buy it on the Internet (or anywhere else) - we still need more information about this agent. This post is not meant to be interpreted as medical advice. It's meant to protect you from the Internet scams that are out there regarding the use of resveratrol pills, creams, and other anti-aging products.

Harvard Researcher and the Secret of Aging

Has Harvard Medical School researcher David Sinclair found the secret of aging? There's an article in Forbes titled, "Never Say Die" and it features some of the research done by Sinclair. He is famous for discovering resveratrol, a chemical found in red wine that may impact aging. Experiments with resveratrol have shown that mice may live longer. Image source: totallycebu.com

Robotic Surgery Like Star Trek

Dr. David B. Samadi, Chief, Division of Robotics and Minimally Invasive Surgery Mount Sinai School of Medicine, has a Forbes press release on his site titled, 'Star Trek' Surgery. Now that's my kind of title.

We have seen some tremendous advances in robotic surgery over the last decade. Intuitive Surgical, Inc. has a robot that has three or four extendable arms that a surgeon can control from a console in the operating room. The da Vinci robot has been around for many years and is used for various types of surgery including robotic prostatectomy for prostate cancer. Intuitive has sold 1,171 da Vinci systems around the world at an average price of $1.5 million. Image Source: Robotic Oncology by David B. Samadi, M.D.

9 comments so far on the Forbes story on Concierge Medicine

An interesting article popped up on Forbes last month titled, "Should You Dump Your Primary Care Physician?"

So far, there are 9 comments and several are from physicians who are actively practicing boutique or concierge medicine. This is a growing industry and may see a huge burst depending on what types of changes occur within the nation's healthcare system.

"Reasons Not To Become A Doctor" on Forbes

"Reasons Not To Become A Doctor" on Forbes

http://www.forbes.com/2008/05/05/physicians-training-prospects-lead-careers-cx_tw_0505doctors.html

A very interesting article that hits some major points about being a physician in modern times.

Here are some excerpts:

Within the next 15 years, the United States will experience a shortage of between 90,000 to 200,000 physicians, according to the recently published Will the Last Physician in America Please Turn Off the Lights: A Look at America's Looming Doctor Shortage...

But there are other significant reasons. They include the increasing costs of medical malpractice coverage, higher practice costs, lower insurance reimbursement rates and insurance-company restrictions resulting in less autonomy over how patients are cared for...


Insurance has become a loaded word. One-third of the country is insured by Medicare, and over the next nine years, the government program plans to cut payments to physicians by about 40%, while practice costs are projected to increase 20%, according to the American Medical Association. The first of those cuts will take place in July, when the reimbursement rate to doctors will drop by 10.6%. The next cut, of 5%, will occur in January...


Meanwhile, getting sued by a patient is a major concern. Of course, doctors who make fatal mistakes and who are unqualified should be held responsible. But there's evidence that the bulk of lawsuits brought are frivolous. Of all malpractice lawsuits brought to jury trial in 2004, the defendant won 91% of the time. Only 6% of all lawsuits go to trial; those that aren't thrown out are settled. Only 27% of all claims made against doctors result in money awarded to the plaintiff, according to Smarr, president of the trade association for medical malpractice companies...

To support that assertion, a 2007 survey by Merritt, Hawkins indicated that 57% of 1,175 doctors questioned would not recommend the field to their children...

You can read some interesting comments by going to the article itself.