Archive for the ‘Behavior Change’ Category
Friday, September 18th, 2009
David Goldhill wrote an article for the The Atlantic titled "How American Healthcare Killed my Father". In the article, he uses his father's death from infection in a NY hospital to discuss healthcare reform and consumerism. David is a self-professed Democrat but he is concerned about reform's effort to disassociate ...
Posted in Behavior Change, Costs of Care, Universal Healthcare | No Comments »
Friday, September 11th, 2009
Davis Martin from CNN just wrote a new story on how to bargain hunt for healthcare services: http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/09/10/health.care.price.comparison/index.html
This is just one article in a larger number of writings recently that have started to focus on how to accurately calculate / negotiate the true cost of care (thus saving money by comparison ...
Posted in Behavior Change, Costs of Care | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 4th, 2009
Here is a good article from the WSJ on the power of patient decision making and illustrates the fact that there is no one right answer when it comes to health - each patient / consumer is unique
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203674704574328570637446770.html
Compass can help patients understand their options and can point them in directions ...
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Saturday, August 1st, 2009
There is a reason why healthcare consumerism has the potential to be such a powerful force for change: an empowered patient is the only person to whom a physician or hospital executive feels any accountability.
The primary purpose of both physicians and hospitals is to serve and heal patients, often in ...
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Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
There is a large difference in the price of medications that are infused at a doctor's office depending on what doctor you see or where you have the infusion performed. Medications such as Remicade used to treat intestinal illnesses like Crohn's Disease and joint diseases like Rheumatoid Arthritis can ...
Posted in Behavior Change, Costs of Care | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009
The Associated Press reported today that there are 4 issues that "could dash President Barack Obama's hopes for overhauling healthcare."
(http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/06/30/hard_choices_on_4_big_issues_stymie_health_push/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news)
Issue #1 - Cost - $1 - $2 Trillion over the next 10 years
Consumers as 'Stewards' can lower cost by including cost in the healthcare decision making process. The ...
Posted in Behavior Change, Costs of Care | No Comments »
Friday, June 5th, 2009
The recent article in the New Yorker entitled "The Cost Conundrum--What a Texas town can teach us about health care" is very good:
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/06/01/090601fa_fact_gawande?currentPage=1
Atul Gawande has laid out the underlying cause of high healthcare costs: Overutilization.
In my opinion, he has hit the nail on the head.
I want to make as ...
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Thursday, May 14th, 2009
On this blog I write a lot about how to be more cost-effective in providing and receiving care. So today I am going to focus on QUALITY.
Much is in the TV news, magazines and professional journals about physician and healthcare quality. Usually the story is that quality is ...
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Tuesday, May 5th, 2009
In the Sunday Magazine section of the New York Times this past weekend (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/magazine/03Obama-t.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=after%20the%20great%20recession&st=cse) there is an interview with President Obama on a range of subjects including healthcare. In the article, Mr. Obama says, "So when Peter Orszag and I talk about the importance of using comparative-effectiveness studies as ...
Posted in Behavior Change, Costs of Care | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 15th, 2009
People often ask me, "How do I bring up cost with my doctor? I want the best for my health and the doctor just seems so busy. I don't want to bother him."
Here is what I tell people to say to their doctor:
"This test could end up costing ...
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