Washington, Please don’t bail out the health care industry

From the Health Care Blog:
A health care Marshall Plan — $50 Billion stimulus to get electronic health records (EHRs) in every doctor’s hands or $50,000 to each physician -– what an incredible marketing job.
Detroit, are you listening? Stop whining to Congress that you need a bailout. Tell them you want to be the new alternative [...]

Free-standing ERs promise good medicine plus customer service

From the Kansas City Star:
At most of America’s 4,500 or so hospital emergency rooms, the old ways still rule. But a new type of emergency facility is emerging across the country, one that isn’t at a hospital at all and whose claim to fame is customer service.
Often situated in the fast-growing suburbs, these “freestanding” emergency [...]

USA Today Editorial on Malpractice

From USA Today:
Health care costs are out of control, as we heard constantly during the presidential campaign. Yet that doesn’t stop sensible physicians from shunning the sickest patients or ordering needless hospitalizations, drugs, tests and invasive procedures.
Against their better judgment, physicians practice “defensive medicine” — actions designed to protect themselves from lawsuits rather than serve [...]

The decline of family practice residency training programs

From Kevin MD:
It’s well known that fewer medical students are opting to become family physicians.
This is having a deleterious effect on training programs, where slots are going unfilled. It costs approximately $100,000 to train a single doctor, and hospitals are operating family practice residencies at a loss.
Two programs in Arizona are eliminating such primary care [...]

Economy Affects Hospitals In U.S.

From eFluxMedia:

Healthcare companies and organizations are about to confront with a “watershed” 2009, a report released by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP’s Health Research Institute reveals.
Medical facilities throughout the United States are making great efforts in order to stay afloat amid the financial crisis, even though many of them have had pecuniary issues for a long time, Medicare, [...]

ERs could shut doors

From the Las Vegas Sun:
Nevada hospitals are in such dire financial condition that at least two are considering closing their emergency rooms and refashioning themselves as something other than full-service hospitals, according to the head of the Nevada Hospital Association.
Bill Welch, president of the trade group, declined to say which hospitals are discussing the option.
Because [...]

At What Price Physician Autonomy?

From the New York Times “Today’s Economist” Blog:
After a lengthy discourse on health policy with a physician, I asked him to describe the ideal health system from a physician’s perspective. “Everyone in society should have access to needed health care,” he responded. “Only the physician and the patient should decide how to respond to a [...]

Medicaid owes Peoria hospitals millions

From the Peoria (IL)  Journal Star:
They aren’t panicking, but Peoria health-care providers have serious concerns about the millions of dollars state government owes them.
Their worries are understandable.
The Journal Star checked with selected providers in town and found they are due at least $32 million from the state – mainly for medical care they gave to [...]

Bill would give tax break as incentive for doctors

From the Kansas City Star:
A (Missouri) state lawmaker is pushing legislation that would provide health care workers tax breaks as an incentive for them to see more Medicaid recipients.
State Sen. Jason Crowell, R-Cape Girardeau, said the bill would allow doctors, nurses and dentists to deduct Medicaid payments from their taxable income.
He said such a move [...]

iPatient

KevinMD on a New England Journal of Medicine “Perspectives” article
Stanford’s Abraham Verghese has a wonderful perspective piece in the current NEJM.
With the advent of electronic information systems in hospitals, today’s medical residents spend more time in front of computer monitors instead of talking to patients.
Dr. Verghese coins the term the “iPatient,” where “emergency room personnel [...]