April 27, 2010
1:06 pm
An interesting, and troubling, piece ran recently in the Wall Street Journal. The article highlighted one of the major shortcomings of the newly enacted health reform law. This article, “Medical Schools Can’t Keep Up,” said covering 32 million more people who haven’t had health insurance outpaces the capacity of the number of doctors we have to attend the new total number of patients. As well, the medical education system won’t be able to produce enough new doctors to meet the demand.
Estimates predict a deficit of doctors potentially reaching a 150,000 gap by 2025. The United States currently has 954,000 physicians. The area in which doctors are needed is in primary care. Yet, that’s the practice fewer medical students have been selecting. Medical training programs have begun to push primary care, but the supply pipeline is definitely behind the curve. The new health law only adds to that problem.
Plus, everyone must train in a medical residency program in order to lawfully practice medicine. But residency slots are limited, and the law’s cuts to Medicare, which pays for medical training programs, don’t help.
Unfortunately, all Americans will feel the effects of this physician shortfall. The Journal reported: “A shortage of primary-care and other physicians could mean more-limited access to health care and longer wait times for patients.”
The Wall Street Journal article reminds us that healthcare coverage doesn’t necessarily equal healthcare access and that more work remains to be done to fulfill the vision of healthcare reform.
July 02, 2009
8:05 pm
The media’s wall-to-wall coverage of Michael Jackson unfortunately bumped an important network television report on healthcare, a piece that Americans need to see as we determine the future of our nation’s health system.
Fortunately, journalist John Stossel’s report on the Canadian healthcare system, which is often touted by proponents of a government-run health insurance option, will air on ABC’s 20/20 on Friday, July 17. Based on the preview of the story that Stossel has placed on ABC’s website, he will interview physicians and hospital administrators in Canada regarding the problems of physician shortages and long wait times for treatment that have resulted from having a government-controlled health system. Read more
June 30, 2009
10:28 am
I want to thank WPTF Radio of Raleigh, NC for inviting me on the air yesterday morning to discuss health reform. It was a good opportunity to talk about the possible impact on physicians, hospitals and patients if Medicare payment rates are expanded to cover a significantly larger portion of the population. You can listen to the interview here.
April 24, 2009
8:29 am
According to those in the know on such things, there is a new blog created every half-second. That means 175,000 new blogs are finding a home on the Internet every single day. That’s a staggering figure for those of us who struggle to find time to get through the entire newspaper in the morning.
Given this abundance of information on the Web, one needs a pretty compelling rationale to erect another dwelling in this already-crowded community.
Then again, there are few subjects as important as healthcare or, more specifically, better understanding the state of our nation’s healthcare system and its future.
That’s not to say there is a scarcity of interesting and insightful voices bringing provocative perspectives on health issues to the blogosphere. Anyone who wants to add both breadth and depth to their understanding of today’s key health policy debates should add sites like the National Journal Health Blog or Disruptive Women in Health Care to their must-read list.
The niche we want to create for Prognosis is the nexus at which policy meets practice. The organization I head, the Healthcare Leadership Council, has a membership that includes many of the nation’s premier hospitals, academic health centers, innovative pharmaceutical and medical device companies, health insurers, pharmacies and health care services companies.
We’re going to discuss policy on this blog, but we’re also going to make readers more aware of the innovations taking place in healthcare delivery, financing and technology, and how health policy and healthcare practices affect one another. As Congress tackles the tough issues of how we pay for and deliver healthcare while expanding access to every American, let’s have a robust discussion as to the real-world impact possible policy decisions may have on patients, physicians, hospitals and medical researchers.
Our blog title, by the way, stems from the Greek word prognostikos. It means “to have knowledge beforehand.” Not that we’re claiming to predict the future in this space, but we hope that a better understanding of what’s happening today in American healthcare will better enable us to participate in the debate that will shape, hopefully, an exciting tomorrow.
CATEGORIES: Access to Coverage for the Uninsured,
Confidentiality of Patient Information,
Evidence-Based Medicine,
Health Information Technology,
Health Literacy and Disparities,
Health Reform,
Healthcare Costs and Value,
Healthcare Workforce Shortage,
Liability Reform,
Medicare,
Other,
Patient Safety and Quality,
Protecting Innovation,
Wellness and Chronic Care Management |
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