Comments on: Health Care in America: A Way Forward

By: Warren McInteer

Warren McInteer — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:48:30 +0000

There is an excess because of four reasons , the law suits which result if a doctor does not order an MRI; demand by patients (fair point made by “geniusiknowit” above; overzealous marketing by medical professionals; and most importantly the subsidy by government – of course the government subsidises MRIs – through Medicaid, Medicare and through allowing workers to pay pre-tax dollars for healthcare insurance. Government in the US pays over half of all health care expenditures

By: geniusiknowit

geniusiknowit — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:18:53 +0000

Which would you prefer: Getting frequently scanned for a low-probability event (like in the US), or routinely waiting 6 months to get scanned for injuries or possible tumors (like in Canada)?

The US has more high-tech equipment per capita because people demand it, not because some bureaucrat decided how many machines would be most politically expedient. The hospitals can’t buy these machines if the patients don’t want to pay for it. The only way there could be an “excess” of this equipment is if the govt is subsidizing it.

By: JCollins

JCollins — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 02:31:42 +0000

Warren,

I always knew you were a genius; your views should be read by so many–I’ll let as many as I can know about your blog…. Hope you are well. It’s been a long time.

By: Blaise deFranceaux

Blaise deFranceaux — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 17:15:19 +0000

Well done Warren! Bill C told be about your blog and I’m glad to share in the conversation. I’m passing this along to my doctor step-son, and another friend who is involved in health policy. Hope you are well, and that I see you again soon.
Blaise

By: Warren McInteer

Warren McInteer — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 13:35:41 +0000

Thanks for your intelligent comment. Change is made one step at a time – if the strategy is agreed by the ones incharge, every step in tactics and policy should be checked against the strategy. Change will be in baby steps, not giant leaps. America is the greatest country on earth – if we want to change we can.

By: Andy Juell

Andy Juell — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 02:59:12 +0000

A lot of what you express is absolutely correct, particularly when you say that ‘defining the problem is one thing, implementing it quite another.’ I have worked around health care quite a bit — currently at a hospital — and as you pointed out and the stats show, the MRI is running around the clock. The objective is to diagnose nothing — simply to eliminate something that is probably 14th on the list of possibilities. Day in and day out people arrive by ambulance that are more dead than alive for procedures, physical therapy, God knows what, that basically have no window to get better. As cruel as it may sound — triage being judged that way a lot — hard, unemotional decisions need to be made. Why would a doctor order a MRI for a hip replacement on a 72 year old woman with obesity problems, insulin-dependent Type II diabetes, two strokes and a mild heart attack in her history? Ask the folks upstairs in administration. Like you said, there is either a check or a lawyer involved.
What I do see is broad support in the front line troops (doctors and skilled nursing) for an entirely revamped system. Many have left medicine because the system has corrupted the nature of what they set out to do — that being to parctice medicine. Instead they become paper pushers, legal experts and worst of all –liars. Like you said though, change in this system has some pretty stiff resistance. Thanks.
AJuell

By: Health Care in America: A Time for Change | Demockracy

Health Care in America: A Time for Change | Demockracy — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 21:45:44 +0000

[...] I will explore my personal experiences that led me to write this series and outline the problem. In Part 2, I will lay out my solutions for a way forward to solve the health care problem in [...]