Slicing Pie

Jonah has a good handle on why Obama's numbers don't add up.

EMR

My group has toyed with EMR the past few years, yet has never pulled the trigger. This is mainly due to a reluctance to invest money for an unsure benefit. With the recent 'incentives' offered by the administration, we looked again. Over 5 years since our last peek, and nothing has changed. Still the same Windows based software programs, all look-alikes, with the same approach - bland, meaningless notes generated to secure billing, not provide worthwhile medical communication. At about $100,000 for my group of 7 docs, with monthly fees of $3K, and no guarantee we would ever see any TARP reimbursement, the decision once again was easy. If there was a system that could allow us to communicate with all our referral sources, and the hospital, in an efficient manner that actually positively affected patient care, we would have made the switch years ago. Unfortunately, this doesn't exist as far as I'm aware. Real reform would address this issue, and believe me, all physicians being government employees is not the answer.

Burnout

I've come across many articles lately on physician burnout, which in my specialty (pulmonary/critical care) is a prevalent problem. It appears that a significant amount of physicians regard the current proposed health care plan as the last straw that will drive them from the profession. Just glancing at the comments on physician online forums will lead one to realize that this is more than just a passing idea, but a real driving force behind a large group of frustrated, tired docs. I've been practicing just shy of a decade, and am already worn down by the constant inefficiency of reimbursement, time demands, adhering to practice guidlines that defy not only logic but also any shred of medical evidence. Will government intervention relieve this strain? I truly doubt it. We do need reform, but not this way. I'll write more on what I believe to be a real solution. For now, I hope the current situation does not scare off committed physicians who we need now more than ever.

It Was Just A Matter Of Time

I just had a patient's family member ask me to give their loved one "that Michael Jackson drug" when placed on the ventilator.

Something To Think About

The operative principle should be personal responsibility.

"Nobody wants to deal with the fact that we're no longer in a world where you can simply give everybody all the healthcare that is available."

Lots of truth in these words.

Cool

Very cool.