So much about the health insurance industry is wrong, so much compromises good care and patient safety, that when an underwriter makes the right decision it deserves attention. WellPoint Inc., according to a recent AP story, plans to boost primary care reimbursement and initiate payment for care management, a patient-protective practice it previously did not….
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Evidence Mounts Against Unnecessary, Costly Tests
Once upon a time an adult physical exam routinely included urinalysis, blood tests, echocardiogram and many other screening tests, such as a bone-density scan. But a new study in the Archives of Internal Medicine adds to the growing body of evidence that many such tests are inappropriate, unnecessary and costly beyond their value. The study,….
Continue ReadingPlaying the Doctor Office Waiting Game
As if the doctor-patient relationship isn’t one-sided enough, the subservience patients often feel can be made even worse when you must wait way beyond the appointed time for your consultation. For some patients, time is money, and for all patients whose doctors assume the doctor’s time is more important than yours, extended waiting is disrespect…..
Continue ReadingA True Story of Why We Need Report Cards on Doctors
I took a deposition a few days ago that underlined for me why we need to have public report cards on primary care doctors so that patients can separate the mediocre practitioners from the really good ones. I wrote an article explaining the idea. Read my entire piece on Huffington Post, which I called “One….
Continue ReadingFinding a Quality Doctor: How to Avoid Michael Jackson’s Mistake
The first step in making sure you have a qualified primary care doctor is to check the doctor’s board certification credentials. Tragically, Michael Jackson must not have done that, and it may have played a role in his fatal cardiac arrest. The pop singer had a non-board-certified cardiologist right on hand when he collapsed, but….
Continue ReadingQuality Care at the Medical “Home”
There’s a new/old take on the importance of primary care doctors to obtaining the best quality medical care. It’s called the medical home, and it doesn’t mean house calls, but it does mean that the patient has a medical “home” — a team of providers, led by a primary care doctor, who coordinate the patient’s….
Continue ReadingMany Patients Find Close Relationship with Primary Doctor Worth Paying For
It sounds like every patient’s medical fantasy: Easy access to your doctor 24/7, same-day appointments, thorough and unrushed examinations, little to no time in the waiting room. The only downside is expense: To get this kind of personalized care from a primary doctor, you have to pay an annual fee, and forget about insurance covering….
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