Change is usually good, and change can save a medical institution, no matter how big or small.
Category: Medical Economics
Health professionals volunteer their services when the ACA isn’t enough
At the recent national meeting of the American College of Physicians (ACP), I dropped in on a session about medical volunteering. I thought I might hear about an interesting opportunity to volunteer in Africa, or South America perhaps. Instead, the first presentation was about volunteering at a free clinic-in America. The physician in charge spoke of an impressive roster of staff-physicians, nurses, medical assistants, who, amazingly, all worked for free to support no-cost healthcare.
Free clinics are wonderful and an important part of the fledgling healthcare infrastructure in economically struggling areas, but should not be necessary in a wealthy country. Americans deserve better.
Obtaining an assault rifle should be as difficult as becoming a doctor
Not everyone can treat patients legally, and not everyone can hold a person’s life and future in their hands. That’s why we have medical schools and licensure fees and exams and state medical boards-to keep quacks and charlatans from hanging out a shingle. In America, though, we permit just about anyone to accumulate lethal weapons–like the AR-15 assault rifle responsible for so many mass shootings–with the power to end many people’s lives.
Why it might be hard to find a medical marijuana doctor
Many doctors have a difficult time with marijuana as medication, and consider doctors who prescribe it as second-class citizens. These doctors fear that they will enable recreational drug use, that patients will abuse medical cards to get drugs for friends and that patients will lie to them to get a card.
Why are medical bills so hard to understand?
It’s come to this: healthcare entities have so successfully bamboozled American consumers with their wacky bills and lack of pricing transparency, compounded with robbing middle-class Paul to pay uninsured Peter, that a chirpy contest for entrepreneurs-yes, a call for people to start an entire business to decode medical bills-is the best chance the American people have.
Monya De, MD MPH 