Unbiased Analysis of Today's Healthcare Issues
Yesterday I wrote about the problems with fragmented medical care in America. Is a single payer system the only solution? A Commonwealth Fund report shows that the single payer system is not the only path towards improved, more integrated care. What we want The report outlines six general improvements that need to be made to…
The U.S. healthcare system is one of the more fragmented systems in the world. Traditionally, economists believe that a splash of decentralized planning with a heap of free markets is a recipe for efficient outcomes. In the case of health care coordination, however, information sharing, and collaborative work are needed if quality is to improve…
Between 1992 to 2003, the share of public hospitals in Germany has decreased from 45% to 36%, while the proportion of for-profit hospitals rose from 15% to 25%. Is this a good thing? The economic literature has mixed findings with respect to efficiency and ownership structure. In general, economic theory predicts that private ownership is…
I recently finished reading Management Lessons from Mayo Clinic by Leonard Berry and Kent Seltman. The book provides a glimpse inside one of the most successful health care organizations. While the book illuminates how Mayo Clinic has solved many of its operational issues and how it has built its reputation, the book is overwhelmingly positive.…
Recently, the San Diego Union Tribune reported that the Sharp Grossmont Hospital in eastern San Diego county was cited for a number of preventable deaths. Reporter Cherl Clark found numerous problems, which included: “staff members restraining a highly medicated, 25-year-old man with schizophrenia in such a way that he was allowed to suffocate. In addition,…
NPR’s Morning Edition reports on what happened when health economist Philip Musgrove brought a dying man to an emergency room. The receptionist with whom Dr. Musgrove interacted would not treat a the man until his health insurance information was collected.
There is an interesting article a few weeks back in the Wall Street Journal (“Opting Out“) which describes the plight of Amish and Old Order Mennonites who refuse to buy health insurance. Further, since these groups also refuse to participate in Medicaid government assistance will not bail them out either. Nevertheless, these societies do have…
The N.Y. Times reports (“Concerned about costs…“) that Congress is trying to impose new restrictions on physician-owned, for-profit hospitals. The legislators fear that these hospitals 1) drive up costs and 2) provide poor quality. Legislators worry that when physicians own the hospital, they may have more of an incentive to order more procedures to increase…
How much care should doctors give to terminally ill patients in the ICU? This is a question which can be answered on many levels (e.g., societal, individual, technical). One physician gives his thoughts in an n+1 magazine article titled “First, do no harm.” While advanced medical technology has lead to greater longevity and healthier lives,…
Many studies have attempted to determine how the manner in which physicians are compensated by health insurance companies affects the quantity of medical care provided. Today I will summarize some seminal studies in this field. Epstein, Begg and McNeil (NEJM 1986) In this study, the authors examine whether or not there is a difference in…