Author's posts
Angered by High Health Care Spending? Here’s What Maryland is Doing
In 2014, Maryland enacted a bold approach in an effort to curb medical spending. How did that experiment work out? Let’s look at a recent study in JAMA zooming on the second year of the experiment.
Your (500) Physician(s) Will See You Now
The day of solo practitioners is coming to an end. Mega practices are becoming the norm in American medical care. There are lots of factors promoting these changes – reimbursement models, electronic medical records, work-life balance and price negotiat…
Would Jesus’ Politics Be More Like Trump’s Or Nancy Pelosi’s?
These differences in moral attitudes lead to maddening conversations when people from opposite sides of the political spectrum find themselves debating politics. Would those disputes be more productive if we all took a step back and asked what God thin…
Doctors Without Appointments
Many Americans who are not already established with primary care physicians have trouble getting timely medical care for urgent problems, even if they have health insurance.
You’re Already A Guinea Pig. Here’s How To Be A Better One.
Not long ago, I received a treatment so unproven my insurance company wouldn’t pay for it. Third party payers have the power to persuade clinicians to provide promising but unproven treatments within the context of scientifically useful clinical trials…
If You Want to Avoid a C-Section Choose Your Hospital Wisely
We have an epidemic of C-sections in the US, now accounting for almost 1 in 3 births. That represents a 50% increase since the mid-90s, despite all the advances we’ve seen in obstetrical care. Why do these unnecessary C-sections happen and how can you …
Your Risk of Prostate Cancer Just Dropped Precipitously. Here’s Why
Most men diagnosed with prostate cancer don’t die of the disease. The huge disparity between deaths and diagnoses arises in large part from over-diagnosis of prostate cancer, as a consequence of screening tests that find cancers that would not have pro…
The Greediest Companies In American Healthcare Are Not Who You Think
New cancer drugs routinely cost more than $100,000 per patient, even when they bring only modest benefits. And some generic medications are going up in price rapidly. There is a sector of the healthcare industry that has flow under the radar but is jus…
The Surprising Truth About The Rising Price Of Generic Medications
The truth surrounding the price of generic drugs is surprising. In the last 10 years, the price of generic medications in the US has actually fallen. Does that mean generic price hikes are a creation of media hype? And is the problem bad enough to warr…
Insurers Are Not Paying Enough For HPV Vaccines — And Our Kids Are Paying The Price
The HPV vaccine saves lives. Vaccinate your teenage daughter against HPV, and you will increase the chance she will live to old age. Simple as that. Yet currently, the majority of American teenagers, boys and girls, are reaching adulthood without the f…
