Category: Policy

The epidemic of violence against health care workers

Across the country, many doctors, nurses and other health care workers have remained silent about what is being called an epidemic of violence against them. The violent outbursts come from patients and patients’ families. And for years, it has been con…

Protect yourself and your standard of living as a nurse

This article is about learning to protect yourself and your standard of living as a nurse. Now that I am considered a seasoned nurse, I have concluded that there are many essential aspects of the nursing profession that are not discussed during nursing…

Pay people for their kidneys? It’s time.

These are trying times for health care optimists. Despite all the hype surrounding breakthroughs in clinical practice and technology, American medicine is stuck in in neutral. Though the engine is revving loudly, little progress is being made. This unf…

Medicare for all will kill jobs. But it may be necessary.

As calls for radical health reform grow louder, many on the right, in the center and in the health care industry are arguing that proposals like “Medicare for all” would cause economic ruin, decimating a sector that represents nearly 20% of our economy…

Patient experience scores are being dragged down by process problems

Which statement fits your organization the best? Option A: Our organizational strategies, incentives, goals, and mantras are driven by patient experience. Option B: Our organizational strategies, incentives, goals, and mantras are driven by quality and…

Patient experience scores are being dragged down by process problems

Which statement fits your organization the best? Option A: Our organizational strategies, incentives, goals, and mantras are driven by patient experience. Option B: Our organizational strategies, incentives, goals, and mantras are driven by quality and…

It’s time for physicians to be less “productive”

Physician compensation in most employed positions is based on how much a physician “produces.” I work as a psychiatrist, and this amounts to how many patients you see per hour. The more patients you see, the more “productive” you are, the more money yo…

A physician suggests how to improve Medicare

This is a brief explanation of Medicare from a physician’s perspective, as well as my thoughts on how Congress could make adjustments that would bring us closer to universal care and provide the private market the freedom to improve health care o…

How PTSD is hurting nursing

Every time I hear that there is a nursing shortage in America, I feel myself cringe. There is not a shortage of nurses in America. There is a shortage of nurses who choose to work at the bedside. There is a reason, and it is called post-traumatic stres…

No politician has a realistic solution for health care

If you live or work in Washington DC, your number one health care question is how do I (or my meal ticket people) win the next election. If you live or work in Caruthersville MO, chances are that your most pressing health care question is how do I (or …