“Waste is worse than loss. The time is coming when every person who lays claim to ability will keep the question of waste before him constantly.” – Thomas Edison The escalating challenge of waste in U.S. medicine The U.S. health care system…
Category: Policy
Health care reform requires better access and quality: dialysis as an example
Having spent two years in Oxford as a Marshall Scholar in the mid-1970s, I came back to medical school believing in a national health service—i.e., Medicare for all. But I learned firsthand that a monopoly can provide access without ensuring quality. W…
Voting as a physician: How my parents’ story inspired me to advocate
My parents, both physicians, embody the American story. After completing medical school in Iran, they were recruited to the U.S. in 1968 to fill the gap left by doctors sent to Vietnam. Building a life from the ground up, they became pillars of their p…
Voting as a physician: How my parents’ story inspired me to advocate
My parents, both physicians, embody the American story. After completing medical school in Iran, they were recruited to the U.S. in 1968 to fill the gap left by doctors sent to Vietnam. Building a life from the ground up, they became pillars of their p…
A prescription from the next generation of doctors: Vote early
As future medical professionals, we see the real-life consequences of political decisions in emergency rooms, hospitals, and clinics. Despite a growing recognition that voting is directly linked to better health outcomes, however, health professionals …
The duty of health system boards to prioritize organizational culture, workforce development, and career pathways
Recently, I interviewed Dr. David Morris, a physician in Ireland and CEO of Verity Barrington, along with Geoffrey Roche, director of workforce development for Siemens Healthineers. Our conversation focused on successes in health care in both Ireland a…
Medicare for all could work if doctors lead the way
Although Medicare for all seems to have gotten buried by politicians who label it as “socialistic,” it’s still an important idea that could be feasible if we approached it from a fresh perspective. As patients, we may reflexively see …
Hospitals should recognize and address administrative harm
“Administrative harm is destroying American medicine” is the title of a provocative article published in the July 13, 2024, issue of KevinMD by Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA. He references business entrepreneur and billionaire Michael B. Kim, who…
We can prevent another Apalachee High School, if we have the courage to act
Hearing about the school shooting last week at Apalachee High School in Georgia, I couldn’t imagine the gut-wrenching pain that the victims and the local community felt as yet another mass shooting tore apart families. The tragedy reminded me tha…
A lack of specialized care continues to shortchange Medicaid moms who face the greatest threat from the maternal mental health crisis
In the shadow of America’s maternal health crisis, Medicaid mothers are fighting an uphill battle against systemic neglect. Many of these mothers are facing a cruel reality: the more they need help, the harder it is to get. It is far from uncommo…
