Saturday, November 13, 2010
The Mattress
I don't quite know the irony, if any, in this situation, but on my way home yesterday in bumper to bumper traffic on the Beltway, an abandoned mattress lay on the side of the road. I was quite tired, and I mused that I could have had a snooze while the rush hour traffic thinned out. But, then again, what with the bedbug situation that there is, perhaps lying on that mattress woyld not have been a good idea after all.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
The Electronic Life
One clear message that I received during the ACP meeting was the importance of having interoperable (freely communicating) electronic data on patients. We are of course in the midst of the information revolution, which is yielding important new knowledge by our having the ability to "connect the dots" so much more readily. The public health benefits of having such information are very obvious. We can track diseases, pinpoint their nodes of activity, and be able to glean cause and effect connections. With individual care, I feel that benefits can be obtained readily by having treating physicians communicate more effectively with each other by e-mail. Timely reports from consultants and radiologists would be so helpful. E-mail access to laboratory information which we have in the office has been helpful to patients on many occasions.
The need for imposing electronic infrastructure will further cause the decline of the small practice. This is inevitable, despite protestations from IT people in industry and government notwithstanding. We need an integrated medical workplace, alas. Small practice, like the one I have, still has many benefits- personalized care and better continuity of care, for example. In order for it to survive, however, IT costs need to keep dropping. Perhaps the use of the "cloud" for medical information will help. We shall see. I am still bearish on small practice prospects in the long run, however.
The need for imposing electronic infrastructure will further cause the decline of the small practice. This is inevitable, despite protestations from IT people in industry and government notwithstanding. We need an integrated medical workplace, alas. Small practice, like the one I have, still has many benefits- personalized care and better continuity of care, for example. In order for it to survive, however, IT costs need to keep dropping. Perhaps the use of the "cloud" for medical information will help. We shall see. I am still bearish on small practice prospects in the long run, however.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
American College of Physicians Meeting
I was one among many of the gray hairs that predominated the crowd at the local American College of Physicians (ACP) meeting in Bethesda. Internal Medicine is a beleaguered and changing field, and ACP represents its ideals as an intellectually minded and academically oriented organization. Of course, academics and primary care have been taking bit hits lately, which have had its impacts on the ACP. This year's meeting was limited to one day (it had been two for many years). The discussions and the collegiality were unchanged, thankfully. There was a vibrant discussion on the electronic health record and meaningful use by leaders in the field such as Dr. Peter Basch. And Dr. Sean Whelton of Georgetown sobered up the audience by demonstrating that, while the old timers in the audience had subscriptions to paper newspapers, only one of the medical students he surveyed had one. The younger generation thinks differently in terms of information acquisition, and the old-timers like us need to think about this.
One change that was very hopeful was the participation of woman as a coherent and vibrant group within the organization. They showed up as a large group to the breakfast interest section, were engaged, and were for the most part, younger. This bodes well for the local ACP. The new Governor -elect, Dr. Alice Fuisz, is an excellent physician-leader who will no doubt continue to encourage increasing female participation into what was once a very predominantly male realm.
It was good to see old friends, although I am bit wistful of times gone by. The new medicine will be more group oriented and electronically integrated, with physicians as employees, and hopefully, as managers and leaders of larger organizations.
One change that was very hopeful was the participation of woman as a coherent and vibrant group within the organization. They showed up as a large group to the breakfast interest section, were engaged, and were for the most part, younger. This bodes well for the local ACP. The new Governor -elect, Dr. Alice Fuisz, is an excellent physician-leader who will no doubt continue to encourage increasing female participation into what was once a very predominantly male realm.
It was good to see old friends, although I am bit wistful of times gone by. The new medicine will be more group oriented and electronically integrated, with physicians as employees, and hopefully, as managers and leaders of larger organizations.
Getting Rid of Medicaid
The new ascendant Republicans are thinking of all sorts of clever ways to subvert the new health care plan. The one seriously proposed by some in Texas to opt out of the state's Medicaid program is just such a subversion that even I thought serious people would not consider. Medicaid is a combined state and federal program that pays health care costs for the poor, disabled and chronically ill. States differ in their generosity of their respective Medicaid programs, both because of their relative wealth and because of their social priorities. The Feds kick in at least 50% of the total cost, but in some cases (such as in D.C.), provide a much greater portion of the total tab. Red states in the South are not particularly generous to begin with. But getting rid of Medicaid altogether? I know it is a great cost savings (and a potential boon to the funeral industry). How about getting rid of the mandatory public school system? That would save a lot of costs too. Taxes would go down dramatically. And think of all you could do with that extra money. Come to think of it, the extra money would go to propping up drowning hospital systems managing newly uninsured patients and making all those private school tuitions.
The proponents of getting rid of Medicaid say that such patients would be part of the health care pools set up by the new health care law, so, no muss, no fuss. Right. Those health care pools, with their mandatory requirements to sign up for health insurance, are going to fought by those same anti-Medicaid Republicans.
My faith in the ability of the new health care law to positively affect the ills of our health care system go down day by day.
The proponents of getting rid of Medicaid say that such patients would be part of the health care pools set up by the new health care law, so, no muss, no fuss. Right. Those health care pools, with their mandatory requirements to sign up for health insurance, are going to fought by those same anti-Medicaid Republicans.
My faith in the ability of the new health care law to positively affect the ills of our health care system go down day by day.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Primary Care
The practice of Internal Medicine, a type of primary care, has been a tricky financial trick to pull off in a small private practice setting in the last few years. The flat reimbursement rates, the increasing involvement of insurance in the personal management of medicine, and the new and evolving unfunded mandates from the government have conspired to make a successful go of it a challenge. The stimulus package from 2009 included the so-called Hi-Tech act, which incentivizes practices to use electronic health records (EHR), and more ominously, de-incentivizes practices after 2015 for not using such EHRs. The trend in medicine has been to integrate practices, either in group practice settings, or as alignments with hospitals.
Yet, despite all of this, the practice of medicine in a small setting continues to have its satisfying moments. I have good and important relationships with patients and their families, and I still feel that I have the ability to do good in a personalized way.
But, who am I kidding, the future does not bode exactly well. The trend line is still going down. And there is a new scare looming ahead that threatens to unravel the whole financial viability of such practices. SGR is an acronym describing the need for the Medicare program to square costs with reimbursements. According to the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, if Medicare costs go higher than the rate of inflation, those costs need to be recouped by decreased physician reimbursements. Now, mind you, these are total costs. So, if too many CT scans or MRIs are done, primary care physicians suffer as much as the radiologists. Because of the inherent concerns with decreasing doctor reimbursements (namely, that physicians would therefore leave the Medicare program en-masse), Congress has always decided to forgo the SGR adjustments and keep physician reimbursements where they are, occasionally even adjusting upwards for inflation. As these adjustments are not made, the bill for future adjustments keeps going up. Right now, if fixes are not made to the SGR, physician reimbursements are set to go down by 23%! in December.
Now here is the problem. If the lame duck session of Congress does not make a fix to the SGR, it will be left to the new Congress. You know, the Congress with all the new tea party members who are concerned with deficit spending. They may make an example of SGR, sticking it to the doctors taking care of Medicare patients.
If they do, I feel that the private practice of medicine will suffer a significant body blow from which it may not recover. And primary care will suffer the most. This, despite the fact that the new health care law did make an attempt to increase primary care pay.
The small practice is the example of a dying business, like the vacuum tube industry of old. There may be a small niche for it, but how long it lasts ill be unclear.
Yet, despite all of this, the practice of medicine in a small setting continues to have its satisfying moments. I have good and important relationships with patients and their families, and I still feel that I have the ability to do good in a personalized way.
But, who am I kidding, the future does not bode exactly well. The trend line is still going down. And there is a new scare looming ahead that threatens to unravel the whole financial viability of such practices. SGR is an acronym describing the need for the Medicare program to square costs with reimbursements. According to the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, if Medicare costs go higher than the rate of inflation, those costs need to be recouped by decreased physician reimbursements. Now, mind you, these are total costs. So, if too many CT scans or MRIs are done, primary care physicians suffer as much as the radiologists. Because of the inherent concerns with decreasing doctor reimbursements (namely, that physicians would therefore leave the Medicare program en-masse), Congress has always decided to forgo the SGR adjustments and keep physician reimbursements where they are, occasionally even adjusting upwards for inflation. As these adjustments are not made, the bill for future adjustments keeps going up. Right now, if fixes are not made to the SGR, physician reimbursements are set to go down by 23%! in December.
Now here is the problem. If the lame duck session of Congress does not make a fix to the SGR, it will be left to the new Congress. You know, the Congress with all the new tea party members who are concerned with deficit spending. They may make an example of SGR, sticking it to the doctors taking care of Medicare patients.
If they do, I feel that the private practice of medicine will suffer a significant body blow from which it may not recover. And primary care will suffer the most. This, despite the fact that the new health care law did make an attempt to increase primary care pay.
The small practice is the example of a dying business, like the vacuum tube industry of old. There may be a small niche for it, but how long it lasts ill be unclear.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Post Mortems
So I have been commiserating with my Democratic patients about the election results. I have got to hand it to Nate Silver at Five Thirty Eight; except for the Harry Reid win in Nevada, he nailed all the numbers. Something about the proper use of probabilities and math. He does it right. Unfortunately the results are dispiriting to a liberal like myself.
What is with the Midwest? How did they go Republican? The Democrats pushed through the auto bailout, which saved many hundreds of thousands of jobs. Most of the money given out by the feds has already been returned. GM went public with an IPO this week. The Dems voted, in the face of Republican disapproval, the continued extension of unemployment insurance. If there is a region in the country that needs the help of good government, it is the Midwest. So, what gives?
I am happy that at least the most "out there" tea partiers like Christine O'Donnell and Sharron Angle did not win. But we still get Rand Paul and Mark Rubio. They will intone about the deficit, lowering taxes, and helping people find jobs.
I am ready for the new non-sequiturs of this Congress.
What is with the Midwest? How did they go Republican? The Democrats pushed through the auto bailout, which saved many hundreds of thousands of jobs. Most of the money given out by the feds has already been returned. GM went public with an IPO this week. The Dems voted, in the face of Republican disapproval, the continued extension of unemployment insurance. If there is a region in the country that needs the help of good government, it is the Midwest. So, what gives?
I am happy that at least the most "out there" tea partiers like Christine O'Donnell and Sharron Angle did not win. But we still get Rand Paul and Mark Rubio. They will intone about the deficit, lowering taxes, and helping people find jobs.
I am ready for the new non-sequiturs of this Congress.
Monday, November 1, 2010
The Holocaust- The Next Generation
I was interviewed this evening by a woman doing a project on the children of Holocaust survivors. She was a doing a qualitative survey for a class in Tucson, Arizona. She found my name from a local report on my daughter Emily, who was injured at a demonstration in the West Bank to protest the Israeli attack on the Gaza flotilla in late May.
The interviewer used the term "G2" to describe my generation. This sounds vaguely Mendelian, or a take on a Himalayan peak. She asked whether there were any advantages to being "G2"- as you can imagine I could not think of any. She also asked if I believed in God, to which I answered in what I feel is a classically Jewish manner, "define God".
One point I did make is that I feel that there was a survival advantage to having a suspicious, pessimistic view of the world, which helps make "G2" not being the happiest bunch of people.
I do feel that "G2" people do have a somewhat special outlook on the world, and that they feel that they have a special obligation to the survivors to honor their survival, through family, work, and the upholding of Jewish ethical ideals.
Al in all, it was an interesting process. I told the story of my parents' journeys through Russia, Uzbekistan, Israel, and the U.S. I also recalled those left behind to die in the camps or of malaria. To think of the Holocaust and its effects on one's family is an embittering process. It puts one in a defensive posture about the world, which is not always helpful or productive. And, as in the case with Israel, it is a limiting and debilitating posture which prevents one from looking past his or her ethnicity and into a more inclusive world view.
The interviewer used the term "G2" to describe my generation. This sounds vaguely Mendelian, or a take on a Himalayan peak. She asked whether there were any advantages to being "G2"- as you can imagine I could not think of any. She also asked if I believed in God, to which I answered in what I feel is a classically Jewish manner, "define God".
One point I did make is that I feel that there was a survival advantage to having a suspicious, pessimistic view of the world, which helps make "G2" not being the happiest bunch of people.
I do feel that "G2" people do have a somewhat special outlook on the world, and that they feel that they have a special obligation to the survivors to honor their survival, through family, work, and the upholding of Jewish ethical ideals.
Al in all, it was an interesting process. I told the story of my parents' journeys through Russia, Uzbekistan, Israel, and the U.S. I also recalled those left behind to die in the camps or of malaria. To think of the Holocaust and its effects on one's family is an embittering process. It puts one in a defensive posture about the world, which is not always helpful or productive. And, as in the case with Israel, it is a limiting and debilitating posture which prevents one from looking past his or her ethnicity and into a more inclusive world view.
Ted Sorensen
Ted Sorensen, Kennedy speechwriter, and prominent Democrat, died at the age of 82. The New York Times gives a fascinating obituary of the man. A native of Nebraska, he came to Washington at the age of 23 with a law degree from Lincoln with apparently no connections (although his father was Nebraska's attorney general for a time) and then landed himself a job with then Senator Kennedy in 1953. Hitching his wagon to this star, he ghostwrote the Pulitzer prize winning Profiles in Courage and came to the White House as part of Camelot in 1961. He was President Kennedy's speechwriter and aide, helping negotiate during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He remained a prominent Democrat throughout his life, though not in a public capacity. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 1970 (Bobby's seat), and was taken out of the running for Director of Central Intelligence when it was found out that he was a conscientious objector to the draft (can't have that).
I do wonder whether in this day and age one can go to Washington without connections and find oneself in the middle of the seat of power just by dint of initiative and talent.
I do wonder whether in this day and age one can go to Washington without connections and find oneself in the middle of the seat of power just by dint of initiative and talent.
The Quiet
As my middle aged body clock sets into an early morning routine, I am able to reflect in the relative quiet of the office.
The morning papers and NPR are of course reporting on the impending doom which is likely to befall the Democrats tomorrow. President Obama is faulted for lackluster and uninspired leadership, and for not connecting with people. I find that political writing typically falls into this post-hoc analysis. See the outcome and then explain it off. If the outcome is somewhat different, then the analysis is of course different. There is of course faulty logic in all of this. The analysis could of course be that people vote their pocketbooks- when the economy does poorly, the voter looks unkindly on incumbents. This cuts both ways politically. After the fall of Lehman in September 2008, when the credit markets froze and the Dow went into a free fall, Obama and the Democrats were assured vistory. Now, when the consequences of the financial crisis works its way through the general economy, with high unemployment and high foreclosure rates, the Republicans are the beneficiaries. The unemployment rate and GDP growth will predict the next president in 2012 (absent any major war or terrorist threat).
Stay tuned.
The morning papers and NPR are of course reporting on the impending doom which is likely to befall the Democrats tomorrow. President Obama is faulted for lackluster and uninspired leadership, and for not connecting with people. I find that political writing typically falls into this post-hoc analysis. See the outcome and then explain it off. If the outcome is somewhat different, then the analysis is of course different. There is of course faulty logic in all of this. The analysis could of course be that people vote their pocketbooks- when the economy does poorly, the voter looks unkindly on incumbents. This cuts both ways politically. After the fall of Lehman in September 2008, when the credit markets froze and the Dow went into a free fall, Obama and the Democrats were assured vistory. Now, when the consequences of the financial crisis works its way through the general economy, with high unemployment and high foreclosure rates, the Republicans are the beneficiaries. The unemployment rate and GDP growth will predict the next president in 2012 (absent any major war or terrorist threat).
Stay tuned.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
War and Peace
I am close to the midway point in a panoramic masterpiece of the 19th century novel, War and Peace. I have been through drawing rooms, counts and princesses, and the battle of Austerlitz. The Russian aristocracy is completely taken with the French- their language, customs, and their hated/admired leader, Napoleon. I have undertaken this project of a novel in an attempt to read through the great books. It is an interesting exercise that teaches me not only about life in early 19th century Russia, with its slave-like serfs and forays into Enlightenment philosophies, but also about the difficulties in reading such a work outside of the classroom.
I have also learned that the characters of Boris and Natasha, those cold war characters in "Rocky and Bullwinkle", were taken from Tolstoy. Who knew?
I have in addition learned to appreciate the comment made by a football commentator during a ballgame that the quarterback had enough protection from the offensive line to read War and Peace.
I am working my way backwards in European history. A wonderful book on late 19th century to early 20th century royalty, " George, Nicholas and Wilhelm: Three Royal Cousins and the Road to World War I" by Miranda Carter, was very illuminating. All related to grandma Queen Victoria, these autocrats displayed their arrogance right to the end of their relevance to the European world. At least the British royalty had the good sense to save themselves from oblivion by relinquishing power and changing their last name from Saxe-Coburg Gotha to Windsor.
I have read through the Paris Commune of 1871, in which more destruction was done to the city than in the Revolution and the World Wars, and the disastrous Pranco -Prussian war which preceded it. The French were not always losers on the military battlefield- they controlled much of Europe during the Napoleonic era, which is actually what led me to "War and Peace".
I guess the end of the book ends badly for Napoleon (this is the problem with reading historical books- you can never ask, "so I wonder what happens next?"). But I suppose with millions dead in this 19th century version of world war, it ends badly for everyone, I suppose.
I have also learned that the characters of Boris and Natasha, those cold war characters in "Rocky and Bullwinkle", were taken from Tolstoy. Who knew?
I have in addition learned to appreciate the comment made by a football commentator during a ballgame that the quarterback had enough protection from the offensive line to read War and Peace.
I am working my way backwards in European history. A wonderful book on late 19th century to early 20th century royalty, " George, Nicholas and Wilhelm: Three Royal Cousins and the Road to World War I" by Miranda Carter, was very illuminating. All related to grandma Queen Victoria, these autocrats displayed their arrogance right to the end of their relevance to the European world. At least the British royalty had the good sense to save themselves from oblivion by relinquishing power and changing their last name from Saxe-Coburg Gotha to Windsor.
I have read through the Paris Commune of 1871, in which more destruction was done to the city than in the Revolution and the World Wars, and the disastrous Pranco -Prussian war which preceded it. The French were not always losers on the military battlefield- they controlled much of Europe during the Napoleonic era, which is actually what led me to "War and Peace".
I guess the end of the book ends badly for Napoleon (this is the problem with reading historical books- you can never ask, "so I wonder what happens next?"). But I suppose with millions dead in this 19th century version of world war, it ends badly for everyone, I suppose.
Insurance
So, of course, after I tell you that I will diversify my topics, I start with a medical issue. One pet peeve of mine is the venom that some of my patients spew with regards to the new health care reform, which they derisively dub "Obamacare". The concerns expressed by my patients are that somehow, after the reforms take full effect, they will no longer have access to adequate medical care. What the patients don't seem to realize is that "Obamacare" has not gone nearly far enough to reform the system, and that the danger lurks where it always has been- with the insurance companies.
Case in point. One of my patients, who is employed but does not have health insurance, has a serious gastrointestinal problem that needs attention. He called me with great concern about his medical problem. He told me that he and his fiancee decided to get married in the next 2 days so that he could go on her medical insurance to take care of the problem.
In my hours of paperwork at the office, I am still dealing with insurance companies asking me medical information about patients that I have just seen. This is done not out of concern for them, but whether they can glean that they have a so-called "pre-existing" condition so as to deny them coverage.
Now I know that the health care reform bill is supposed to fix these problems in the future, but I have my doubts. So much of the reform is dependent on the cooperation and integration with states, that I am concerned that red state America, at least, will opt out. I am also concerned by the fact that the Federal Government has already given waivers to self insured entities such as Macdonalds so that they don't have to follow the new requirement to provide insurance to all children in their health care plan.
The issue, my dear patients, is not with "Obamacare", but with insurance care, especially the profit driven, cherry picking type of plans.
Case in point. One of my patients, who is employed but does not have health insurance, has a serious gastrointestinal problem that needs attention. He called me with great concern about his medical problem. He told me that he and his fiancee decided to get married in the next 2 days so that he could go on her medical insurance to take care of the problem.
In my hours of paperwork at the office, I am still dealing with insurance companies asking me medical information about patients that I have just seen. This is done not out of concern for them, but whether they can glean that they have a so-called "pre-existing" condition so as to deny them coverage.
Now I know that the health care reform bill is supposed to fix these problems in the future, but I have my doubts. So much of the reform is dependent on the cooperation and integration with states, that I am concerned that red state America, at least, will opt out. I am also concerned by the fact that the Federal Government has already given waivers to self insured entities such as Macdonalds so that they don't have to follow the new requirement to provide insurance to all children in their health care plan.
The issue, my dear patients, is not with "Obamacare", but with insurance care, especially the profit driven, cherry picking type of plans.
Henoch's Views
I have decided to start to a blog not wholly devoted to medical matters, to include my thoughts on various issues of interest to me, and hopefully, to the reader. They will include topics of politics, history, psychology, maybe fiction, and other types of craziness.
We shall see how this goes.
Stuart
We shall see how this goes.
Stuart
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