ShAARP Session

Jun '09 30

News To Know: M.D. Meets I.T.

The President has decided to make a push for the increased roll of technology in the field of health care. This has a number of interesting and possibly very beneficial effects. While digital medical records offer the promise of reduced medical errors and greater efficiencies in the system, they can also be an economic boon for areas in need of a new industry to provide jobs.

Bringing more tech into medicine can also make life much easier for people. Many doctors are beginning to offer online appointments to patients with mild issues that don't warrant the inconvenience of a trip to the doctor. In fact, there has been a big spike in doctors who communicate with their patients online.

Increased access to health care professionals, added convenience and new jobs?

Sounds like a win-win-win to me:

Jun '09 4

News To Know: Bad Symptoms For Health Care

David Goldstein | 10:56 AM | 0 Comments

doc patient.jpg
A couple of new reports show continued bad signs regarding the health of America's health care system. First off, a study by the National Opinion Research Center found that out of pocket health care costs for those with job-based health insurance jumped 34% between 2004 and 2007. This is an enormous increase and a particularly troubling development for those who don't earn a ton of money and people with expensive or chronic health troubles.

In a separate study, Merritt Hawkins and Associates found that wait times to get an appointment with a family doctor or specialist have spiked since 2004. In the past few years, people in major cities have had to wait, on average, an additional week beyond what they previously had. The study blames much of the increased wait on a lack of training for primary care physicians and some specialists. Experts say the government needs to take an active role in promoting the training of more doctors to address this glaring need. These are just two new signs of the troubles we face with our current health care system and they highlight the need for reform.

Apr '09 23

News To Know: Health Care Reform, How and Why?

David Goldstein | 10:05 AM | 0 Comments

Health care reform may just be the buzzword in politics right now. Democrats and Republicans are both rallying their supporters behind their ideas on how to fix America's health care system. There's a pretty good consensus that our current system doesn't work (just check out the facts), but that's where agreement seems to end. Some people say we need the government to take over health care. Others think the solutions can be found on the free market. Many people prefer some sort of middle ground. There are still plenty of unanswered questions: Who will pay? What role should technology play? Should a reformed system focus on treatment or prevention? Check out this fun video that breaks the issue down into easy to understand concepts: