Getting Better Health Care - Steve Feldman MD

Everyone is talking about the excessive cost of medical care, and people are proposing many top-down solutions. But you can start saving money on health care today, according to our guest Dr. Cynthia Koelker, Dr. Koelker is author of the book 101 Ways to Save Money on Health Care. She points out that one of […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Do it yourself ways to save money on health care appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

On our show last week, we discussed a list of 20 tips to help you avoid medical errors. But who can remember 20 tips? One way is to create a checklist. Checklists help avoid errors. But there may be a simpler way to improve patient safety. The National Patient Safety Foundation has come out with […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Three simple questions appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) notes that one in seven hospitalized Medicare patients experience a medical error. That's too many, despite the efforts of doctors and other health care provider to improve patient safety. If you are sick or hospitalized, there are many things you can do to avoid medical errors. […] The post Getting Better Health Care – 20 Tips To Help Prevent Medical Errors appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

University of Chicago Booth School of Business professor John Cochrane says, there is a “coherent free-market, deregulated alternative” to our current health care system, and that the “Affordable Care Act” isn't the way to get there. Cochrane believes there are ways to assure that people with pre-existing conditions can get health care without the need […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Better ways to reform our health care system appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

The prices of some drugs are extraordinarily high. Patients may need those drugs but may find the high price, even just the copayment after insurance, to be unaffordable. What to do!? Drug company sponsored coupons that help cover the copayment can help rescue the situation. But are those coupons a good thing? The may increase […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Are drug coupon cards a good thing? appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

In contrast to much of the rest of the U.S. economy, our health care system is a cobbled, poorly coordinated system. Health insurance is provided largely by government and by employers. Do employers, who have lots of experience with well working markets, have market-based solutions for health care problems? Our guest today is Helen Darling […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Does corporate America have solutions for our health care insurance problems? appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

There are a lot of doctors out there. How do you find a great one? Do you rely on word of mouth? This week, we talk with William Liss-Levinson, Ph.D. about top doctors. Bill is Vice President and Chief Strategy & Operations Officer for Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. Castle Connolly helps people find and access […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Finding a top doctor appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

On last week's program, Tom Hubbard, Senior Program Director at NEHI, a national health policy institute and think tank, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, spoke about some of the practical ways to reform our health care system. This week, we continue the discussion, focusing on how poorly some patients use their medications and what can be […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Practical ways to reform our health care system appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

On today's program, Tom Hubbard, Senior Program Director at NEHI, a national health policy institute and think tank, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, joins us. NEHI has a diverse membership of 80 member organizations, including patient groups, doctors, health insurers and drug companies. These organizations have a shared interest in better patient outcomes and a shared […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Practical ways to reform our health care system appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Poor use of medication, also called poor adherence, is responsible for medications not working nearly as well as they could. Patients don't take their medications for a variety of reason, including forgetfulness, fears, side effects, costs, complexity (especially for older folks) and non-belief in efficacy. Our guest today is Rebecca Burkholder, Vice President of Health […] The post Getting Better Health Care – The campaign to promote better adherence to treatment appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) recently published a report on how state health insurance exchanges can help promote health care quality and reduce health care costs. Our guest this week, NCQA president Margaret O'Kane, describes what these exchanges can do. What are exchanges? The health insurance exchanges will be state run insurance plans […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Can state health insurance exchanges help solve health care woes? appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Medicare provides health insurance coverage to an enormous number of Americans. It is efficient, but very costly. If only something could be done to make it more innovative…. Something is being done. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, CMS, has an Innovation Center that is developing and testing new ways of paying for health […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Medicare is Innovative! appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

The medical care system functions very well on a day-to-day basis. Sure, it has its warts, but far more often than not, if you have a medical problem, you can get great medical care for it. But what if there were a major catastrophe in the United States? What if our medical system weren't functioning? […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Armageddon Medicine, How to Be Your Own Doctor appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Controversy about online doctor ratings abounds. Some doctors fear that disgruntled patients will make doctors look bad with no recourse for the doctor to respond (because of patient confidentiality reasons). Should online doctor rating be banned? Show host Dr. Steve Feldman talks about the advantages and disadvantages of online doctor ratings. For him, the advantages […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Online doctor rating appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Our guest today, Peter Ferrara, is Senior Fellow, Entitlement and Budget Policy at the Heartland Institute and author “The Obamacare Disaster.” On today's program, Ferrara discusses the fundamental problem in our health care system today that makes the system so terribly costly: a third party payment system in which the consumer of care, the patient, […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Is Obamacare a disaster? appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Narrative—storytelling—plays a crucial role in how people interact, including interactions between patients and physicians. We discuss the narrative medicine with Dr. Rita Charon, Professor of Clinical Medicine and Executive Directior of the Program in Narrative Medicine at Columbia University. Dr. Charon describes how stories are involved in how people know they are sick and in […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Storytelling appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

The Association of American Medical College (AAMC), the organization that certifies American medical schools, published a report on the behavioral and social science foundations of medical training. We discuss the AAMC report with Dr. Rita Charon, Professor of Clinical Medicine and Executive Directior of the Program in Narrative Medicine at Columbia University. Dr. Charon describes […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Social and behavioral sciences in medicine appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Stress contributes to poor health and poor quality of life. What is stress? According to physician and stress coach Dr. Mort Orman, stress is just a word, not a distinct entity. Part 1 of our discussion with Dr. Orman focused on defining what we mean by stress. The word stress can be used to mean […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Stress, stress myths, and how to control stress (Part 2) appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Stress contributes to poor health and poor quality of life. What is stress? According to physician and stress coach Dr. Mort Orman, stress is just a word, not a distinct entity. Part 1 of our discussion with Dr. Orman focuses on defining what we mean by stress. The word stress can be used to mean […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Stress, stress myths, and how to control stress (Part 1) appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Modern medications are light years ahead of the treatments doctors had to offer years ago, but many patients don't get the full benefit. Studies have shown that many patients aren't taking their medication. We're joined today by Dr. Nathaniel M. Rickles, Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice and Administration
at
Northeastern University
and author of Social and Behavioral Aspects […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Patients may not be taking their medication (Part 2) appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Modern medications are light years ahead of the treatments doctors had to offer years ago, but many patients don't get the full benefit. Studies have shown that many patients aren't taking their medication. We're joined today by Dr. Nathaniel M. Rickles, Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice and Administration
at
Northeastern University
and author of Social and Behavioral Aspects […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Patients may not be taking their medication (Part 1) appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

The medical malpractice litigation system is a mess, resulting in hundreds of billions of dollars in defensive medicine practices. Richard Jackson, President & CEO of Jackson Healthcare (an organization that provides health care staffing, including clinical specialists to clinics and hospitals) describes the problem and a practical solution for it. In part 1 of a […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Our broken malpractice system, and how to fix it (Part 2) appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

The medical malpractice litigation system is a mess, resulting in hundreds of billions of dollars in defensive medicine practices. Richard Jackson, President & CEO of Jackson Healthcare (an organization that provides health care staffing, including clinical specialists to clinics and hospitals) describes the problem and a practical solution for it. In part 1 of a […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Our broken malpractice system, and how to fix it (Part 1) appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

This week, we speak with Joe and Terry Graedon, whose radio program The People's Pharmacy, provides patients a wealth of up to date, cutting edge health information, information patients might find difficult getting anywhere else, even from their doctors. Joe Graedon has a Masters in Pharmacology, and Terry Graedon, has a PhD in Medical Anthropology. […] The post Getting Better Health Care – The People's Pharmacy for Drug and Other Health Information (part 2) appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

This week, we speak with Joe and Terry Graedon, whose radio program The People's Pharmacy, provides patients a wealth of up to date, cutting edge health information, information patients might find difficult getting anywhere else, even from their doctors. Joe Graedon has a Masters in Pharmacology, and Terry Graedon, has a PhD in Medical Anthropology. […] The post Getting Better Health Care – The People's Pharmacy for Drug and Other Health Information (part 1) appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Dr. Mary Catherine Beach describes fundamental problems and solutions in doctor-patient communication. Dr. Beach is Associate Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Core Faculty, Berman Institute of Bioethics and Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research at Johns Hopkins University. Her research interests include physician-patient relationships and communication, respect, bioethics, health […] The post Getting Better Health Care – The fundamentals of doctor-patient communication (Part 2) appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Dr. Mary Catherine Beach describes fundamental problems and solutions in doctor-patient communication. Dr. Beach is Associate Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Core Faculty, Berman Institute of Bioethics and Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research at Johns Hopkins University. Her research interests include physician-patient relationships and communication, respect, bioethics, health […] The post Getting Better Health Care – The fundamentals of doctor-patient communication (Part 1) appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has published its 2011 State of Health Care Quality Report examining quality data from health plans that cover 118 million Americans. NCQA President Margaret O'Kane joins us to report on the findings. The NCQA bases its reports on objective quality indicators reported by over 1,000 health plans across […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Health care quality in America is improving appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Patient education is critical to successful medical outcomes. Mark Becker, pediatrician and founder of Vivacare, a company that makes patient education material available through doctors' websites, describes how the Internet can be used to better educate patients about their condition and treatment. Patients need to be empowered to care for themselves. We spend $2.4 trillion […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Electronic ways to improve patient education appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

A trusted patient advocate can help people manage the complexities of our health care system. Anne Llewellyn, Editor in Chief of Dorland Healthcare, describes what patient advocates are and how they help people navigate a complex and fragmented health care system. Patient advocates are people who assist patients. Often, patient advocates have a background in […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Working with a patient advocate (part 2) appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

A trusted patient advocate can help people manage the complexities of our health care system. Anne Llewellyn, Editor in Chief of Dorland Healthcare, describes what patient advocates are and how they help people navigate a complex and fragmented health care system. Patient advocates are people who assist patients. Often, patient advocates have a background in […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Working with a patient advocate (part 1) appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Patient Centered Medical Homes are a proven way to reduce the cost of health care while improving health care quality. Dr. Paul Grundy, Global Director, IBM Healthcare Transformation and the current President of the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative, describes how patient centered medical homes provides comprehensive primary care to people of all ages, broadening access […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Patient Centered Medical Homes can help solve our health care problems (Part 2) appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Patient Centered Medical Homes are a proven way to reduce the cost of health care while improving health care quality. Dr. Paul Grundy, Global Director, IBM Healthcare Transformation and the current President of the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative, describes how patient centered medical homes provides comprehensive primary care to people of all ages, broadening access […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Patient Centered Medical Homes can help solve our health care problems (Part 1) appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Our medical care system can accomplish miraculous things. Surgeons can operate on the vessels of the heart, clearing blockages and installing appliances to keep the vessels open. We have new medicines and new treatments designed to catch disease early or prevent it altogether. But do these miracle treatments do anything of value? Do people live […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Being wary of treatments that just don't help appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Our medical care system can accomplish miraculous things. Surgeons can operate on the vessels of the heart, clearing blockages and installing appliances to keep the vessels open. But do these miracle treatments do anything of value? Do people live longer or better? Are we getting our money's worth? In part one of a two part […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Paying for unnecessary care appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

The basic principles of economics explain why our health care system is in distress. Insurance, tax laws, and lack of competition contribute to the problem. In this second part of a 2-part series, we discuss solutions to our health care crisis based on an understanding of the underlying economic principles. We are joined again by […] The post Getting Better Health Care – How basic economics informs solutions for the health care crisis appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

The basic principles of economics apply to all sorts of systems and decisions, including those of our health care system. In this first part of a 2-part series, we discuss basic economic principles and how those principles apply to the U.S. health care system. Our guest is Dr. Robert Whaples, Professor and Chair of Economics […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Basic economics of health care appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Patients don't go to doctors to be abused by mean-spirited physicians. Physicians didn't go into medicine because they don't care about patients. Yet too often patients may have a contentious relationship with a doctor, and vice-versa. Dr. Steve Shama, a national speaker and retired physician who dedicates himself to helping others communicate and connect in […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Dealing with difficult physician-patient relationships appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

There's near universal agreement that our health care system is in crisis, that it costs too much, and that the quality is not what it could be. Our guest today offers a different perspective on the problem, writing, “From a policy perspective, the wrong question was asked: ‘How do we make healthcare cheaper?' The question […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Is there a better way to improve the health of all Americans? appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

There's near universal agreement that our health care system is in crisis, that it costs too much, and that the quality is not what it could be. Our guest today offers a different perspective on the problem, writing, “From a policy perspective, the wrong question was asked: ‘How do we make healthcare cheaper?' The question […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Have we been asking the wrong question? appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

The U.S. medical system is characterized by a host of financial arrangements—Medicare, Medicaid, HMO's and various other forms of insurance—that interlope into the physician-patient relationship. Dr. Richard Amerling— Director of Outpatient Dialysis at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and a Director […] The post Getting Better Health Care – The Physicians' Declaration of Independence appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Can top-down solutions—like the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)— solve the problems in the U.S. medical care system? Dr. Steve Feldman continues the conversation with Dr. Richard Amerling, Director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Amerling points out, with plenty of personal experience to back it up, that socialized medical […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Socialized medicine may not be the best solution appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Medical care quality is not good enough. Medical care costs are too high. What's wrong with the system? On this week's show, we talk with a physician who believes the heart of the problem in the U.S. medical care system is a deteriorating physician-patient relationship. Show host Dr. Steve Feldman speaks with Dr. Richard Amerling, […] The post Getting Better Health Care – The Heart of the U.S. Medical Care Problem appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Last week, we discussed how economic forces play a central role in how health care is delivered. We don't want to pay doctors and hospitals for giving more care; we certainly don't want to pay them for giving less care, either. Ideally, we need a payment model that pays doctors and hospitals for giving better […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Understanding pay-for-performance systems appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Economic forces drive behavior in the general economy. These same forces affect how health care is delivered, except in health care, there's a third party (the insurer) paying for the care. What happens in health care is largely driven by these economic forces. Understanding those forces is critical to figuring out how to make our […] The post Getting Better Health Care – The economics of health care appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Last week, we began a discussion of health services research with John Piette, Ph.D., Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan and Senior Research Associate at the Ann Arbor VA Center for Practice Management and Outcomes Research. On today's show, Dr. Piette describes the problem of “poor adherence,” how patients don't take their […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Patients only take half their prescribed medication! appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Researchers are investigating how health care is delivered in order to come up with better ways for patients to be treated. The field, called health services research, began with the finding that in different locations, patients would be treated very differently, with resulting differences in costs and outcomes. People realized that this variation probably means […] The post Getting Better Health Care – The study of how health care is delivered appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

The interaction of a doctor and a patient involves two human beings. Doctors are people who have feelings, biases, and varying beliefs. Doctors bring these characteristics to the patient-doctor relationship. On today's show, Dr. Feldman talks with Dr. T. Keith Vaughan, a private practicing dermatologist in Puyallup, Washington. Dr. Vaughan is a graduate of the […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Doctors are human beings appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Health care systems vary in who pays for the care and who delivers the care. Right now, the U.S. health care system consists of a patchwork of providers, with bandaids in place to try to fix the resulting problems. Dr. William Hsiao, Professor of Economics at the Harvard School of Public Health, has studied health […] The post Getting Better Health Care – Vermont's single payer plan, a way to solve our health care problems? appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Health care systems vary in who pays for the care and who delivers the care. Right now, the U.S. health care system consists of a patchwork of providers, with bandaids in place to try to fix the resulting problems. Dr. William Hsiao, Professor of Economics at the Harvard School of Public Health, has studied health […] The post Getting Better Health Care – The patchwork U.S. health care system appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

This week, we continue our discussion with Dr. Jane Orient, practicing internist and member of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS). Dr. Orient explains the benefits of our fee-for-service, private practice medical system and the potential downside to “Obamacare” and salaried medical systems. She offers practical advice from the practicing physician perspective on […] The post Getting Better Health Care – The private practice physician's perspective on quality health care appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.