As we continue to examine areas of excessive waste to enhance affordability, it’s crucial to put all areas under the microscope, including pharmaceuticals. Though convenient, single-dose injection vials lead to wasted medication. In fact, in 2018, the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS) reportedly paid $725 million for discarded drugs administered in hospital outpatient clinics and physician… Read More »
One of the major issues concerning physician licensure is that a physician’s right to practice ends at the state border, regardless of their ability or the needs of others. When we examine areas where there are physician shortages, we see significant differences by geographic location. This shortage might be drastically different if we considered the problem through the… Read More »
We hear about conflicts of interest on the news all the time. And in medicine, we have addressed this topic in relation to the pharmaceutical industry and its interactions with physicians. As a result, one can now review these connections as part of the ever-increasing desire for transparency. However, as technology progresses, we must also be attuned to… Read More »
Currently, there is an ongoing debate whether Medicare readmission penalty policy is equitable to all hospitals. The greatest argument and concern is the lack of social determinants of health (SDOH) factors in the calculation. Many contend including SDOH is essential to create greater equality amongst the comparisons. In contrast, others do not believe they are impactful or state… Read More »
During the COVID pandemic, in-person visits were not recommended so telemedicine rapidly evolved into an ideal way of delivering care safely and expanding access while reducing exposure to pathogens to both patients and staff. And tremendous enthusiasm exists for the continuation of such a model. There is no doubt that there is a significant enhancement to access with… Read More »
We continue to evaluate the value of various care sites, and part of this is considering whether or not the Emergency Department (ED) is overutilized for non-emergent services. Since Urgent Care Centers can provide services at a lower price point, the intuitive solution is to shift care to those facilities. Thus, there is a conundrum of whether it… Read More »
Bundled payments for episodes of services such as joint replacements are not a new concept. Throughout the years, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have experimented with Bundled Payment Programs with limited success. After factoring in bonus payments to providers, the net savings to Medicare has been minimal, and on the positive side, there is no… Read More »
As a physician, I was taught to diagnose and treat. Sure, I knew your social situation outside of my office played a role in your overall wellbeing, but it really was not in my differential diagnosis. Undeniably, I did what I could to help with those situations, but only within the context of increasing the ability of the… Read More »
There is an ongoing debate surrounding the value of public health in this country. We have seen this play out during the COVID pandemic. During this time, a great deal of focus has concentrated on the science and the speed to which new therapies evolved and the rapid development of a new vaccine, honestly nothing short of miraculous.… Read More »
The cost of healthcare in the United States is exorbitant. There are multitudes of reasons for our elevated unit price. Many believe, waste, makes up a significant part of the problem. And the largest component of wasteful spending is what we identify as administrative costs. These are dollars that are not improving patient care, and yet, they impact… Read More »