The last major productivity increase in medical care was the physician’s waiting room. Back in the day house calls were common. If the doctor had to walk, drive or ride a horse to your house that was not a good use of his time. Of course, 100 years ago your doctor couldn’t help much either….
Category: Devon Herrick
The High Cost of Poor Mental Health
There is a growing mental health crisis today. Numerous people report being depressed or anxious due to Covid and its aftermath. As the Texas mall shooting illustrates there is a lot of untreated mental illness in the United States. Indeed visits to the emergency rooms (ER) for mental health problems are on the rise. A mental health issue such as a panic attack can mimic other problems. I met a cab driver who said he went to the ER for a heart attack but it turned out to be a panic attack. Purportedly, hundreds of thousands of Medicaid patients seek treatment in emergency rooms for mental health.
Hospital Employment of Physicians is a Pain for both Doctors and Patients
When I was young physicians were an independent bunch. Most were self-employed males, who were either sole proprietors or in small group practices. In the past 20 or so years it has become increasingly common for doctors to work for someone else. According to Merritt-Hawkins nearly three-fourths (74%) of physicians now work for hospitals, health care systems or corporate entities. Of physicians accepting new work assignments today, 90% are accepting positions as employees rather than owners or partners.
Surgeon General: Devastating Impact of the Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation
The U.S. Surgeon General is afraid you don’t hangout enough with friends. Seriously, in the Information Age when people have never been more connected, he believes loneliness a public health crisis. Calling it an epidemic of loneliness, the Surgeon General’s report spans 81 pages including references.