Comprehensive primary care is essential to good health, wellness and needed medical care during our elder years. It is critical to Aging Gracefully. In the last few posts I wrote that Aging Gracefully physically requires attention to lifestyle/behaviors to assure good nutrition, plenty of exercise, reduced stress, no tobacco and – for preserving cognitive function […]
Can we slow the aging process? The answer is a definite yes and it all has to do with our lifestyles and behaviors. Here is a quiz. What percent of Americans can answer yes to all five of the following statements? Here’s a clue. We know that about 20% of Americans smoke so the highest […]
Canada has a proud history of achievement in the areas of science and technology, and the field of biomanufacturing and life sciences is no exception.
Can we slow the aging process? The answer is a definite yes and it all has to do with our lifestyles and behaviors. Here is a quiz. What percent of Americans can answer yes to all five of the following statements? WELL ACCEPTED HEALTHY BEHAVIORS Exercise 20 min 3X per week Don’t Smoke Eat Fruits […]
It is possible to slow the aging process. No there is no Fountain of Youth and no, there is no pill that’s been discovered. It’s all about lifestyle and this means starting at an early age and sticking with it through the years. I was recently invited to give a talk to a group of […]
Good question. You call for an appointment and are told it will be about 20 days. You arrive on time only to sit in the apt named waiting room for 40 minutes. Finally you get to see your primary care doctor (PCP). You begin to explain why you came in but are interrupted within about […]
You the patient are really not the customer of the physician. Since the insurer will determine whether and how much the physician will be paid for attending to your needs, you are largely a bystander in the relationship. The doctor’s customer has become the insurer. Our system of care is definitely not customer-focused. Doctors truly […]
PCPs like people. This was true of them long before they started medical school and it will have only blossomed further during training. Ask PCPs, as I have with in-depth interviews, and they will tell you that certain types of individuals are drawn to primary care careers; they have common characteristics. They like to converse […]
Did you get more than a few minutes with your doctor at your last visit? Probably not. Why not? Not enough time. The primary care physician (PCP) is the most broadly yet deeply focused care giver and as such is the backbone of the healthcare system. But to do this work effectively requires time – […]
You the patient are really not the customer of your primary care physician. Since the insurer will determine whether and how much the physician will be paid for attending to your needs, you are largely a bystander in the relationship. The doctor’s customer has become the insurer. This is part of the crisis in primary […]
We have a real paradox in American healthcare. On the one hand we have exceptionally well educated and well trained providers who are committed to our care. We are the envy of the world for our biomedical research prowess, The pharmaceutical, biotechnology and diagnostic equipment industries continuously bring forth lifesaving and disease altering medications, devices […]
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
The Crisis in Primary Care – Part 4 There is and will be a need for many more primary care physicians (PCPs).Why? There is a shortage now and it will be exacerbated in the coming years for at least four reasons. The population is growing, the population is aging and there will be more individuals […]
The Crisis in Primary Care Part 3 Primary care physicians (PCPs) are becoming extinct. It’s true. Not many medical students choose primary care as their career path. Older PCPs are retiring early. Many others are closing their practices or seeking employment at the local hospital. And there has always been a shortage of primary care […]
The Crisis in Primary Care –Part 2 Primary care physicians (PCPs) have too little time per patient which means too many referrals to specialists, too little time listening and thinking, no time to delve into the stress or emotional causes of many symptoms and substantial frustration by PCP and patient alike. In my last post […]
The Crisis in Primary Care – Part 1 of a Series The primary care physician (PCP) should be the backbone of the American healthcare system. But primary care is in crisis – a very serious crisis. The first statement is my considered opinion and I will attempt to convince you of its truth. The second […]
The answer is probably about 1000 or less. But most primary care physicians (PCPs) have a panel of perhaps 2,500 patients and often more. Why the dichotomy? As insurers have held the line on physician reimbursement in the current fee-for-service system, PCPs have found that they must increase the number of visits per day in […]
