Uber for Healthcare
When I was a small child and got a cold, my mother would call Dr. Green. He lived in our town and would drive his 1950 Plymouth to our home. I can recall him leaning over my bed to check my temperature and diagnose my condition. I vividly recall the little black pills and deep […]
Will There Be a National Shortage of Physicians?
The prevailing point of view in recent years has been we will face a significant shortage of physicians because of the addition of previously uninsured Americans. In Health Attitude, I wrote there may not be a shortage of physicians, possibly even a surplus. I cited various technological factors, increasing usage of physician extenders, and the use of […]
What Is Your Fitness Age?
Thanks for all the birthday wishes. I feel proud to be 70 and am thankful for good health. My friend Gene sent me a link to a website with some simple questions to answer. It calculates your fitness age based on input such as your level of exercise, waist measurement, and resting heart rate. The results you […]
Medicare Expanding Access to Hospice Care
Medicare has announced an expansion of a pilot project to allow Medicare beneficiaries to use hospice services while at the same time receiving treatments for a cure. Previously, if you went into hospice care, you had to stop chemotherapy or radiation and other treatments. The theory implicitly was why spend money on a cure if you are expected […]
A Surgical Robot Stitching A Grape
One year ago this week, I had a robot-assisted radical prostatectomy, followed by 39 days of intensity-modulated radiation treatment. The combination of the two has almost certainly cured me of prostate cancer. I wrote a chapter in Health Attitude about my personal experience and about 3-D printing and robots in healthcare. They will play an increasingly larger […]
