"health care costs" entries
Leading by example: two stories
When health care institutions are charging outrageous prices, we need to stand up and say, "That's insane."
I was struck recently by two stories in the New York Times. The first, “Bishops Follow Pope’s Example: Opulence Is Out,” tells how bishop after bishop, either inspired by the Pope’s example or afraid of being shamed for not doing so, is moving out of his expensive, newly renovated residence and emulating Pope Francis’ emphasis on living simply. “Francis has very definitely sent out a signal, and the signal is that bishops should live like the people they pastor, and they shouldn’t be in palaces.”
I contrast this in my mind with the “do as I say, but not as I do” style of leadership shown by the US Congress on health care, where the message of “bending the cost curve on health care,” and limits on “Cadillac plans” was for everyone else. Congress’ own gold-plated plan remained in place, despite posturing to pretend that members of Congress were in the same boat as everyone else.
But when the leaders themselves don’t lead, sometimes individuals stand up to be counted. Read more…
Data from health care reviews could power “Yelp for health care” startups
Data-driven decision engines will need patient experience to complete the feedback loop.
Given where my work and health has taken me this year, I’ve been thinking much more about the relationship of the Internet and health data to accountability and patient-driven health care.
When I was looking for a place in Maine to go for care this summer, I went online to look at my options. I consulted hospital data from the government at HospitalCompare.HHS.gov and patient feedback data on Yelp, and then made a decision based upon proximity and those ratings. If I had been closer to where I live in Washington D.C., I would also have consulted friends, peers or neighbors for their recommendations of local medical establishments.
My brush with needing to find health care when I was far from home reminded me of the prism that collective intelligence can now provide for the treatment choices we make, if we have access to the Internet.
Patients today are sharing more of their health data and experiences online voluntarily, which in turn means that the Internet is shaping health care. There’s a growing phenomenon of “e-patients” and caregivers going online to find communities and information about illness and disability.
Aided by search engines and social media, newly empowered patients are discussing health conditions with others suffering from disease and sickness — and they’re taking that peer-to-peer health care knowledge into their doctors’ offices with them, frequently on mobile devices. E-patients are sharing their health data of their own volition because they have a serious health condition, want to get healthy, and are willing.
From the perspective of practicing physicians and hospitals, the trend of patients contributing to and consulting on online forums adds the potential for errors, fraud, or misunderstanding. And yet, I don’t think there’s any going back from a networked future of peer-to-peer health care, anymore than we can turn back the dial on networked politics or disaster response. Read more…
Building the health information infrastructure for the modern epatient
Dr. Farzad Mostashari on how the web, data and epatients are poised to revolutionize healthcare.
The National Coordinator for Health IT, Dr. Farzad Mostashari, discusses patient empowerment, data access and ownership, and other important trends in healthcare.