Comments on: Prevention Isn’t a Cure-All, But It’s a Great Place to Start http://blogs.kqed.org/healthyideas/2009/06/12/prevention-isnt-a-cure-all-but-its-a-great-place-to-start/ Californians Weigh In on Health Care Reform Tue, 30 Aug 2011 02:57:31 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: donald wilhelm, III http://blogs.kqed.org/healthyideas/2009/06/12/prevention-isnt-a-cure-all-but-its-a-great-place-to-start/comment-page-1/#comment-154 donald wilhelm, III Mon, 10 Aug 2009 01:32:54 +0000 http://blogs.kqed.org/healthyideas/?p=240#comment-154 I too agree that prevention is critical to a better health care system. But if chronic disease is prevented, we will save 85% of all healthcare costs, eliminating the future crisis. This can be accomplished by eliminating the cultural taboo against insisting on personal lifestyle change, and urgently addressing non-compliance. This is easily and cheaply done, as explained in my site, freehealthreform.com With such a simple solution, it is time to update our healthcare model to reflect recent data and knowledge. I too agree that prevention is critical to a better health care system. But if chronic disease is prevented, we will save 85% of all healthcare costs, eliminating the future crisis.
This can be accomplished by eliminating the cultural taboo against insisting on personal lifestyle change, and urgently addressing non-compliance. This is easily and cheaply done, as explained in my site, freehealthreform.com
With such a simple solution, it is time to update our healthcare model to reflect recent data and knowledge.
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]]> By: Stephen Schimpff, MD http://blogs.kqed.org/healthyideas/2009/06/12/prevention-isnt-a-cure-all-but-its-a-great-place-to-start/comment-page-1/#comment-126 Stephen Schimpff, MD Sat, 13 Jun 2009 11:51:44 +0000 http://blogs.kqed.org/healthyideas/?p=240#comment-126 I agree with your contention that prevention is critical to a better healthcare system with the result that we will be healthier and thus have a better quality of life.Health care reform needs to address four interrelated issues. Most of the attention has been on access for those without insurance. But just getting an insurance card to all Americans will not mean good healthcare. Today, we have a system that focuses on disease treatment but not health promotion. We have a system that costs far too much, in large part because care is not well coordinated for those with lifelong complex chronic illnesses [e.g., heart failure, diabetes] such that they end up with unnecessary doctor visits, tests, procedures and even hospitalizations. And we are a nation with behaviors that lead to more life long chronic illness – poor nutrition, over weight, under exercised, stressed and 20% still smoke. Meaningful healthcare reform must address the societal issues with incentives to change, the care coordination issue with incentives to primary care physicians to become care coordinators – real orchestrators rather than interveners and assuring access. And we must have incentives to physicians to spend the time needed to assure real preventive care. Access without attention to meaningful attention to improving quality while reducing costs will only mean more people are getting less than appropriate care. More at http://medicalmegatrends.blogspot.com I agree with your contention that prevention is critical to a better healthcare system with the result that we will be healthier and thus have a better quality of life.Health care reform needs to address four interrelated issues. Most of the attention has been on access for those without insurance. But just getting an insurance card to all Americans will not mean good healthcare. Today, we have a system that focuses on disease treatment but not health promotion. We have a system that costs far too much, in large part because care is not well coordinated for those with lifelong complex chronic illnesses [e.g., heart failure, diabetes] such that they end up with unnecessary doctor visits, tests, procedures and even hospitalizations. And we are a nation with behaviors that lead to more life long chronic illness – poor nutrition, over weight, under exercised, stressed and 20% still smoke. Meaningful healthcare reform must address the societal issues with incentives to change, the care coordination issue with incentives to primary care physicians to become care coordinators – real orchestrators rather than interveners and assuring access. And we must have incentives to physicians to spend the time needed to assure real preventive care. Access without attention to meaningful attention to improving quality while reducing costs will only mean more people are getting less than appropriate care. More at http://medicalmegatrends.blogspot.com
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