Does Healthcare Need a "Common Sense" Moment?
The revolution is now happening outside of your hospital and clinic.
Our health is our own! Must importantly there should be greater choice and value to how we “own our healthcare as individuals” and how we protect ourselves and insure/take care of ourselves. I do not want to say it but ….could this be like taxation with out representation. Well go ahead. Do not pay & you will go bankrupt if it happens you might need healthcare.
Healthcare is the most expensive service in the US. Sadly and ironically it should be the least expensive. Just my opinion or thought. Healthcare should be like a utility.
4.2 Trillion spend a year if and only just 4% of that was reinvested into the US.
Healthcare is our greatest national insecurity. If we do not seriously address this cost, it will suck all the life and future investments and opportunities and advancements for the US. Yes….seriously. Can we imagine all the things we could do for our collective as well as each individual. Healthcare is the # 1 thing that is holding the US back from regaining its leading standing in the world as the innovator and greatest place to live. To solve this we will need serious muscle and engagement of all the citizens and stakeholders.
Where is Moore’s Law with healthcare? Rather than the 5-7% Inflationary increase year after year like clockwork.
It is irrational that we give our lifetime of earned income upwards of a million dollars of our paycheck over our life to this tapeworm.
There needs to be more market choices in the US healthcare system. Currently our system has hijacked its citizens.
This is not to be confused with a One Payer system.
It is hard enough to get access to care with healthcare coverage.
Can anyone share if he/she has successfully found an effective Catastrophic health plan? It seems like it really does not exist unless you are under 30 years old.
The fear is real. Medical expenses directly cause 66.5% of bankruptcies, making it the leading cause for bankruptcy.
Value Based Care = Starts with the patient’s premium not with the delivery of care. We cannot truly have value if the people are not able to choose better what they pay for and how much with their premiums and also what they consume.
We need to get rid of sick care concepts, chronic care as they can do more harm than good. Or at least think about it carefully. We are not just a mere dx. There is a real disconnect with a medical record/chart and what people need to do to manage their health (achieve wellbeing) & what they value.
Less surgeries
Less medications
More exercise and healthy living, eating - Common sense.
Mental health is just health.
Same thing with digital or telehealth - health is health regardless where we receive it.
There is a revolution happening now and people are making it happen outside of the clinic and walls of the healthcare system.
People do want a personalized healthcare experience.
One of the reason why patient portals, and patients charts are not used is it is not their health - it is another narrative that is often disconnected from their story and their own healthcare goals.
In kindness,
Michael Mann
Host & Producer, Planetary Health First Mars Next
General Inquiries:
michael@planetaryhealthfirstmarsnext.org
Common sense isn't common, my friend. While I applaud the notion of a common sense moment, healthcare is not likely to embrace it, either from a regulatory or business standpoint. Here's why (IMHO): Firstly, healthcare is a complex system that involves a wide range of stakeholders with differing interests - from patients and physicians to hospitals, insurance companies, pharmaceutical firms, and regulators. Each has their own perspective on what constitutes 'common sense,' making it difficult to reach a consensus. This is not likely to change.
Secondly, the healthcare sector is heavily regulated, and for good reason. This regulation is intended to ensure patient safety and quality of care. However, it can also limit flexibility and innovation, making it challenging to implement changes that might seem like common sense. I know; I've done the legwork.
Thirdly, love it or hate it, healthcare is a business. As such, decisions are often driven by financial considerations rather than what might be considered common sense from a patient's or physician's perspective. For instance, it may make financial sense for a hospital to invest in expensive new technology even if a simpler, cheaper solution could achieve similar results.
Here's the thing: there's the issue of evidence-based medicine. Healthcare decisions should be based on scientific evidence, not just what seems like common sense. This is because what might seem intuitively correct can sometimes lead to worse outcomes for patients. For instance, it might seem like common sense to prescribe antibiotics for a persistent cough, but research has shown that this can often do more harm than good.
In conclusion, while the idea of a 'common sense moment' in healthcare is appealing, the realities of the sector make it unlikely. Instead, we need to focus on promoting evidence-based decision-making, improving communication among stakeholders, and finding ways to align the financial incentives in healthcare with the goal of improving patient outcomes."
Sources:
- [Does Healthcare Need a "Common Sense" Moment?](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/does-healthcare-need-common-sense-moment-michael-mann-mha-px86e?trk=article-ssr-frontend-pulse_more-articles_related-content-card)
- [Evidence-based common sense?](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2278294/)
- [When Common Sense Isn't Necessarily Common Practice](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/when-common-sense-isnt-necessarily-practice-amy-smalarz)
- [Why US health care costs defy common sense (opinion)](https://www.cnn.com/2017/06/26/opinions/us-health-care-prices-rosenthal-opinion/index.html)