doctor

Reads like a Dentist’s Advertisement

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I periodically like to check out the wisdom tooth page over on Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisdom_tooth Recently I came across the talk page which has an interesting comment near the bottom written on September 3, 2012, “There is very little discussion of how common it is to have wisdom teeth, and how often wisdom teeth pose no problems if left alone. Nor is there adequate discussion of how often extraction is necessary when they do pose problems. Some lip service is paid to it in the “controversy” ghetto, but in the end the discussion of the “controversy” is equivocating and unclear. As a whole, the article conjured up the image of an eager, pushy dentist insisting that, “Yeah, buddy, wisdom teeth are a huge problem! It may not seem like it, but it’s bad – trust me, I know these things – … Read more

Preservation of Confidential Health Care for Young Adults

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An interesting article titled “Health Reform and the Preservation of Confidential Health Care for Young Adults” written by Lauren Slive and Ryan Cramer appears in the Summer 2012 issue of the The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics (vol. 40, issue 2, pages 383-390). A discussion is made regarding how sometimes when getting health care services confidential information can be inadvertently disclosed. If a breach of confidentiality can occur then a minor or young adult may not seek the health care services. The authors state “Of primary concern is that young adults, not just minors, who remain on their parents health insurance plans often forgo sensitive services with the concern that explanation of benefits (EOBs) from such services will inform their parents, the policyholders.” In addition, of note and some may not be aware of, with the passage of the Affordable … Read more

Attending to the Patient in the Informed Consent Process

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An interesting article titled “Personalized Disclosure by Information-on-Demand: Attending to Patients’ Needs in the Informed Consent Process” written by Gil Siegal, Richard J. Bonnie, and Paul S. Appelbaum appears in the Summer 2012 issue of the The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics (vol. 40, issue 2, pages 359-367). A discussion is made of the current informed consent process and how it is the foundation of medical ethics and health law. Now is clear from the complications page of my website http://www.teethremoval.com/complications.html, I have numerous problems with the informed consent process. In the article the authors state “The underlying ethical principle on which informed consent rests — autonomy — embodies the idea that as rational moral agents, patients should be in command of decisions that relate to their bodies and lives. The corollary obligation of physicians — to respect and facilitate … Read more

What does the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) Mean for Americans?

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Yahoo finance recently asked the question “Obamacare Will Become Reality: What Does it Mean for You?” by Kevin Chupka, November 13, 2012. The article discusses the Affordable Care Act which I recently discussed on this blog in the article Health Care Should Not Be Framed in the Personal Responsibility Narrative. The Affordable Care Act of course is widely known as Obamacare as is slanted to go into effect in the U.S. in 2014. The article from Yahoo Finance article says “Under Obamacare, states have two key decisions to make: (1) Whether to create state-run exchanges where people can shop for and select their health insurance coverage from an online marketplace, and (2) Whether to expand Medicaid coverage for low-income Americans.” The article further discusses how pre-existing conditions will need to be covered and how it is quite possible that insurance … Read more

Primary Care Doctors Moving to the Concierge Model

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So if you haven’t heard by now, many primary care physicians have been, as of recently moving to a “concierge model.” In fact, a primary care doctor I was seeing for a while decided to do this. When is the last time you have been to your primary care physician (pcp) as perhaps they have as well? Just go on pcp websites across the U.S. and you may see the trend. For example, a practicing physician Dr. Rob discusses how he is Dropping Out over on http://more-distractible.org/2012/09/08/dropping-out/. “I will be starting a solo practice that does not file insurance, instead taking a monthly “subscription” fee, which gives patients access to me.” In the post he discusses his top 3 frustrations with the current health care system too many patients, not getting paid properly for providing care, and non-patient issues such … Read more