Category: Healthcare
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What Happened to the Physical Assessment?
Lately, I’ve noticed how much lighter the physical exam has become. At some visits, it feels like the provider barely touches you anymore. A few quick questions, maybe a stethoscope to the chest for a second, blood pressure slapped on over your sleeve and that’s about it. If you’re healthy, with no complaints, maybe that…
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The Silent Demise of Community Hospitals: When Competition Replaces Care
In recent years, we’ve witnessed a troubling trend quietly unfolding across the American healthcare landscape—the decline of community hospitals. Once considered the heartbeat of rural and mid-sized towns, these facilities are now closing their doors at an alarming rate, casualties of a healthcare system that has drifted away from its mission of community wellness. The…
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Induced by the System: When Hospital Schedules Replace Medical Judgment
I recently heard from someone close to me who was offered an induction four days before her due date. Not because her baby was in distress. Not because of any medical concern. But because June is a busy month for deliveries, and the hospital was running out of beds. Her OB said, “We should get…
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Rising Costs of Healthcare
For someone who doesn’t go into the system much, it’s hard to swallow the rise of healthcare. In the US alone, healthcare spending grew 4.1% in 2022, reaching $4.5 trillion or $13,493 per person. That is 17.3% of the national GDP. There are many reasons for this: new technology, healthcare system complexities, consolidation of hospitals,…
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Perspective on Adolescent Mental Health
Globally, one in seven teenagers will have experienced some mental disorder. It’s a delicate period as most discover who they are and what they want to become. So, emotional disorders tend to be the most common. This is an alarming statistic and what is concerning is the approach we are taking to solving it. I’m…
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Problems with the Healthcare System
Today healthcare has such narrow goals such as improving access to care, containing costs, and boosting profits. These goals are misaligned with the interests of patients because they mainly focus on increasing the volume of services, not delivering good outcomes. Well, I get why, as the pressure is on particularly for independent hospitals who primarily…
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Quality of Care versus Convenience
The two most significant drivers of the healthcare sector are access and convenience. Though, pretty much every business sector markets to convenience. Society expects it at this point. However, it comes with a silent price that no one seems to acknowledge, especially when it comes to healthcare. It is simply causing us to cut corners. …
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