Health reform should simplify our health system. Here are some ideas.

We are a nation divided. Our two major political parties agree on essentially nothing. Republicans cannot agree even amongst themselves how to proceed on health care reform. It is demoralizing that even though U.S. health care has sunken to last among developed nations, our elected leaders are unable to envision or agree upon any effective solutions. We could all use a win. When it comes to health care reform, administrative simplification could provide that win. American health care is an administrative mess. Administrative costs are roughly double in the U.S. compared to other nations. Recent studies show that for every hour of patient care, doctors spend two or three hours on administrative tasks. Getting paid for even the most basic health care services is unbelievably complicated and time-consuming. Doctors and nurses struggle to keep up with ever-expanding documentation requirements for clinical notes and orders for tests and treatments. Overly complicated HIPAA privacy and security regulations add to the burden (but detract from good health care). And the government-mandated electronic health record (EHR) Meaningful Use program has forced a generation of physicians to focus more on data entry than patient care. Patients struggle with a sea of confusing rules and red tape as well. It is something that drastically needs to be fixed, which is something that, lo and behold, we can all agree upon. That’s right! There is something we can all agree upon. Continue reading .....
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Policy Health reform Source Type: blogs