What if the FDA is eliminated?
President Trump’s first couple of weeks have people taking him literally, not just seriously. What does that mean when it comes to the regulation of drugs?
As I wrote in early December (Would an FDA radical make any real difference), I’m not convinced that even a major shift away from regulation will dramatically change the market. Even if the bar for approvals is lowered, third-party payers will still want to see compelling safety and efficacy data before they provide reimbursement. Medicare and Medicaid may also up their game by directly or indirectly discouraging prescribing of medications that are unproven...
Source: Health Business Blog - February 1, 2017 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Pharma Policy and politics Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
Rerun: We need a liberal immigration policy to support health care reform
I went down to Copley Square, Boston yesterday to protest President Trump’s Executive Order on immigration. I’m very concerned about the direction the country is taking. Beyond that, I’m also saddened at the lack of appreciation for immigrants in building our economy and helping health care reform succeed. Below is a rerun of my blog post from 2011.
Over the last decade, the United States has intentionally made itself less attractive to immigrants, forgetting that immigration has been a huge driver of the country’s economic success. In a recent article (America needs a 21st century immigration polic...
Source: Health Business Blog - January 30, 2017 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Culture Policy and politics immigration Source Type: blogs
Health Wonk Review is up at Managed Care Matters
The steady hand of Joe Paduda is evident in this week’s Inauguration edition of the Health Wonk Review. It’s refreshing to find a place where facts still matter and objective analysis is prized. Highly recommended. (Source: Health Business Blog)
Source: Health Business Blog - January 27, 2017 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Announcements Blogs Policy and politics Source Type: blogs
Medicaid block grants would be ok for Massachusetts
Look mom, no waivers!
The old Republican idea of replacing Medicaid with block grants to the states is back on the front burner. In general I oppose it because it is likely to be used as a backdoor way to screw people with low incomes by reducing available funding. And I also fear it will increase healthcare disparities in many states where the commitment to universal coverage is low. Read (Everything you need to know about block grants – The Heart of GOP’s Medicaid Plans) from Kaiser Health News for the ins and outs.
But a shift to block grants would be fine for Massachusetts. It might be preferable to the...
Source: Health Business Blog - January 25, 2017 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Policy and politics block grants Massachusetts Medicaid Source Type: blogs
Health Wonk Review is up at Workers Comp Insider
The “words matter” edition of the Health Wonk Review blog carnival is up at Workers Comp Insider. Check out some of the first wonky posts of the year. (Source: Health Business Blog)
Source: Health Business Blog - January 12, 2017 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Announcements Source Type: blogs
Reform dentistry but don ’ t blindly copy the medical model
It’s always struck me as odd that the dental and medical systems are so separate. Oral health and overall health are closely interlinked, and the mouth is just as much a part of the body as anything else. A commentary in Health Affairs (The Dental-Medical Divide) by Elizabeth A. Mertz, a dental professor at UCSF does a good job of laying out the current state and what to expect going forward. While I learned from the article and agree with many of the conclusions, I do think it’s important that dentistry continue to deviate in some ways from the path followed by the medical profession.
Dentists started as barber/surgeo...
Source: Health Business Blog - January 11, 2017 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Policy and politics innovation LANAP Source Type: blogs
Concierge Cardiology: podcast interview with Wayne Lipton
https://healthbb.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/hbdew0052-david-e-williams-interviews-concierge-choice-physicians-ceo-wayne-lipton.mp3
Wayne Lipton runs Concierge Choice Physicians, which converts traditional physician offices to “hybrid”concierge practices that provide new options for patients and increase physician income. While we typically hear about concierge practices in primary care, the model is expanding to other specialties.
In this podcast interview, Wayne and I discuss the hybrid concierge model for cardiology:
(0:11) What is a typical cardiologist’s practice like these days and how has it chang...
Source: Health Business Blog - January 5, 2017 Category: Health Management Authors: dewe67 Tags: Entrepreneurs Physicians Podcast cardiology concierge choice physicians concierge medicine Source Type: blogs
