David Kibbe MD a family practice physician joins us here courtesy of Matthew Holt of The Health Care Blog....Dave is a well known writer on the subject of health IT. In this particular episode he takes us on a cross country tour produced by Scribe media.org I think you will like the music as well. Enjoy!
The overriding theme of the recent campaign season was and is “CHANGE”. The sea of jubilant Americans, young, older, all races, and backgrounds celebrating this victory of Obama for America demonstrates the power of democracy. Yes, democracy is more powerful than capitalism (run amok) and socialism.
We tend to think of black and white. Either left or right. During the campaign at times it was difficult to analyze the real deep meaning of either candidates proposals. There were many who feared this outcome, however the majority has ruled. It is obvious many of us have been left behind.
The outcome is not the death of capitalism, nor the onset of socialism, it is however the demonstration that capitalism and free markets have exceeded their inherent ability to balance the equation. One can argue that creeping entitlements have led us into this “dead end”. The normal market pressures have become dysfunctional.
George Bush’s policies and decisions ended when we invaded Iraq. We were caught up in a perfect storm of global events and economic turmoil.. and terrorism was the overriding theme for us.
Americans had never been attacked in the underbelly, or the heart of the nation’s highest peak (the World Trade Center). The events of 911 symbolized and unknowingly foreshadowed the events of the past several months. In reality these events were ongoing for considerable time. Our recent financial collapse has been blamed on the supreme mortgage meltdown. This is a smokescreen for what has been ongoing for the past ten or twenty years in real estate, credit markets, the consolidations of enterprises, the greed of the stockmarket, insurance industry, technology whether it was for the good, or for mindless entertainment among increasingly idle Americans, who had lost their direction.
We should have learned that actions should not always be based upon fear. We should also remember not to depend upon one person to lead us and/or save us from ourselves.
At the onset of the crisis I said “look in the mirror, there is the culprit”. Even those of you who are relatively successful depend upon inequality, and greed. How big a house, and how many do you need? How big a vehicle do you want? Is it based upon your life’s needs, or some other motivation. Some families with 2-4 children do need a larger vehicle. Why has the foreign car market exploded? Why have we had to export and/or outsource many of our vital functions?
I am not going to give answers here. I don’t know all of them, But we all, patients, payers, providers, and yes government need to assess what we have done. It has not been done to us. Look in the mirror.
While we have been counting the casualties, worrying about health care financing, the gradual and relentess increases in the cost of energy, and the innumerable eco- disasters the perfect storm arose and devastated capitalism as we knew it.
Our new leader is largely unknown, however he is extremely bright, a brilliant orator and politician. This inexperienced man defeated a powerful political machine, overturning the democratic party, just like a boat in the perfect storm. We must all row the boat together as a team to insure our success. We don’t expect a miracle, but more people now have hope.
No capitalism is not dead, nor is socialism taking over. It is not black and white.
President Obama is the perfect combination for our country, a man of color and white, an immigrant, a man who came out of nowhere, from a very modest background, raised by a single parent and grandparent. How familiar does that sound to you? It is not the American dream, but it is the American Reality.
Hope must come before prosperity. There is no prosperity without hope.
As I drive to work through endless homes
I always wonder, what is going on in each of those homes. Are they healthy? Do they have jobs? How many are living from paycheck to paycheck, unable to save or follow the advice of financial wizards? How many are sad? How many have dysfunctional families? How many alcoholics and drug dependent people are in those homes? How many don’t have insurance? How many live in fear of losing their homes and/or their transportation. How many have latchkey children?
There are many more questions than answers. Statistics don’t tell the real story. They indicate the enormity of our problems, however as I drive through the neighborhood I feel the pain.
We as providers face these situations on a daily basis, unable to respond effectively for our patients, unable to commit sufficient time to analyze problems of poor health based on economics, family structure, anxiety and/or depression, limited income in a country with supposedly unlimited financial resources. In truth it has not been this way for many years.
Democracy gives us Hope
The overriding theme of the recent campaign season was and is “CHANGE”. The sea of jubilant Americans, young, older, all races, and backgrounds celebrating this victory of Obama for America demonstrates the power of democracy. Yes, democracy is more powerful than capitalism (run amok) and socialism.
We tend to think of black and white. Either left or right. During the campaign at times it was difficult to analyze the real deep meaning of either candidates proposals. There were many who feared this outcome, however the majority has ruled. It is obvious many of us have been left behind.
The outcome is not the death of capitalism, nor the onset of socialism, it is however the demonstration that capitalism and free markets have exceeded their inherent ability to balance the equation. One can argue that creeping entitlements have led us into this “dead end”. The normal market pressures have become dysfunctional.
George Bush’s policies and decisions ended when we invaded Iraq. We were caught up in a perfect storm of global events and economic turmoil.. and terrorism was the overriding theme for us.
Americans had never been attacked in the underbelly, or the heart of the nation’s highest peak (the World Trade Center). The events of 911 symbolized and unknowingly foreshadowed the events of the past several months. In reality these events were ongoing for considerable time. Our recent financial collapse has been blamed on the supreme mortgage meltdown. This is a smokescreen for what has been ongoing for the past ten or twenty years in real estate, credit markets, the consolidations of enterprises, the greed of the stockmarket, insurance industry, technology whether it was for the good, or for mindless entertainment among increasingly idle Americans, who had lost their direction.
We should have learned that actions should not always be based upon fear. We should also remember not to depend upon one person to lead us and/or save us from ourselves.
At the onset of the crisis I said “look in the mirror, there is the culprit”. Even those of you who are relatively successful depend upon inequality, and greed. How big a house, and how many do you need? How big a vehicle do you want? Is it based upon your life’s needs, or some other motivation. Some families with 2-4 children do need a larger vehicle. Why has the foreign car market exploded? Why have we had to export and/or outsource many of our vital functions?
I am not going to give answers here. I don’t know all of them, But we all, patients, payers, providers, and yes government need to assess what we have done. It has not been done to us. Look in the mirror.
While we have been counting the casualties, worrying about health care financing, the gradual and relentess increases in the cost of energy, and the innumerable eco- disasters the perfect storm arose and devastated capitalism as we knew it.
Our new leader is largely unknown, however he is extremely bright, a brilliant orator and politician. This inexperienced man defeated a powerful political machine, overturning the democratic party, just like a boat in the perfect storm. We must all row the boat together as a team to insure our success. We don’t expect a miracle, but more people now have hope.
No capitalism is not dead, nor is socialism taking over. It is not black and white.
President Obama is the perfect combination for our country, a man of color and white, an immigrant, a man who came out of nowhere, from a very modest background, raised by a single parent and grandparent. How familiar does that sound to you? It is not the American dream, but it is the American Reality.
Hope must come before prosperity. There is no prosperity without hope.
As I drive to work through endless homes
I always wonder, what is going on in each of those homes. Are they healthy? Do they have jobs? How many are living from paycheck to paycheck, unable to save or follow the advice of financial wizards? How many are sad? How many have dysfunctional families? How many alcoholics and drug dependent people are in those homes? How many don’t have insurance? How many live in fear of losing their homes and/or their transportation. How many have latchkey children?
There are many more questions than answers. Statistics don’t tell the real story. They indicate the enormity of our problems, however as I drive through the neighborhood I feel the pain.
We as providers face these situations on a daily basis, unable to respond effectively for our patients, unable to commit sufficient time to analyze problems of poor health based on economics, family structure, anxiety and/or depression, limited income in a country with supposedly unlimited financial resources. In truth it has not been this way for many years.
Democracy gives us Hope
I have to give Barak Obama and John McCain a great deal of credit for their ceaseless energy in campaigning. Whether you agree or disagree with either of them, admit that they have 'charged' the electoral process. For the first time in my memory we have a real choice.
This column does not pretend to be unbiased, either in my pronouncements or opinions. It is the culmination of 65 years on the third rock from the sun, and as a physician for 40 years. There are many of you out there that are older, younger, but few wiser than me. I admire Barak Obama for energizing his "base"
I did not like the way Obama at the last minute decided to waive campaign financing in lieu of fund raising. He obviated the careful thinking about removing finances from the equation. Most of us pay one dollar to fund campaigns. So much for Obama being the voice of the people HYPOCRISY
I admire John McCain for his life and experience. Young politicians can be gifted and wise beyond their years. Obama's lie story is compelling and appeals emotionally to many, but his real world experiences are limited....He is much like the academic who is smart, but has limited real world experience and speaks from two polar opposites....academia and the poor of Chicago. I am suspicious of his origins in Chicago, his affiliations, his glib statements, and his denial of being a very left politician.
He cannot extract a list of accomplishments compared to McCain. He is not even a proven academic. Where is his list of papers. What happened during his college years? Being head of the Harvard Yale Law does not prove much unless he practice law and perhaps it allow him to be in a certain circle of elite friend in the law.
It has been said he will govern from an oligarchy of four associates.
John McCain did not have the 'handlers' nor the organization of Obama...He also started too late. Obama was at this fully committed for two years. McCain all but dropped out a year ago.
Political handlers do not run our country, they stage Roman festivals, go door to door (paid to do that). Tell the candidate where and where not to go. Obama has kept his handlers well hidden. I don't see him as having any original thought...great oratory in a hypnotic manner of delivery.
Yes, I have a bad feeling. There is a great deal of emotion and anger in Obama and his wife. His wife and friends harbor these feelings, which may be justified. He is supported by millions of disenfranchised citizens.
Anyone who would use the phrase, "my program will allow you to buy more of those 'iTune' songs says it all.
For a presidential candidate what cultural and sociologic or even true inspirational aspects are present??
My vote does not depend upon either candidate's proposals for healthcare reform...There are much bigger issues to consider.
I have a MCCAIN-PALIN bumper sticker on my car in a heavily OBAMA neighborhood. My son, age 22 told me I should take it off if I don't want my windows smashed. The fact that he felt some intimidation surprise me. He however is much more in touch with young people. I took it off....he is a very good judge of character.
SO I WILL VOTE FOR JOHN MCCAIN, AND IF YOU HAVE SOME LOGIC AND REASON YOU WILL SEE THAT OBAMA PLAYS TO OUR EMOTIONAL NEEDS....IF YOU VOTE FOR OBAMA TODAY YOU WILL GET WHAT YOU DESERVE...LOSS OF FREEDOMS,much higer taxes, more entitlement programs and further movement of businesses to foreign countries.A SLAVE TO THE 'PEOPLE'....SOUNDS LIKE MARXISM, SOCIALISM AND THE DREAD WORD WE HATE TO SAY "COMMUNISM"
YOUR VOTE HAS BEEN BOUGHT BY MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, AVERAGED OUT TO 18.75 DOLLARS PER VOTE.
SORRY SID, YOU ARE BEING PLAYED BY SOMETHING THAT SOUNDS WONDERFUL BE CAUSE YOU ARE SUCH A GREAT GUY, PHYSICIAN AND CARE SO MUCH FOR PEOPLE.
All commentary is taken from The Heritage Foundation
It's been some time since we have had such a clear choice in our selection for our President and the leader of what we call the free world.
Obama---black, young,liberal,inexperienced,
McCain--white, old,conservative, experienced
Both men tempered by their life's stories, both credible, neither with a good plan for our present crises, which are ECONOMIC, NOT POLITICAL. The same pertains to HEALTHCARE.
Medicare and other payors are mandating a conversion to the new coding standard, ICD-10 from ICD-9. Now what's in a number? Well, the new standard will allow for over 155,000 unique identifiers for diagnostic coding, whereas the current standard only allows for something over 9,000 diagnoses.
Converting from one to the other is a big deal since current fields in computer programs do not allow for the added field size.
What's more important to most providers is that the 'unfunded mandate" will cost a three man physician group 80,000 dollars to convert. KevinMD and DrVal point out this conundrum in the face of decreasing reimbursement, the push for EMR and the present economic meltdown.
The Dr. House podcast fan club also has as medical consultant extraordinaire, Dr Anonymous, whose weekly show can be seen on Thursday evenings at 6PM PDT or 9PM EDT on blog talk radio.
