Escape Fire

[Trapper John]

Anyone see "Escape Fire" on CNN tonight? IMO this was a very insightful, balanced and comprehensive expose on what is wrong with the health-care system in the US. I was surprised to hear things that I have been saying for years i.e., "the US health-care system is not a health-care system, it is a disease management system".

Issues such as the misalignment of incentives in the reimbursement schedules, over prescription of drugs, too many unnecessary expensive diagnostic procedures, too much emphasis on volumes of procedures performed, lack of emphasis on prevention, cheap and broad access to processed foods leading to chronic diseases, focus of pharmaceutical companies on creating shareholder value instead of improving outcomes in patients, and on and on and on. IMO this expose hit all the important issues.

Posting this to generate a discussion on one of the most important issues of our time.

[BOfH]

Entire post.


MOO: I haven't seen it, but I might have stayed at a Holiday Inn (Express) last night. :D My employer is involved in the corporate wellness industry, while small, it is growing given the attention to preventative care; so, there is quite a bit of discussion around these issues from time to time. That said, my views are my own.

Two things that come up quite often in discussion with my colleagues are a) tort reform and b) cultural "overhaul". The former is pretty straight forward: much of the over diagnostic and over prescription is due to a fear of malpractice suits, especially in tort friendly states like NY. The latter is a bit more complicated, but IMO, can be summed up as: "get off the computer/couch and get outside". Technology is a double edged sword: while incredibly useful, it is linked to a sedentary lifestyle and increased stress due to always on/always connected. Other issues to consider are overprotective parents who discourage play where there is even the slightest risk of minimal injury.

My .02, YMMV by a lot

[MtnGoat]

I missed it, from what guys are saying it was good like you posted. Hopefully they replay the show.

[Leozinho]

I saw parts of it, and I was just on Amazon looking up Dean Ornish's books.

Ornish was featured in one segment of the program. It's probably old news to many, but he uses diet and other lifestyle changes to reverse heart disease.

Definitely worth watching if it's replayed or available online.

[Sdiver]

I watched it and thought it was a typical CNN production. On a scale from 1-10 I gave it a "Eh".

They only briefly touched on why our health care system is "broken" .... Insurance and Pharmaceutical companies. Both of those together have tolled the death knell of the current "Health Care" system.

I loved who they kept throwing out how our health care system is "broken" and needs "fixing", well, with what CNN showed last night is not even the "tip of the iceberg" or what's wrong with the system. The program was more like a "snow flake on that tip of the iceberg". The only way to "fix" our current system is to treat it like a computer virus, and that is "Crash the system, wipe the files and then reboot." But with the above two companies so entrenched into our society, it'll will never happen, and with "Barrycare" starting up next year, it's only going to get worse from here.

[PedOncoDoc]

I watched it and thought it was a typical CNN production. On a scale from 1-10 I gave it a "Eh".

They only briefly touched on why our health care system is "broken" .... Insurance and Pharmaceutical companies. Both of those together have tolled the death knell of the current "Health Care" system.

I loved who they kept throwing out how our health care system is "broken" and needs "fixing", well, with what CNN showed last night is not even the "tip of the iceberg" or what's wrong with the system. The program was more like a "snow flake on that tip of the iceberg". The only way to "fix" our current system is to treat it like a computer virus, and that is "Crash the system, wipe the files and then reboot." But with the above two companies so entrenched into our society, it'll will never happen, and with "Barrycare" starting up next year, it's only going to get worse from here.

You forgot to mention the lawsuits and malpractice insurance BofH hinted at. Those 3 areas (Insurance, Big Pharma, and Legal battles) are the major issues that are breaking the system IMHO.