Scarcity & Abundance in Our Healthcare System
In our healthcare system today, the physician’s time is essentially rationed. This happens in two way -healthcare provider organizations strictly limit the amount of time a physician can spend with any one patient. And insurance restrict access to physicians (and the procedures they might perform) through plan rules and processes. This is the inevitable result of an increasing volume of patients trying to gain access to a pool of physicians that is growing a very modest rate. In this podcast, we explore the ways that the healthcare system is adjusting to this reality and the consequences for patients and the quality of care they receive.
Research Shows New Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs Could Be More Effective than Statins
Researchers reported the first evidence that a new class of drugs known to dramatically lower cholesterol may also reduce risk of heart attacks, strokes and other serious consequences of cardiovascular disease. The drugs represent the most important new class of cholesterol-lowering medications since the first statin was approved in 1987.
Topical Psoriasis Therapy
Psoriasis, one of the most common dermatoses, occurs in 1 to 3 percent of the population. Although it is rarely life-threatening, psoriasis can cause significant morbidity, social embarrassment, financial cost and disruption in patients’ lives. While patients with extensive and severe disease may require potent oral therapy, less severe psoriasis is typically treated with topical medications. In this post, we review some of the topical treatments available to psoriasis sufferers.
Bell Curve Blues: In Search of a Good Outcome
In this podcast, we explore the question: Could a physician really be replaced by a computer? Technology is making this more possible in the area of medical diagnostics. And there are several compelling reasons why we may prefer an “”artificial” physician to the human equivalent.
Epidemics: Why Effective Treatments Aren’t Availabe
Scientists are largely in the dark about how to stop or treat the many never-seen-before global health problems of recent years, from the emergence of the deadly MERS virus in Saudi Arabia, to a new killer strain of bird flu in China and an unprecedented Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Researchers are looking to streamline clinical trials for new drugs to treat these diseases and eliminate the bureaucratic obstacles that often prevent an effective response to outbreaks.