Where things get almost comical is the drug pricing. New drugs are introduced at nosebleed-level prices, while older drugs are often relabeled, re-dosed, and then resold at very inflated prices. We will set the price at the level of Medicines can change exponentially in price. I will use an example from my medical specialty.
Please note that during these pricing the products offered will never change. Perhaps 20 years ago, standard neomycin/polymyxin ear drops sold for around $20 each. Nothing fancy here. It’s effective, but it contains a combination of very old drugs. exceeded the dollar. The price of the original drops suddenly exceeded $100 per bottle when the next study arrived showing that replacement drops were even more dangerous. Another example is nasal steroid sprays. Medicines such as Flonase and Nasacort averaged $120 a bottle before many hit stores.
All of a sudden you can buy these in bulk at Costco for $12. At that price point you’ll find that there is still a profit or Costco won’t do it. But I’m using a new new application device. How much does this new flashy plastic cost?
An area where prices have completely reset the needle is new monoclonal antibody biopharmaceuticals. Don’t get me wrong here, many of these are true miracles of modern medicine, allowing control of previously untreatable diseases and cancers. over $30,000 annually. Miracle or not, it’s pretty solid. Will the price be half that, or one third? Perhaps, and the companies are still doing well.
What doesn’t work is the executive bonus. A notable example is the drug Humira. Taking advantage of US patent law (common in the pharmaceutical industry), AbbVie made his $114 billion with his Humira. Another example of a headline is the story of the apparently soulless Martin Shkreli. During his tenure at Turing Pharmaceuticals, Shkreli said he raised the price of Dalaprim, the company’s flagship drug used to treat AIDS and cancer, by 5,000%. He is currently serving a seven-year sentence for fraud.
Another headline last month was the salary of Pfizer CEO Albert Bourra. Pfizer’s profits have tripled over the years and I think he’s been able to pocket $50 million each year over the past two years. Feeling a little sick when standing in line for a credit card at your local Walgreens?
And it’s not just pharmaceutical companies. Exorbitant salaries permeate all corporate healthcare. Huge profits are out of the pockets of patients and into the pockets of business executives.
These dollars aren’t going to pay for your medical bills. In the US, three of his 10 highest-paid CEOs in 2022 were from medical conglomerate Oak Street Health. Here, the CEO earned $568 million in salary and benefits. Do you think there is anyone on the planet worth that kind of money, even entertainers and athletes (that’s another question)? Greed is rampant in the medical world, which is the main reason the costs are near insane.
With healthcare theft capitalism on the rise, 58% of all US debt is medical related. One of her eight U.S. citizens pays more than $10,000 in medical bills. Health insurance premiums have risen more than 200% over the last 20 years. Costs spiral out of control and are not really sustainable. Something has to change here.
Another breakdown was in the harmonization of the doctor-hospital relationship. Hospitals used to work in partnership with physicians with the common goal of providing quality patient care. Now more than ever, hospitals are the first business and care centers the second. And these days, every business demands a ubiquitous “mission statement.”
This has to be one of my biggest complaints with any entity, and certainly in healthcare. But really, they’re just a series of motivational words, business terms that don’t make sense when linked together. I don’t know about you, but after reading most mission statements (and they’re all pretty much the same), I usually wonder what the actual goals are.
In medicine, the mission statement (if you really want one) is simple, to provide people in our community with the highest quality care possible while providing safe employment for our staff. Anything more than that is pointless. Anyway, actions speak louder than words. Better to skip the statement and do the right thing.
In addition, hospitals should work with local doctors. Perhaps sometimes you have to compromise to meet your goals and provide the best possible service while still providing the best possible care. Everyone does well at the end of the day in the perfect scenario. Despite its deceptively simple appearance, there are many discrepancies in Rank.
Unfortunately, the competing group is full of smart people, including doctors, nurses, and administrators. Hospitals need doctors and nurses to survive. They are the ones who bring the patient in and provide care. You can expect receptiveness and flexibility on common issues. But instead, heels are dug in, divisions deepen, ties are broken, services are lost, and community health care is undermined. Ultimately, this has financial implications.
Hospitals are governed by a set of guidelines called ordinances. They regulate all aspects of patient care and outline the physician’s responsibilities within the hospital. They are designed to ensure patient safety with fair and equitable care and are needed in good faith as a whole.
However, like the 50+ page aging document, there are sections that have nothing to do with modern society or medical progress. Our society is constantly changing with technological advances, but medical thinking is often slow to adapt and always somehow lags behind by a few steps. , inevitably contains sections that can very unnecessarily restrict the lives of doctors.
What might have been necessary ten years ago may not be necessary today to provide the same level of care. If there’s one thing the pandemic has changed society, it’s the way people view work. People are becoming more protective of their most private moments in recent memory. It turns out that the new doctor is more willing to sacrifice his personal life for his career than his predecessor. For them it’s just a job. No more the same rewards. In society, they become “providers” and he is just one of many employed medical workers.
Gone are the old pedestals they once enjoyed. They now have little control over what was entirely their domain. So when outdated ordinances are strictly enforced, doctors leave. What was once written to improve emergency patient access to care and keep patients safe often works against these goals and actually makes care less accessible. increase. Hospitals have a great responsibility to take care of the sick. Nonetheless, there is a need to completely reframe physician responsibilities, and we need to take into account how they can be redefined using the technology that has become available to us today. Without compromise, there would be far fewer doctors where doctors are needed.
Another problem is the overinterpretation of the HIPAA law. What is the Health Insurance Availability and Accountability Act and why was it mandated? was created to allow equal access to care regardless of the state of The advent of electronic transmission of medical information also protects patient privacy. This is the law’s largest albatross. As is the case with many well-meaning laws, this segment often turns into a monster and restricts access to vital information, making it extremely frustrating or dangerous to try to care for a patient. There are even things.
All healthcare organizations now require a HIPAA policy. This means all patients are required to sign a multi-page form stating that they have read and understand the office’s privacy policy. The last thing patients needed first was more paperwork. So much less pre-visit paperwork actually medically helps the appointment. Most are required by legal professionals or government regulations.
Even before COVID, HIPAA legislation required medical institutions and pharmacies to provide “privacy” spacing between patients. This mission has always seemed very comical. Because, first of all, no one was eavesdropping on other people’s problems and publishing what they just heard on Facebook. Second, you can always listen regardless of “privacy isolation” or not. Regardless, medical facilities had to follow these ridiculous rules or risk fines or more.Another good example of protecting patient privacy is tonsils Trying to find a family for her 5-year-old who just had a hysterectomy.
Parents usually want to know how the surgery went. HIPAA privacy regulations do not allow hospital operators to use names to identify family members who may have emerged from the waiting room. Paging like “Amanda Jones’ family please go back to the surgery waiting room” creates privacy issues that haunt her for the rest of her life, ultimately leading to unemployment, emotional distress, and social distancing. leading to general rejection from I know about tonsillectomy.
Instead, surgeons often have to go on to the next operation without finding their family. Sorry parents, you are left in the dark, but at least your child’s privacy is protected. HIPAA has added additional frustrations that medical teams have to deal with when trying to properly care for you.
