I trained as a Family Doctor so that I would be ready to help patients with any challenge. The old school family doc used to take that skill set out into the community on house calls, sports sidelines, and town hall meetings. At some point the job description was boiled down into a job that started and ended with a 7 minute office visit. That setup is not good for patients, and it's not good for doctors. In this column I hope to start to push the boundary of where the doctor patient interaction takes place - onto the page, into the community, and beyond 7 minutes.
Hospitals and insurance companies are not inherently “good” or “bad.” They serve a function in our society. Unfortunately, their relative power to decide who has access to care and how much that care costs has outstripped their ability to distribute care equitably. A possible solution is to redistribute some of that power to patients and the individuals who care for them.
Read MoreThis month I sent the prescription to Walgreens and the patient was surprised to find the cost to pick it up was $304. Remember, this is a life sustaining prescription that the patient will need every month for the rest of her life. As a doctor I know that this is not a fair price for this medication. I was able to contact the pharmacy and pull a few strings and recommend that the pharmacist apply a coupon to reduce the cost to $68, something the pharmacist should have been able to work with the patient on without my intervention
Read MoreCOVID has taken over our health consciousness. The majority of our resources are dedicated to halting the spread of disease. Most primary care clinics have scaled back and turned to tele-health. Elective procedures have been cancelled. The irony is that all of the health problems that were present before the pandemic are still there. Some are event amplified.
Read MoreDoctor Oren’s perspective on the Corona Virus outbreak
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