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The United States has taken an important step in reducing the cost of health care by mandating price transparency. Unfortunately, people are not incentivized to care about the actual cost of health care under the current system of insurance and care plans. This lack of incentive is one of the major reasons why the cost of health care has risen to its current height. People are allowed to focus solely on the price of their deductible, copay, and out-of-pocket maximum for their insurance instead of the actual cost of care. However, focusing on these things doesn’t change the price of their care or the fact that someone needs to pay it in full. Let’s discuss the effect this has on people who require care.

There are typically two types of people who use the health care system, those who avoid the system until they need it, and those who rely on it regularly. Both types of people are relatively insensitive to the actual cost of their health care.

Those who avoid it until they need it usually have very little experience with the health care system, and typically only rely on it for emergencies. They may have little knowledge of how it works and what everything costs, but prices are of little concern to most people in an emergency. These people focus on insurance premiums, deductibles, and their copay rather than the actual price of the emergency care they’ll receive, and they rarely will (or can) shop around for the best price.

Those who rely on the health care system regularly are people who need care for extended periods of time or have chronic illnesses. These people have much more experience with the health care system but are still relatively insensitive to the actual price of their care. This is because instead of focusing on the price of care, they only have to focus on their deductibles and the out-of-pocket maximum of their insurance plan. After paying the out-of-pocket maximum, their care is paid for entirely by their insurance for a period of time.

In both cases, the health care system doesn’t incentivize people to care about what the actual cost of care will be. Price transparency can be very helpful for people (mostly those who fall somewhere between the two types of people described above), but it can only go so far in helping the problem. Creating coordinated health systems that stop the fragmentation of care for chronically ill patients can drastically reduce the actual cost of care for each patient. In addition to this, proper preventative care can reduce the overall cost of care for those who avoid the health care system.

Houston Healthcare Initiative (HHI) is an organization of physicians and other medical professionals that is actively trying to fix this problem by increasing coordination, being transparent about our pricing, and much more. Contact HHI today for more information.

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines against the Covid-19 virus use an mRNA technique to guard human beings against the disease. The technique “teaches” human cells to make a protein that triggers an immune response, hence antibodies that attack the virus. Now, according to The Week, BioNTech has developed a treatment using the same approach that appears to stop multiple sclerosis in mice. If the same treatment can be made to work in humans, it could be a game-changer in treating the debilitating disease.

MS causes the immune system to attack the myelin, a protective sheath that covers nerves and spinal cords. Depending on how the disease progresses, patients can lose the ability to walk, speak, see, or perform other functions. No cure exists for MS, but current treatments can stave off the disease’s progression and help recovery from attacks. However, these treatments can compromise the immune system, placing patients at risk for infections.

The mRNA treatment for MS has been shown to stop the symptoms of the disease in mice and prevented further deterioration of the test subjects. Mice that were given a placebo exhibited typical symptoms of MS.

According to Healthline, roughly one million people in the United States and two and a half million worldwide are living with MS. The progression of the disease cannot be well predicted. It often makes itself apparent, then goes into remission, only to manifest later. Twice as many women as men suffer from MS. Scientists do not well understand what causes the disease.

If a treatment such as has been developed by BIONTech can be brought into a clinical setting, people suffering from MS may be able to live far more normal lives than before. It may not be a “cure” in the sense that it is one and done. Further research needs to happen to determine how long a treatment can stop MS. But anything that can treat the disease without side effects will be a boon to humankind.

For more information contact us,

The EMR has several advantages over the paper charts that it replaced. It is legible, cannot be misplaced and it eliminated paper prescriptions and paper orders. However, the current iterations have several disadvantages. 

1. The information density is very low in that a physician trying to understand the clinical course of the patient finds it difficult to access the relevant facts. It is laced with legal documents, consent forms, appointment verifications and other administrative information.
2. The physician has become a data entry clerk. In addition to doctoring the patient he/she has to doctor the chart. It contributes to physician burnout and raises the cost of medical care.
3. The information quality is poor in that physicians are poor data entry clerks and much of the physician’s notes are copied and pasted to save time and are thus inaccurate.
4. As each provider be it doctor, hospital or imaging center has its own EMR, the patient’s medical record is scattered about. A physician trying to care for the patient almost never has full information. Much time and effort is necessary to acquire information from the various sources. This also increases the cost of care.
5. The EMR is expensive with monthly fees paid by providers.
6. The patient has no access to his records.                  

Why is this? It surely is not a technical problem. We can understand the problems better when we realize that the main purpose of the EMR is to facilitate billing. The rule is “If you did not document it, you didn’t do it.” and thus you will not be paid. We need an EMR that is patient centered and not connected to billing at all. Such an EMR will not work with the current insurance system. 

An employee owned healthcare cooperative can correct most of the problems of the current EMR. If the cooperative maintained the EMR, all patient records would be in one place. The various providers could access and add to the EMR with no cost to the provider. Patients could have access. The information could be arranged with ease of access by providers the primary goal. With modern technology, the office visit could be recorded including the Chief complaint (reason for the visit) and the history. The physician could orally record the pertinent positive and negative physical findings and the conclusions. The recorded discussion with the patient about further testing and procedures would complete the visit. A data entry clerk working for the cooperative can then enter the diagnoses on a diagnosis list and record new medications on a medication list; Vital signs can be entered by the doctor’s office as well as by patients. Sections for lab and imaging would be maintained by clerks. No longer would doctors be adding data; they would be free to spend more time with patients. The copy and paste repetition of data would not clog the record. Administrative data would not be part of the EMR and could be stored independently by each provider.

Healthcare: What is it?

Healthcare is simply taking care of a person’s health. The complexity of healthcare comes from the individual as a whole. Healthcare differs from one person to another. Some may require more attention and some, not as much. Everyone who is concerned about their body from the physical, to the mental and emotional aspects of well-being, tend to stay on top of what it means to them, to take care of themselves. Healthcare differs in regions as well. Depending on where a person is located, good healthcare may not be accessible. Getting good healthcare is trivial sometimes when it comes to preexisting conditions as well as onset of health issues that are unexpected. Sometimes it may be difficult to choose the best route of insurance if you do not do your research. It is necessary to check the resources that are available so that you can receive the best healthcare possible.

Regular Doctor Visits

Being healthy begins with getting regular check-ups, and following the advice from your healthcare professional. Doctors, specialists, and others in the medical field, usually do their best to give the most beneficial support to their patients. If you are in need of a good physician, there are many reviews online and sometimes, through word-of-mouth, you can find what you are looking for in a doctor. Sometimes people are not so keen on going to the doctors out of fear of what may be brought to their attention. It is understandable to take the approach of “I’d rather not know.” If you want to have a better chance at living a life of clarity in terms of your health and possibly, an even longer life, it is best to know if there are any health issues present that need addressed.

Take Control Now

In most states, you can locate healthcare for your physical, mental, and biological wellness. For the physical aspect of your healthcare, it is necessary to have a personal care physician and you are entitled to choose one that best fits your needs. For the mental health care for an individual, for problems such as depression, anxiety, etc., a mental health clinician can be located in your county or city’s directory. You can also search on Google for a list of reviews for the clinicians that you find. Getting physical exams, tending to your mental health and getting blood work conducted are great ways to stay on top of your health care and engage in a life of good health and well-being. When you take responsibility for your own health, you take less chances of having negative health outcomes in your future.

Contact us today for more information.