The WELLalarm Blog

Need to find a doctor? How do you know if they are any good?

Today healthcare consumers have another resource to find top medical doctors in specific fields. USA Today, in cooperation with Qforma has released its “Most Influential Doctors” database recognizing thousands of medical leaders in 300 metro areas through out the United States. Doctors falling into this category not only see a vast number of patients in their specific field but also constantly cooperate with their peers to share their data and experiences.

 According to the studies methodology doctors where chosen based on the following criteria: “books and articles they have published, the studies they have carried out, academic achievements, referral patterns, diagnoses, procedures, their prescribing activity, their hospital affiliations and similar information.” http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/qforma-most-influential-doctors.htm

Entreprenuership: It Can Dramatically Reduce the Cost of Chronic Illness to Tax Payers

I strongly believe that entrepreneurship is a viable and dramatically under utilized career option for people with chronic illnesses. It's critical during this time of economic crisis when the US health care system is spiraling out of control and managing the cost of chronic illness is one of our major concerns as a country at large that we look out of the box for solutions. I am of the believe that entrepreneurship is part of the solution we desperately need to help to decrease the cost to our society of chronic illness and in developing a societal safety net for those with chronic illnesses. Currently, vast numbers of Americans who live with a chronic illness (Remember, 1/3 of the US population has a chronic illness folks and this is number is only going to increase in the next decade...) rely on some for of government assistance including disability or are dramatically under employed because of the need to access health insurance from an employer pool because they are unable to thrive as part of the "traditional workforce" and at the same time take the appropriate steps to take care of themselves. Learn how we can easily fix this and dramatically REDUCE the cost of chronic illness to tax payers in my next few vlog posts!

Entrepreneurship - More Than A Viable Option for People with Chronic Illnesses from Stephanie Cion on Vimeo.

Prescription Drugs Not Affordable for Seven out of Ten Americans

I did a double-take when I read this headline from EmaxHealth. What the--seven out of ten?

Yes. The results of the 2007 national Health Tracking Household Survey were reported in The New York Times. Seven out of ten adults under 65 reported going without their prescriptions because they could not afford to. The study looked at 10,400 adults under the age of 65. Compare this with 2003, when only one in ten adults skipped their medications due to the cost.

Keep in mind, these are results for 2007; I cannot imagine how much worse this has gotten with the recent economic downturn.

Study lead author Laurie E. Felland adds, "Our findings are particularly troublesome given the increased reliance on prescription drugs to treat chronic conditions... People who go without their prescriptions experience worsening health and complications." Take it from me, a person with a chronic condition, I've had a front-row seat to the spiraling cost of prescription drugs. I'm doing all right but it really, truly causes me to worry about my fellow chronically ill Americans! And even though I do not have to chose between eating and taking my meds, the cost still smarts.

Obama's health care reform plan includes "lower drug costs by allowing the importation of safe medicines from other developed countries, increasing the use of generic drugs in public programs and taking on drug companies that block cheaper generic medicines from the market." Here's hoping Secretary Daschle and Congress can make that happen--fast! Will it be enough? (Chart via The New York Times)

Obama healthcare team gives greenlight to Second Life volunteers!

I found this sooooo interesting. Second Life is one of many forms of social media--in this case, you can create your own virtual world and interact with others in a community. Here the Obama healthcare team is reaching out to people who cannot travel to hear about their healthcare issues in a forum that works best for them. And the administration is calling upon Second Life volunteers to help shape healthcare policy.

This is where our technology is taking us, folks! Fascinating.

Via Gianna Borgnine on Twitter

Nationalized Electronic Medical Records Management by 2014?

I was pleased to hear that Obama wants to make all American's health records standardized and electronic. As an entrepreneur who specializes in cutting-edge electronic medical records management, I am all for harnessing technology to cut costs and improve everyone's wellness! That's why the basic service of WELLalarm is free.

But can Obama really make this happen in five years, as he has planned? Take it from me, this is no easy task even at a small business scale. On a national scale? Well, let's look at the numbers.

• Only 8% of US hospitals and 17% of physicians use electronic records management.
• Independent studies predict it will take the US more like 10 years to implement this plan.
• Studies also estimate it will cost the US $75-100 billion (compare this with the $800 billion stimulus package...).

Much of the cost will come from training a new workforce; right now we do not even have the health technology experts we need to make this happen.

Still, I see a tremendous opportunity for Americans here. If we plan carefully from the start we could have a highly effective health system.

Sanjay Gupta as next Surgeon General

By now we have all heard the news: President-Elect Obama is considering Atlanta neurosurgeon and CNN commentator Sanjay Gupta as Surgeon General.

Here's what people are saying about the possible appointment.

Time Magazine (where Gupta is a commentator) thinks he is perfect for the job because he is already an expert at clearly communicating health concerns to the public--the most important aspect of the job.

Jacob Goldstein of the Wall Street Journal agrees for the same reason, saying "There’s a certain logic to picking a TV talking head to be surgeon general, because the surgeon general is largely a talking head."

New York Times commentator Paul Krugman does not think the appointment is a good idea. Krugman's objection is based on an incident in which Gupta told Michael Moore he "fudged his facts" in the movie "Sicko." As it turns out, CNN was in error and Moore was correct on some points.

On the other end of the political spectrum, Newsbusters also opposes the pick because during the presidential campaign, Gupta pointed out that John McCain's released medical records made no mention of his "mental health," or the possibility of "post-traumatic stress disorder" or 'substance abuse."

Get to know Gupta yourself by perusing his CNN blog, Paging Dr. Gupta.

Our New Health and Human Services Secretary: Tom Daschle

I was just wondering who would get the post...well here he is, Senator Tom Daschle.

It looks like he has been thinking seriously about this for some time--enough to write a book, Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis. Part of Daschle's solution is to have an independent Federal health board to manage an unmanageably complex tangle.

The book earned a positive blurb from Obama himself:

The American health-care system is in crisis, and workable solutions have been blocked for years by deeply entrenched ideological divisions. Sen. Daschle brings fresh thinking to this problem, and his Federal Reserve for Health concept holds great promise for bridging this intellectual chasm and, at long last, giving this nation the health care it deserves.

Here's a Huffington Post piece Daschle wrote back in February about what we need to do to fix our health care system. (The Cliffs Notes to the book!)

Congratulations Senator Daschle, you have got your work cut out for you!

Now for something really important...what do we think of Brad Pitt's mustache? (image via Oprah.com)

Friday Links: How Soon Can We Start Health Care Reform?

Okay, America, we've got ourselves a new president who has made some bold plans for reforming health care!

While Obama has insisted that "there is only one president at a time," people are anxious for healthcare reform to happen as soon as possible, according to two articles in the Los Angeles Times. Advocacy groups are urging Obama to prioritize reform within his first 100 days in office. And Congress, worried that the financial meltdown will delay Obama's health care reform plans, has already started acting on their own.

According to the Washington Post, Obama's vision may collide with the reality. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel discusses the challenges Obama faces in reforming health care.

By the way, did you hear that GM is cutting its health care benefits to retirees?

Meanwhile we await announcements for more cabinet appointments. Who will head up health care reform? Chris Frates of Politico.com speculates here. Anyone else want to hazard a guess?

Remembering our Veterans' Health

This Veteran's Day I found myself mulling over an article I read recently. It was about a soldier in Iraq who suffered a severe head injury, taking part of his brain and most of his motor abilities with it. This young man has amazing determination and astounded doctors with his miraculous recovery, thanks partly to intensive therapy. But once he was walking and talking he was released with hardly any support or follow up. His progress halted, and his life fell apart.

Unfortunately, I seem to come across a lot of articles about Iraq veterans with serious, long-term health issues.

One of the hidden costs of war is the rehabilitation and support for severely injured soldiers. It looks like we need to do better by these men and women.

I'm hoping this is something get right with the new Obama administration.

On a more positive note, I'm also hoping I get a chance to see the documentary Lioness, about women who fought in direct ground combat with Marines. It's on PBS tomorrow!

(Image via ABC News.)

A New Day!

Regardless of how you voted, you have to admit this is an exciting day! Just read this quote from an article from the New York Times:

"There is a country out there where tens of millions of white Christians, voting freely, select as their leader a black man of modest origin, the son of a Muslim. There is a place on Earth — call it America — where such a thing happens."

Wow.

I'm excited about this new page in history. And I'm also excited about a project of mine: I've been blogging at Savor the Success, (a community for women entrepreneurs)! I introduce myself in this post, and here I am getting chills over the election returns at a photo shoot.

I'm feeling a wave of energy and limitless possibilities today! Hope you feel it too.