by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

I’m jumping the gun a bit, but I thought you should have a heads up in case President Obama mentions the new buzz phrase “medical home” in his State of the Union Address.

Since his election, President Obama hasn’t said much about universal health care, although I’m sure that’s his long-term goal.  He’s mostly talked about cutting costs, with a definition only politicians can get away with: Lower costs means slowing said costs’ growth. Instead growing 10 percent per year, maybe we can slow to 6 or 4 percent.

Of course any improvement, without diminishing quality, will be welcome.  Obama’s plan so far is to update health-care technology, such as implementing electronic medical records and (I hope he means) streamlining red tape.  Time will tell how much that will really save.

DOCTOR ORGANIZATIONS’ IDEA FOR HEALTH-CARE REFORM

Not to be left out of the health-care reform debate, professional medical organizations are pushing their own agenda. The concept of a medical home is big among primary-care groups like the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics and American College of Physicians (internal medicine doctors).  The American Medical Association also thinks it’s a good idea.

WHAT IS A PATIENT CENTER OR PERSONAL MEDICAL HOME?

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by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

Today is the big day.  No more political ads.  I have a little different view than the mainstream on our duty to vote.  Certainly, I believe U.S. citizen has the right to vote, but our duty is to be informed before we cast the ballot.  This election will determine paths we will follow for years to come, with new laws and court decisions pending.  The economy is the news and worry now.  Maybe this is your one issue.  Or maybe it’s defense.

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by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

Emergency rooms are busy places, sometimes to the breaking point,  as anyone who has been there can attest.  The CDC has new data on medical care visits, in the U.S., from 1996-2006.  The report that is getting the most buzz is the National Hospital Ambulatory Care Survey: 2006 Emergency Department Summary stating that visits to emergency rooms  have risen 32 percent  (no surprise) at the same time that several hundred ER’s around the country have closed, mostly due to money problems.  This report raises concern that facilities are getting stretched to their limit in treating true emergencies in a timely fashion.  Their information answers some questions while raising others.

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by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

Tort reform in Texas has helped ease the doctor shortage there. Since malpractice legislation four years ago, 11,000 new physicians have moved there, whereas, before, physicians had been leaving the state, according to an article from The New Republic.

Before tort reform, Texas ranked 48th in ratio of doctors to residents. Now it ranks somewhere in the 30s. (Thanks to Colorado-based communication and career coach Laura Benjamin for pointing us to the article.)

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by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

Having a good family doctor whom you trust is an efficient way to fight high health costs. You can go for most of your family’s medical treatment. They will know you, answer questions and refer you when needed. In addition, your medical information can be kept in one place, you will have someone to keep up with your tests (less likely to be redundant and drugs (potentially less interactions of meds).

But will there be enough family doctors to treat us in the future?

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