11–20 of 76 posts
I'd love to do to the dentist; the very few I've found willing to do routine teeth cleaning have a reservation system that requires winning the scheduling lottery.
I guess that superficially, I'm fine. For now, at least. At least I have an HSA; most of my health insurance money is sitting in an account instead of being lost forever.
This article seems to suggest that because no spike in short-term ailments due to lower frequency of care has been observed in a 5-month span, there is no damage to the quality of our society's physical health overall. That seems incredibly myopic to me. The real question is whether there there will be statistically detectable increases in severity or prevalence of chronic or emergent ailments in the long run. How ma…
If I could get antibiotics for strep or sinus infections without going to them, I'd pretty much never go. Those visits are really dumb because I already know what's wrong, and just need them to say "yep, it's the thing you already knew it was, here's a prescription and a bill for doing nothing useful" ... actually on reflection already knowing what's wrong and just needing a doctor to say it so treatment can proceed…
Simply thinking "I hurt, like I hurt the last time I got strep" isn't a diagnosis. Its witchcraft essentially.
If I could get antibiotics for strep or sinus infections without going to them, I'd pretty much never go. Those visits are really dumb because I already know what's wrong, and just need them to say "yep, it's the thing you already knew it was, here's a prescription and a bill for doing nothing useful" ... actually on reflection already knowing what's wrong and just needing a doctor to say it so treatment can proceed…
If I could get antibiotics for strep or sinus infections without going to them, I'd pretty much never go. Those visits are really dumb because I already know what's wrong, and just need them to say "yep, it's the thing you already knew it was, here's a prescription and a bill for doing nothing useful" ... actually on reflection already knowing what's wrong and just needing a doctor to say it so treatment can proceed…
Medical training for everyone but surgeons should not take more than 5 total years including undergrad. Arbitrary number, but it should be significantly less time than it takes now.
Technicians who can be trained on specific technologies (x-ray, ultrasound, etc) should be able to handle most cases.
Medical treatment in the US today is a horribly inefficient hybrid of old and new.
This article seems to suggest that because no spike in short-term ailments due to lower frequency of care has been observed in a 5-month span, there is no damage to the quality of our society's physical health overall. That seems incredibly myopic to me. The real question is whether there there will be statistically detectable increases in severity or prevalence of chronic or emergent ailments in the long run. How ma…
But, there's a lot of "health care" that doesn't really need to happen. A few of my family members have chronic health issues that require medication. These are typically prescribed 6-months at a time, requiring in-person bi-annual follow-ups. That's a waste of both parties time - patient and doctor - as 95% of the time, the result is "here's another 6 months" and 5% "here's the same drug, with an adjust dose".
Those appointments should only occur if there's an issue that requires new dosing or a change of medication. The rest of the time, it should be either completely automatic, or at most a simple phone call. I assume this doesn't happen, either because it's a CYA maneuver by the physician, or because the physician wants to bill for the appointment.
Most people were also stuck at home, living a much lower impact lifestyle.
I guess this is off topic. But not travelling - check. Ordering all the stuff online from different vendors, consuming more (because, more idle leisure), doing more home projects cost something.
Heck, construction is booming. That's an impact too. I wonder what it'll all add up to.
> In a recent survey, only one in 10 respondents said their or a family member’s health had worsened as a result of delayed care during the pandemic. That's 30 million people. And in a fantasy world where going to the doctor in America was cheap and easy, I imagine most people would be happy to go regularly if they knew there was a 10% chance it would make them healthier. Also, how are people answering this survey? O…
This article seems to suggest that because no spike in short-term ailments due to lower frequency of care has been observed in a 5-month span, there is no damage to the quality of our society's physical health overall. That seems incredibly myopic to me. The real question is whether there there will be statistically detectable increases in severity or prevalence of chronic or emergent ailments in the long run. How ma…
In my mind, the missed cancers could be a problem. But, there's a lot of "health care" that doesn't really need to happen. A few of my family members have chronic health issues that require medication. These are typically prescribed 6-months at a time, requiring in-person bi-annual follow-ups. That's a waste of both parties time - patient and doctor - as 95% of the time, the result is "here's another 6 months" and 5%…