An Indictment of the Health Care System
Wanna read a great article that pretty much sums up the health care system and the lack of price transparency therein?! Wait no more. Eric Michael David’s editorial in the WSJ hits the nail on the head, with a little humor to boot! To highlight the complexity and insanity of our US health care […]
82% of Cosmetic Surgery Patients Experience Sticker Shock
BuildMyBod is a startup company based in San Francisco that allows doctors to provide out-of-pocket pricing information to patients online. In exchange for submitting a ‘wishlist’ that includes procedures of interest, the patient gets a detailed accounting of the cost of services and procedures they’re considering and the doctor gets that prospective patient’s contact info […]
Online Pricing for Medical Tourism
As mentioned in Medical Tourism Magazine, “The Affordable Care Act has enabled some Americans to purchase health insurance for the first time, but providing fair-priced employee benefits remains a challenging prospect for U.S. employers,” said Jonathan Edelheit, CEO of the Medical Tourism Association®. “Even though the increased cost for insurance has been shifted on the […]
Code Black: A look into the future of healthcare
I think the official title of “Code Black,” a movie just released on June 20th 2014, is Code Black: A look into America’s busiest ER. Check out the trailer here. But I also think it’s a look into the future of healthcare for many Americans. The documentary, written and directed by an ER physician-in-training, Ryan […]
Is Medical Tourism Ever Safe?
Another horror story involving medical tourism came out of the Dominican Republic last week. A woman from New York went down to the DR for a tummy tuck and apparently died on the table. While details are murky at this point, there are a few lessons that can be drawn from this situation. Unfortunately for […]
Nose Job Cost
If you’re in the market for a rhinoplasty, more commonly known as a nose job, there’s a few things you should now about the procedure, including nose job cost. A “straightforward” nose job may involve shaving down a bump on top or refining the tip of your nose. On the other hand, a more […]
Physician Income: Why America is Not Sympathetic
Doctors work hard and they go to school for a very long time before getting to a point where they can make a healthy salary. However, when you combine the delayed gratification of their first real-world paycheck (anywhere from 7 to 12 years after completing college) and large student loans, that once healthy salary becomes […]
Price Awareness Improves Patient Experience
After taking over an existing plastic surgery practice here in San Francisco almost a year ago and providing pricing information on my private practice website, I’ve learned a few interesting things. Patients like price transparency! Allow me to explain. On our website, we have a Pricing tab. If you click on this tab, you’ll […]
Umbrage and the VA Hospital Scandal
Umbrage: feeling offended by what someone has said or done. That’s the definition of umbrage and if you’ve been following the scandal surrounding the VA (Veteran’s Administration) Hospital in Phoenix, you are hearing from a lot of politicians taking umbrage with the actions of that particular VA and how they provided very poor service to […]
Who Really Pays for Health Care?
Implementation of the Affordable Care Act has more or less come and gone. But it’s interesting, regardless of what side of the “for” or “against” fence you’re on, there are misconceptions about what changed in the health care landscape and what stayed the same. Here’s a great article from NPR that highlights some of those […]