The Attack on Medicaid and the Spirit of the Fourth of July

The Attack on Medicaid and the Spirit of the Fourth of July

by | Jul 4, 2017 | ACA, Better Care and Reconciliation Act of 2017, Featured Post, Medicaid Reform, The Senate's turn at healthcare reform, The Triple Aim

When I heard that Mitch McConnell had announced that he would not be seeking a vote in the Senate on the “Better Care and Reconciliation Act of 2017” before the July 4th recess I was upset because McConnell’s move seemed similar to the one Paul Ryan pulled in March...
Sharing “Deep Stories” to Use Empathy in the Quest for the Triple Aim

Sharing “Deep Stories” to Use Empathy in the Quest for the Triple Aim

by | Jun 27, 2017 | ACA, AHCA, Featured Post, Improving the health of the poor, Politics, the healthcare debate, the power of stories, The Senate's turn at healthcare reform, The Triple Aim

A couple of weeks ago when I gave you Dr. Patty Gabow’s letter to Senator Alexander I reported that I was reading Arlie Russell Hochschild’s recent book, Strangers In Their Own Land:  Anger and Mourning on the American Right. In that book Russell seeks to be...
Creating Healthcare Success Using Lean and Redefining the Relationship Between Managers and Clinicians

Creating Healthcare Success Using Lean and Redefining the Relationship Between Managers and Clinicians

by | Jun 19, 2017 | Featured Post, Healthcare Policy, Healthcare Transformation, Leadership, Lean, Process Improvement, The Triple Aim

As I look back over my experience both as a practitioner and as a medical leader, I am reminded of the joke that the life of an anesthesiologist is composed of long periods of boredom punctuated by moments of terror. Nothing describes a moment of terror for me more...
Mr. President, Please Read Chapter 6, “The Affordable Care Act in Hindsight”

Mr. President, Please Read Chapter 6, “The Affordable Care Act in Hindsight”

by | May 23, 2017 | ACA, AHCA, Costs, Delivery, Featured Post, Presidential Politics, Repeal and Replace

In August 2015 I gave a talk on the history of the evolution of health insurance that was part of a seminar entitled “Practicing in the Era of Healthcare Reform.”  I concluded my talk with a slide labeled “Persistent Problems.” I recently reviewed the presentation and...
Puerile High Fives in the Rose Garden After the House Votes to Repeal and Replace the ACA

Puerile High Fives in the Rose Garden After the House Votes to Repeal and Replace the ACA

by | May 9, 2017 | ACA, AHCA, Featured Post, Presidential Politics, Repeal and Replace, the healthcare debate, the power of stories, The Triple Aim

I have watched my favorite teams lose championship games. I remember the sinking feeling that I experienced when Richard Nixon was elected for the second time, even after it was really pretty clear that he was a crook. I suffered when Jimmy Carter, one of the most...