A growing drumbeat for emphasis on patient engagement in healthcare services is cause for encouragement. However, it's difficult to determine how much of improving services and outcomes can be effected by improving customer service; for better or worse, we are a consumer-driven culture, and it's seems reasonable that some of healthcare can be improved by ensuring that patients get what they want, when they want it.
What is largely absent from the reform conversation, at least among the medical establishment and politicians, is the preventive aspect of healthcare. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is a cliché, but when practiced with appropriate research and discretion will often render visits to the doctor unnecessary. Given the wealth of information on the Web for healthy living tips, nutritional data, supplement benefits, and simple home remedies when symptoms arise gives each individual the power to manage their own health to a large degree.
Healthcare reform is certainly going to involve many moving parts, but should start with emphasizing prevention, and advocating the least invasive interventions, if needed.
Healthcare Reform Humor
"President Obama's approval rating is down to 39 percent. And Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, who admitted to smoking crack cocaine, went up to 49 percent. How does this make Obama feel? He'd be better off smoking crack than promoting Obamacare." –Jay Leno
"Obamacare needs the premiums of healthier people to cover the costs of sicker people. It's a devious con that can only be described as insurance." –Stephen Colbert
"Today there were more problems with the Obamacare website. It seems when you type in your age, it's confusing because it's not clear if they want the age you are right now, or the age you'll be when you finally log in." –Jay Leno
"Now that healthcare is guaranteed, I'm frying everything I eat. Fried food and cigarettes." – Craig Ferguson
