Discussion

Week 5 Discussion(Economics of Healthcare)

Medical School & Specialty Mix

BACKGROUND:

We have too many specialists - huffpost.com

“It’s more important to know the patient who has the disease, than the disease the patient has.” This was true when Hippocrates said it 2500 years ago — and it remains true today.

Unfortunately, doctors no longer know their patients. GP’s are overworked, underpaid, and must shuttle patients in and out of the office in less than ten minutes. Specialists tend to treat the test, not the patient, and earn their living doing procedures that often are unnecessary.

Wherever I travel around the world, I find the same problem — too few GP’s, too many specialists. The doctor/patient relationship has lost its healing power. Doctors are too busy doing the wrong things. Patients have been reduced to a collection of lab test results.  Medical mistakes are far too common because each specialist is treating (or more likely over treating) her own pet organ. No one is considering the whole patient to organize a global, integrated, safe, and effective treatment plan.

The less time doctors talk to patients, the more unneeded, costly, and often harmful are the tests and treatments they order.  How did medicine get so specialist dominated and what forces prevent primary care from assuming its proper central role?

TASKS:

Discuss on each of the following statements, state your opinion, example of a situation, and why it matters. 

a) "The medical school admission process is too selective.  Everyone who graduates from an accredited undergraduate institution and successfully completes the courses required for admission should be allowed to attend medical school."

b) "The U.S. specialty mix is all wrong—far too many specialists and not enough generalists.  The United States should adopt a national policy to reduce the number of medical specialists immediately." 

c) "Nursing needs specialization too" - to what extent the specialization in Nursing profession  is needed by the current healthcare system and the future?

RUBRIC/CRITERIA:

Use as many economic principles (from the textbook and other sources) as you can in answering the questions.  As a guideline, each of the  10 points will be derived from the following:

1. Post your answer (400-500 words) to the posted DQ responding to the matter asked, instead of repeating the question or not attending to the question. Substantive answers include making comments using concepts found in the assigned reading materials or offering examples from your experience. Hence merely providing a brief “yes, I agree” or “no, I do not agree” postings are not adequate posts

2. Write in correct grammar; any errors will translate to a deduction in points.

3. Check for the spelling; any errors will deduct points.

4. Your responses must be substantive that include your own thoughts, supported with research (at least two external sources other than textbook, and you must quote these sources).

5. You get one point when you respond to one of your classmates’ posts, also with substantive comments (100-200 words).

6. One more point when you respond to another classmate’s post (100-200 words).

7. One point for collaboration.  It is intended that your involvement in discussions be of a collaborative nature. Collaboration spirit is quite different from confrontation. If disagree, learn to disagree respectfully.

8. Deadline for each DQ will be at 11.55pm on the due date as posted in the modules, but you are free to make your comments prior to that.  One point will be deducted for each day of late submission.

9. Creativity: offer a creative solutions or ideas or impact on the obvious socio-economic impacts of each topic; or a future recommendation or alternative options for the future with regard to the topic in question.

10. Cite your resources; as a rule of thumb, about 20 percent may come from quotes, with 80 percent in your own words.