December 4, 2012 Dr Synonymous show Dr Synonymous Show
After introductions and the usual disclaimer, Dr Synonymous (aka, A. Patrick Jonas, MD) noted that he has an acute upper respiratory tract infection with sneezing and rhinorrhea (runny nose).
This resulted in a viewing of Dr Will Sawyer's award winning site Henry the Hand for a quick refresher on infection control. Interestingly, this is National Handwashing Awareness Week , which is very timely as Family Physicians are seeing more patients with respiratory infections at this time of the year in the colder states (I don't know what's happening in the warmer areas).
Patient blog via Medical Mojave's blog site was Final Trick, with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and more. The featured blog in my review What's in Your Gut
Dr S/J mentioned articles in Family Practice News of November 15 including the SGR (Sustainable Growth Rate) formula that determines physician reimbursement under Medicare (which also is used by many other health insurance carriers to determine reimbursement) which mandates a 26.5% reduction in physician reimbursement on Jan 1, 2013. Fourteen times in the last ten years, a temporary fix was passed by Congress to avoid the SGR "Fiscal Cliff". Many fear that we will go over that cliff on Jan 1st with the nation riding the same wave downward on the larger Fiscal Cliff. www.Familypracticenews.com
Dr Jonas reviewed the weekly American Medical News making comments about employed physicians and independent physicians (36%). The employed physicians who work for hospital systems are being squeezed and the AMA delegates approved five Principles to Address Conflicts of Interest.
Letter to Board of Directors of American Academy of Family Physicians from Dr Mike Sevilla of Family Medicine Rocks fame (and the "King" of social media in Family Medicine)
Another important story is "Insurance Exchanges Emerge as Red vs. Blue" commenting on the insurance exchanges mandated by the Affordable Care Act that have to be ready for open enrollment on October 1, 2013. Many states opted in, many opted out, many are confused and many want to split the responsibilities with the federal government. All Americans will be affected by the exchanges in one way or another. www.amednews.com
Importantly, Direct Primary Care is an approved component of the exchange system IF combined with an indemnity (hospitalization) policy. Many physicians are adding a DPC component to their practices as mentioned in this blog and on my Dr Synonymous Blog Talk Radio Show. Newest in Ohio is Dr Sam Heiks, a Family Physician in Blufton. There was a nice article in the Lima News sritten by Kate Malongowski (a thorough, accurate and delightful reporter/journalist) about Dr Heiks DPC activity, including quotes from Dr Jonas (with reference to my Direct Family Medicine model of DPC) Dr Sam Heiks and Direct Primary Care
The Dr Synonymous Show continued with a review of Dr Kenny Lin's blog Common Sense Family Doctor and "In Health Care Little Details Make all the Difference"
Dr Jonas further mentioned A Brief History of Everything by Ken Wilbur, interesting book about a model for everything in the universe, including the mind of God.
Lastly, this is Army-Navy week culminating with the Army Navy football game on Saturday. Go Army!
We lost a great West Point graduate last week- Jay Tieber, class of 1957. RIP Jay. Our prayers are with Maxine and your family. Jay Tieber, obituary
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