Dying as you Lived

I don’t have much to add to this essay by Atul Guwande just published in the New Yorker. (click here) It will take you a while to read his essay on hospice (end of life) care, but it will be well worth your time to read and understand the real cost of the demagoguery of [...]

SEIU in Kentucky…Run Away! Run Away!

Those familiar with the Kentucky hospital industry were probably quite surprised to see the article in the Herald-Leader (click here) outlining layoffs underway at King’s Daughters Medical Center in Ashland, Kentucky. Those of you who follow the Louisville market would find KDMC to be an interesting place. It dominates the Ashland market with nearly 21,000 inpatients annually. It [...]

Kaiser’s Drew Altman – Health Care Reform Wins for Conservatives

Drew Altman, President and CEO of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation says the details emerging from the health care reform legislation includes much to the liking of conservatives. His essay can be found by clicking here. In the piece, Altman cites the trend towards shifting more of the responsibility for paying for care to [...]

Community Health Systems Offer at Odds with Pessimistic View of Kentucky Health Care

Last Tuesday, I noticed this snippet from the Lexington Herald-Leader (click here) briefly outlining the Kentucky Hospital Association report on how (in its view) Kentucky fares under health care reform. I admit that I have not seen the report. I did try to read it, but after searching the public KHA website and using the google [...]

And Away We Go…

I wonder how many readers of this post recognize the throwback to the Jackie Gleason Show? We didn’t have to wait long to see an example of the transformational changes that will impact the health care “system” over the coming years. Just look about 100 miles up I65. Indianapolis-based and soon to be renamed Clarian [...]

Our Entitlement Mentality and Medical Education

I had the good fortune to attend the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner last Tuesday night at the downtown Marriott. The keynote speaker was Ted Koppel and his  remarks were extraordinary in my view.

Hospital Finances Revisted

The Courier-Journal, in a side bar to a story about University Hospital in this morning’s edition, highlighted the operating results from the four major hospital systems here in Louisville. Here the are in millions: System 2009 2008 Baptist East $34.1 $24.0 Norton $16.8 $25.8 University $15.3 $17.0 Jewish -$7.5 $1.9 Overall, they look pretty healthy.

Kentucky in the National Press – Thanks to our Status as a Leading Center for Obesity

Monday’s Washington Post included an extensive article focusing attention on Manchester and Clay County, where the adult obesity rate is reported at 52% (37% according to the Kentucky Institute of Medicine). (click here) The article describes a culture of overeating and lack of exercise. For Louisvillians, the thought of a town with only fast food [...]

How Doctors Think

I once remarked to a physician friend that I wished that I had gone to medical school so that I could understand why he was making some of his business decisions that didn’t seem to make sense to me. So when I saw the book, “How Doctors Think” by Jerome Groopman, M.D. at Barnes and [...]

A Friend of Sarah Palin?

This fellow must be preparing for the rationing that Don Berwick (new Medicare Commissioner) plans for seniors. Click here