Reducing the cost of healthcare…a personal responsibility
Newspapers, professional journals, politicians, and bloggers everywhere are expending a vast amount of time and energy these days speaking and writing about the rising cost of healthcare. Hospitals are developing new strategies to entice patients to their facilities with transparency data, boasting low infection and complication rates. Insurance companies feeling the need to protect their bottom lines are now dictating even more so than before what they are willing to subsidize for patient care; now developing “never event” lists. A host of complications that happen to patients in the hospital that insurance companies feel should never take place, and therefore are never going to reimburse hospitals for the additional care required.
Other programs called pay for performance initiatives are aimed at physician providers to urge them through monetary means to do what ever they can to optimize their patient’s health. If they are successful in doing so, there are financial gains to be had. My question has always been why aren’t they doing this to begin with? Perhaps they have no more cards to play in the healthcare game. Over and over the same story is told, a little bit different each time, but at the end of the day, it is still the same story.
Let’s ask the all important relevant question. Who is responsible for your health? It is not your doctor.
Your primary care provider manages your health problems to a point by giving you medicine, recommending life style changes, coordinating services from the community setting if needed etc. Yes they play an integral role in your healthcare, emphasis on your health. You, me, us, I etc are responsible for our health.
That being said, it is time for some personal introspection and individual responsibility regarding our health. Those of us who dine at Burger King, McDonalds, Wendy’s as part of our daily routine and then head over to Dunkin Donuts for desert need not wonder why they are overweight, get short of breath walking up stairs and have chronic back and knee problems. For those of us who think exercise is something you do when you push the remote button, do you wonder why you need help getting off the couch? Those of us who have asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and continue to smoke defy all known forms of logic. For those who indulge in alcohol and then get behind the wheel and hit a pole, a tree, end up in a ditch or for those of you who end up harming or killing someone because of your stupidity I…..I will abstain from comment. Your blood alcohol added with your IQ gives us in healthcare your modified trauma score.
The general population must be part of the healthcare solution. We the people in order to form a more perfect union need to become more responsible for our own healthcare. We should not be looking for healthcare to bail us out, for some distant insurance company to pay for our bad habits and choices. We the people need to become a significant part of reducing healthcare costs through better management of our own health. Prudent living can help defray the costs of healthcare, improve the over crowding and chaos of emergency departments, improve healthcare resource management, and improve yours mine, and our chances of getting through a hospital stay without any bad outcomes.
About the Author
Mike Pringle is the creator of Mike’s ViewPoint, where he provides his perspective on various Healthcare issues. He currently works at Falmouth Hospital and has over 20 years of Nursing experience. Mike has a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing, a Masters Degree in Public Administration with a healthcare emphasis and specializes in both Emergency and Critical Care Nursing. Mike’s experience includes being the Executive Officer (2nd in Command) Combat Military Medical Facility as well as being a Nursing Supervisor at his current position.
