Big Think

Laura Gordon commented on Smarter Patients = Better Health: Tools for Rating Your Doctor on July 2, 2009, 2:51 PM

I wish that LaRusso had talked more specifically about tools for rating your doctor. As a consumer of health services I feel that I have very little voice for giving my opinion on the service that I am getting - and very few sources for information about future "purchases." I recall that Angie's List recently started releasing information on Dr.s, but many physicians had concerns about the accuracy of those reports. People do have a bias for rating experiences when they are either very positive or very negative. But what about a regulated mandatory system for rating Dr's immediately after patient visits?

Laura Gordon commented on I’ve Got My Genetic Profile, Now What? on July 2, 2009, 2:46 PM

"Twenty-three and Me" is an example of a commercial genetic company that completes tests for heath disease and ancestry. For all of the information that it gives you, I was surprised that it costs only around $400. Certainly not a nominal price, but generally affordable. LaRusso is right though in asking what we are do to with the information. As a consumer of the product and not a doctor, I am not sure how  I might adjust my lifestyle should I be faced with a, say, 40% likelihood of a significant disease.

Laura Gordon commented on Diagnosis is Not Enough, Measuring Medical Outcomes is Critical on July 2, 2009, 2:33 PM

Nurse gives the example of the "triple jab" linkage with autism when talking about problems with the accuracy of reporting. While this is certainly problematic, I have a hard time coming up with a "solution" to the free press. Right or wrong, the press' incentives are juicy stores for profit. Of course people in the industry are going to make a mountain of a mole hill in order to sell information. But what then is the solution? I assume that the government issued a statement discrediting these poor reports? But should they censor the press entirely or regulate it when the publication of these stories have serious health consequences? 

Laura Gordon commented on How Ingestible Chips and Implantable Devices Will Keep You Healthy on July 2, 2009, 2:18 PM

Prof Hertzlinger points out that electronic medical records have not been implemented because of system fragmentation. Communication is the key problem. I think the answer to her last question about incentives will really need to be solved through government regulation. The system has been broken for so long. The different entities involved (through a free market) have not come up with a solution that works best for the patient. Consequently a more socialist solution is necessary.

Laura Gordon commented on Old-Fashioned Health Care Technologies on July 2, 2009, 2:11 PM

Oral Rehydration Therapy seems to be something that is a last ditch solution. Ruxtin makes it clear how effective it can be, but I'm still unsure as to why it is not being used more frequently instead of more complicated solutions and other interventions. Is it purely management of the solutions or is it in the training of the rural doctors who are caring for the sick?