Healthcare Blog

Back in 2017 I had a strange bout of syncope. The first time was at my (ex)boyfriend's house during quite the rager fraternity party - ironically I hadn't had a sip of alcohol that night. I remember vividly the sound of sirens and screaming downstairs as all the underage kids had to be told that the cops/ambulance weren't here for them but rather, me. ECG ran - fine. Blood pressure - fine. But I couldn't remember basic facts like the day or names of people I should have. EMT convinced me to get checked out at the ER and so I reluctantly obliged as long as I didn't have to ride with them because I did not want the $1000+ bill thrown on my parent's insurance. I was mad I had to even go in, so out I walked through the smokey hallways reeking of Natty Light and my boyfriend drove me to the hospital. It was luckily a quiet night for a Saturday, so we were able to get in and get a room. They ran some tests. You're not pregnant. You're not drunk. You're not

Watching the democratic primary debate this week, I kept in mind much of what we learned in class. As such, I was disappointed in the representation that Medicare-for-all received. I was disappointed because I felt like the conversation was disingenuous. While I understand that the economics of a plan like Medicare-for-all are complex, the majority of candidates simply referred to seemingly random price tags in 15 trillion dollar intervals. They did not disclose how their estimates were generated, or what types of costs were included or excluded. Even the proponents of Medicare-for-all did not make, what I felt, were effective arguments about their proposed policy. While I personally believe that healthcare is a basic human right, and that universal healthcare is something we should pursue in this country, I also believe that we need to have educated and thorough conversations about it before the American people make their choice. An additional frustration of mine is that discussio

Artificial intelligence is one of the most mind blowing and astounding fascinations the human race has seen. The simple fact that a computer, phone, or car has acquired similar, equal, or greater mental capacity to a human has shown to be a great, yet a haunting phenomenon that society has accepted very willingly. The field of medicine itself back in the day lacked the effective equipment needed to treat an ill patient, but still managed to do so despite the aid of artificial intelligence. However, technology has definitely propelled itself in healthcare in great magnitudes proving its need in the system. While some may argue that the introduction of technology has been a great asset in the field of healthcare, others may say that it has created a disturbance that could be avoided. When one is to go to a franchised grocery or convenience store, there is a self check out station and the customer is being assisted by a machine. It counts out the quarters, nickels, and dimes leaving t

While I was aware of the fact that the United States was not the best country in terms of the affordability of healthcare, I was honestly very shocked to see the statistics that were presented during lecture on Monday. It was very surprising to see how healthcare in the United States compared to other countries worldwide, in terms of affordability and health outcomes.  The clip that was presented in lecture about the woman who prioritized her heart medications over her insulin reminded me of experiences I have had working in a community pharmacy setting and watching as patients chose to pick up some medications and neglect others based on their cost. A few years ago, the price of EpiPens/epinephrine spiked exponentially. In 2007, the AWP of two EpiPens was $113.27 which increased to $730.33 in 2016.  During the same time frame, the price for two brand name EpiPens in the United Kingdom was just $69, and both France and the Netherlands sold the medication for under or around $100.

Why don’t we have national healthcare? I want to set the scene for you, its summer time, and it is your first trip going to Canada. So you plan a trip to Windsor, I know maybe not the most exciting destination you could have picked, but bear with me. So you do a little sightseeing, cash in your plain American money for some cool Canadian money, and do some shopping at the local shops. To cap it all off you go to this really cool restaurant called The Twisted Apron. As you take in the ambiance of the restaurant your waitress comes over to take your order and since it isn’t very busy you strike up a conversation. Eventually you get on the subject of healthcare and you ask her what she thinks of her national healthcare system. Her response is that she really likes the system that she has. Now I used this story to ask the question: if this waitress likes her healthcare system, and a majority of world has a national healthcare system, then why doesn’t the US and why is ours so expensi

A major health concern for now as well for the future is regarding the use of antibiotics. Lately in Medchem we have been talking about this topic, so I wanted to give some of my personal experiences as well as some information on the topic. While these medications are extremely important and effective, it is undeniably true that they are misused. A direct consequence of their treatment being excessively used is known as antibiotic resistance.   This is, as defined by the World Health Organization, “the ability of a microorganism, like bacteria, to stop an antimicrobial from working against it.”   As a result, standard treatments become ineffective, infections persist and may spread to others. The WHO is currently naming this one of the biggest emerging global health problems. So how does antibiotic resistance occur? Darwin’s theory of natural selection is a great way to explain it. Individuals with traits better suited to their environments will survive and reproduce, thus all

           There is little doubt that the healthcare system in The United States of America has problems that need to be addressed. For instance, there is no debating that costs for the average citizen are well above where they should be and that not everyone has the access to healthcare that they sometimes need. In my pharmacy career, I have worked in multiple different community pharmacy settings that range from large chains to small independent pharmacies and I have seen these issues come to light for many patients in each setting which is heartbreaking. However, the only solution so far that has come to light is “Medicare for All” which would essentially enroll all United States citizens into Medicare and guarantee them coverage. While I agree that everyone should be able to have adequate access to healthcare, I do not believe that the current proposals for a “Medicare for All” system would be the best way to solve the problem.  One of the biggest problems I see in this syste

In the United States, we are very far from finding a solution to the health care crisis as there are two polar opposite views of the role of government and in recent years, these views have shifted further and further apart. Regardless of your personal views on health care, I think as future health care professionals, we can all agree that the electronic health record (EHR) should be unified under one system in order to provide our patients the best possible care and reduce our overall healthcare cost.  With our current insurance set-up, depending on individual plans, patients are able to visit any health system available in their network. Unless their plan mandates they stay in one system, this means patients can see providers in multiple health systems. On the surface, this looks promising as patients can shop around for the best providers in each area they need care. For example, a patient can see a primary care provider (PCP) at Michigan Medicine, but visit Henry Ford to see the

Last class, we talked a lot about U.S. healthcare statistics and compared many aspects of it with the systems of other countries. Despite the U.S. being a world superpower in many ways, it is astounding just how behind the country seems to be on something as important to its citizens’ welfare as healthcare. I have been thinking about why the healthcare-related trends of the U.S. are the way that they are, and this is what I came up with. I may be completely wrong in these thoughts, but I figure that there must be some reason why the U.S. is so set in her ways and has yet to adopt a similar system of healthcare that seemingly works for so many other countries. When the topic of U.S. expenditure was discussed in class, I was confused as to how and why a country would need to spend so much on healthcare, despite requiring its citizens to pay for their own insurance coverage. I am not sure if the spending is scaled according to the country’s population and need for resources, but that

The American Healthcare is quite puzzling, in my opinion. I have always known universal healthcare was the dominant form of healthcare around the world. Seeing the statistics showing the cost difference, and the mortality rate, between the U.S. and other countries was shocking. Despite the advanced medical technology, we have in the states, we are not showing improved health outcomes. The primary reason for this is likely to stem from the cost of our health system services.   According to American Public Health Association (APHA), it was estimated “the five most costly and preventable chronic conditions cost the U.S. nearly $347 billion—30% of the total health spending—in 2010”. This is really concerning because there are more urgent issues with our health care system, which include and are not limited to, rising medication prices, and shortage of healthcare professionals. This cost burden is preventable, and the funds saved can be used to better manage preventable chronic conditi

Imagine that you are a clinical pharmacist (or any other type of health care provider) and are seeing a patient in a few days for a hospital follow-up. The patient has a myriad of health issues and spent many days as an inpatient at a major health system, like Michigan Medicine. So, like any reasonable health professional, you would want to see records of what was done during their stay so you can provide continuity of care when you meet with them. First, you call the hospital where they were admitted to and try to get connected to someone to obtain medical records. This can be a process as every hospital has different channels to get this information. Once you finally get a hold of someone that can help you, they finally are able to fax you what was done in the hospital. You go to the fax machine to find a stack of fifty pages of medical information. You spend the next few hours sorting through that information to pick out the pertinent information for your visit with this patient.

Oh Canada! How wonderful of a nation you are allowing universal healthcare just a 40 minute car ride away. Although I believe that health care is a human right, that is not the case for everyone and this belief system does come with its downfalls. When I was in the beauty of the great north, I complained left and right about the wait times of our healthcare without understanding that the reason  why. It took me a while to realize that a minimum of a 4 hour wait in the ER was because everyone that has any injury is allowed to request medical attention. Now this does come with a negative, because there are times where those that are not actually ill are taking up the time of the physicians and nurses. But tell me this: "Why is it so hard to appreciate what you have until it is gone?" It has been such a crazy experience for me to be integrated into the exclusive and shiny health system over in the United States. I have had the privilege of touring hospitals and private practic

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of healthcare issues, particularly in the United States, is the outrageous cost of insulin. The cost of insulin has nearly tripled in the past decade and continues to rise. One of the most ironic and frustrating things about high insulin costs is the fact that Frederick Banting, the inventor who discovered insulin in 1923, refused to put his name on the patent because he believed it to be unethical for a doctor to profit from a discovery that would save so many lives. The insulin patent was sold to the University of Toronto for $1 (in hopes of it being affordable for every person who needs it), and now stands as one of the most unaffordable, yet absolutely essential, medications that millions of Americans with diabetes rely on to survive. It’s heartbreaking to think that despite 1 in 4 people in the United States intentionally skipping some of their insulin doses because they simply cannot afford to take the full regimen, insulin prices

When we met as a class on Monday and talked about universal health care it really made me think about the idea of medicare for all, and whether or not this would be a viable plan to bring down medical costs. I have very limited experience in this field but as a long standing community pharmacy employee I have noticed which insurances tend to cover medications well, and which insurances don't. Medicare plans, almost universally, tend to have much higher copays than commercial plans. I have seen plenty of patients on medicare who have been unable to afford their medications and have thus turned them down. While this is only a small aspect of health care costs (completely disregarding medical costs) it does not inspire a lot of confidence in the ability of a nationwide medicare system to make healthcare affordable. I understand that a new, overhauled plan would likely address many of the deficiencies in current plans, but it seems like more would have to be done than just that in orde

There were a lot of great statistics and perspectives presented on Monday’s lecture that led me to think about why our country does not have at least the same health outcomes as other developed countries. In my opinion, lifestyle and the culture of the United States plays an important role in this issue. Although we spend so much more on healthcare, people in the United States have a very different diet and lifestyle than many European countries. I took a trip to Spain and Portugal, each 5 days, in the summer of 2018 with my family. In Spain, I visited Barcelona and in Portugal, we went to Lisbon. I immediately fell in love with the way people lived and their overall moods on a daily basis. Compared to my life in the United States, I noticed people walk or bike just about everywhere they go. Additionally, I realized people eat much larger and more frequent meals here in the United States compared to Europe. When we ate in Barcelona, I remember the meals being much smaller portions al