The last panel at “Putting Patients First” was composed of specialists: Dr. Wes, who posted his comments on his blog; Dr. Rich from Covert Rationing; Dr. Jim Herndon; and Kim from Emergiblog. As for the primary care panel, I’ll put the Q&A in a separate post. On this post, I’ll first summarize the remarks, then [...]
Fri, July 24 2009 » Uncategorized » 4 Comments
This post is the Q&A follow-up to my previous post, on the primary care panel at the PPF event last week. I mentioned before that I felt the questions for the “Putting Patients First” panelists were pushing for conservative answers. You will now see this in several of the questions Rea Blakey asks; of course, [...]
Wed, July 22 2009 » Uncategorized » 1 Comment
Having dispensed with the warm-up act and sideshow, I can now get to the main events from last week’s “Putting Patients First” event. This is the primary panel, and I will also write up the specialists panel.
Since the prepared remarks and the Q&A have a different flavor to them, I am going to break each [...]
Wed, July 22 2009 » Uncategorized » No Comments
Everyone now and then, you meet a person who might be described as a “bullshitter”; Robert Goldberg, PhD, is one such person. Dr. Goldberg has a surprising talent for saying things that simply don’t represent facts, as if they did. Hearing him speak was like listening to the play-by-play for a second-rate magic show, or [...]
Tue, July 21 2009 » Uncategorized » No Comments
Evan Falchuk has a good round-up of blog responses to the Putting Patients First. This is helpful and we should be grateful to him for putting it together, but mostly I want you to read the part where he calls me a “very smart gentleman”. Evan is being thrice charitable in as many words.
Also helpful [...]
Mon, July 20 2009 » Uncategorized » 3 Comments
I’ve already posted a little bit about Paul Ryan’s speech, but I want to write something a bit more substantive. It was more or less a collection of GOP-crafted, pollster-tested talking points designed to scare the bejeebus out of ordinary Americans, but I will use this post to give the most charitable response I can. [...]
Mon, July 20 2009 » Uncategorized » 3 Comments
I meant to prepare this before I went to the “Putting Patients First” event. Congressman Ryan’s speech reminded me of the idea; you could have gotten bingo on this card just minutes after he opened his mouth. This is really all the commentary his speech needs, but I’ll make a good faith effort soon.
Sat, July 18 2009 » Uncategorized » 1 Comment
I have LOTS to write about from this morning’s “Putting Patients First” – I’ll probably milk this in posts through next week. Let me just say right now that I am glad and grateful it happened, even if I still regret the absence of meaningful patient participation. But hey – the LaRouche people were there [...]
Fri, July 17 2009 » Uncategorized » 3 Comments
Tomorrow’s the big day: they’ll be “Putting Patients First” at the National Press Club. The last panel of the event is on specialist care; it includes Dr. Rich from Covert Rationing, Dr. Wes, and Kim from Emergiblog (yay, nurses!). This, then, is my final set of questions:
1) Since I know the answer to all my [...]
Thu, July 16 2009 » Uncategorized » 1 Comment
This Friday’s “Putting Patients First” has a primary care panel; Kevin, MD and Dr. Rob are on it, along with two other names I don’t recognize.
Let me say first, I am totally in the tank for primary care. Kevin, MD and I don’t see eye to eye on… anything? But I agree with him that [...]
Wed, July 15 2009 » Uncategorized » 4 Comments
A novel crime against decency by Duncan Cross
