Think about your favorite health-related TV show. It could be Grey’s Anatomy, ER, Scrubs or any of the shows on the Discovery Health channel. Chances are, your favorite health-related TV show includes a lot of drama, a lot of “close calls” and very little preventative medicine. Chances are, your favorite health-related TV show includes a lot of sick care.
Preventative medicine, true “health” care, is not as highly regarded as it should be in the medical field. It’s not glamorous; it’s not too exciting, but as Atul Gawande wrote in his January 24, 2011 article in The New Yorker, it works.
“For a pedestrian hit by a minivan, there’s nowhere better than an emergency room. But [the ER is] vastly inadequate for people with complex problems.” –Atul Gawande
HCHC patient with HCHC office manager, Wendi Georgie by aliedwards
Someone with diabetes should not be in and out of the emergency room every couple weeks. A person with diabetes should be checking their blood sugar, taking their insulin, and scheduling check-ups at their medical homes. The partnership between the patient with diabetes and their medical provider should be one that reflects health care instead of sick care.
We are stubborn creatures. Our independent attitudes and prideful natures tell us to not ask for help until there is no conceivable way to accomplish something on our own. Everyone knows someone who has ignored symptoms of sickness until it became an emergency situation.
There are other reasons for not seeking out health care besides being stubborn or prideful. Some people cannot afford health care; some do not make time for it; some are scared of what might be found. Whatever the reason—money, time, fear, pride, independence, denial— the health care industry generally provides too much sick care and not enough health care.
HCHC Clinic by aliedwards
We’re not asking people to drop 20 pounds in a week by engaging in a triathlete’s exercise routine and eating celery for dinner. We’re not telling people that they need to stop eating chocolate altogether. We’re asking people with diabetes to check their blood sugar regularly and to schedule regular check-ups. We’re encouraging people to park at the back of the parking lot and walk a few more steps every day. We’re telling people to choose fruit over candy and juice over soda. We’re helping people to slowly change their lifestyle. We’re providing health care, not just sick care.
There are very few TV shows about preventative medicine, but let’s face it—people only like close calls when they’re on TV. We are aiming to reduce the “close call” statistics by encouraging patients to make healthy lifestyle changes through the provision of preventative healthcare.”
Tagged: #heartlandcommunityhealthcenter #hchc #healthcarephilosophy #holistic #healthcare
Comments
sunshine_noise (anonymous) says…
What is the point of wasting time going to the Doctors for preventive checkups when they are substandard in the first place? Most of the time those who are performing the tests are so complacent that I feel they don't really pay close enough attention to detail to catch any real issues. Therefore, the only time a person reallys needs medical care is when something is really wrong. Just another way to get people's money.
aliedwards (Ali Edwards) says…
First, I want to apologize for the substandard care you or someone you know has received in the past. Not taking someone's health seriously is wrong, and I'm sorry you had to experience that.
For a lot of people, not going to the doctor regularly is a money issue. For some, preventative medicine seems like a waste of money. But consider this:
For HCHC’s patients who have diabetes and do not have insurance, the average cost of doctor visits, testing supplies, medication, lab work, etc. could be a liberal $400 per year because of prescription assistance programs and grant money. Our patients could spend up to $400 per year if they were taking care of their diabetes and engaging in preventative medicine.
Now, let’s take a patient who doesn’t practice preventative medicine because he thinks he’s healthy. This patient with diabetes doesn't take his medicine regularly because he doesn’t have very much left. He won’t make a doctor's appointment to get checked out and get a refill on his medication because he thinks he’s doing fine. He ends up in the hospital a week later.
To be conservative, let's say that an average night's stay in a hospital is $3000.
Not taking anything else into account, for our patient, that one stay in the hospital is more expensive than more than seven years of managing his diabetes correctly.
It’s been proven that preventative medicine can save the health care industry billions of dollars. To read more about how, read the article that I referenced in my blog here: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/20...
neuhofel (W. Ryan Neuhofel) says…
I think there may be some confusion in terminology here. "Prevention" is a very broad term that changes depending on its application. Public health (like myself) break prevention into Primary, Secondary and Tertiary types. Primary = inhibiting the development of disease completely. Secondary = Detecting "asymptomatic" disease before it becomes symptomatic (causes major dysfunction). Tertiary = preventing the bad consequences of a known disease.
Controlling a chronic disease like diabetes, as Ali illustrated, is an example of tertiary prevention - clinicians (physicians) would call this chronic disease management. Routine mammograms are an example of secondary prevention. Vaccinations are a form of primary prevention.
I believe all forms of prevention are important to maximizing health, but tertiary prevention is by far the most cost-effective type in most cases. The common chronic diseases, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, can be effectively managed (for relatively cheaply) - but their consequences (heart attacks, stroke, etc.) become devastating to health and pocketbooks.
Dr. Neu
Besangos (anonymous) says…
Trying to live a philosophy was a consistently titled and great series.
Nice work!