I’ve written before about the negative impact Medicare payment policy — which favors specialization and procedure-driven health care — has had over time on primary care. And since Medicare is the driving force behind all provider payment policy in this country, what Medicare does really matters. Someone sent me a blog the other day on this topic that makes […]

Sometime ago, I wrote a blog called, “One Thing…” which was about the one thing I would do — if I could do one thing — to improve the quality and reduce the cost of health care in the U.S. I talked about creating a National Institute for Health Care Delivery. But what do I know. […]

Ah — the dreaded “cost shift.” If you really want to rain on someone’s parade in health care, call some idea they have about financing or care delivery or coverage or payment “a cost shift,” and then watch people pile on. You see, in health care speak, cost shifts are unfair and inequitable (especially if […]