The debate is on – five congressional committees, town hall meetings, president’s speeches, claims from the left, right and the middle – wow, everyone is thinking of the broken healthcare system. It’s interesting, because while we are talking of costs and changes to the system, we may be losing sight of what we as patients can do.
So, while everyone is talking of reforming our healthcare – we thought of putting some focus on reforming our health.
When I was growing up, I learned that prevention is better than cure. But, “A stitch in time saves nine” is all but a cliché today.
Studies show that the spend on chronic diseases is a huge percentage of our total healthcare spending. On top of it, the billions in productivity loss is not even measured. Chronic disease such as diabetes, heart diseases and obesity –that can all be reduced through healthy lifestyle and timely diagnosis continue to grow at an alarming rate. Prevention being considered more expensive on face of it is delayed.
However there are conclusive studies that spending today on chronic diseases completely dwarfs the money we could spend of the right preventive programs. For that, we at DocAsap are launching a preventive care campaign to promote healthy lifestyle and preventive checkups.
So folks, its time to get your routine workouts, quit junk food and smoking and get that postponed annual health checkup, mammogram, dental checkup and flu shot. Go see your doctor for a preventive checkup.
PS: we at DocAsap continue to be committed to prevention because we believe that a stitch in time can save nine, ten or may be even more.
I agree. I always say, prevention is better than cure. I am happy that most people know are being more concerned with their health, and are eating healthy and nutritious food as well exercising.
Inspite of best of efforts of healthcare professionals and governments, can we escape from the looming fear, that the current trends followed by healthcare systems around the world will soon become unsustainable by 2015.
I believe that the crisis being faced by healthcare today needs a fundamental change. Need of the hour is to be smarter about the way healthcare is delivered. We need to find ways to provide better and appropriate care at lower cost.
Instead of major forced restructuring, what we need is to constantly follow the current and emerging transformations happening in the technology world. Stakeholders of healthcare need to harness the changing environment within information infrastructure and create more value-focused healthcare. The resulting disruptive models of healthcare shall not only be cost-efficient but also drive efficiencies.
WIll health reform pass at all? I truly doubt anything will really change.
Does health care reform really have any chance now after the political defeat in MA?