This new system we are proposing is the real answer to our problems. Please read and analyze this plan and give your feedback to Genius Patient. Remember, politicians and established interest groups prefer to keep things complicated when there may be simpler answers. Our approach to the solution of this tremendous problem is based on commonsense of Americans and presented in following points.
The current healthcare system in the USA is massive, wasteful, and inefficient. By now, every citizen in the country is aware of this problem. In 2010, the total health care cost in USA exceeded 2.8 trillion dollars or more than the entire GDP of China.
Based on data available, average healthcare cost per capita in USA is approximately $9000, which is almost twice as high compare to other developed nations. However average health care cost per Medicare patient in USA is almost in the range of $12000 to $14000. For 45 Million Medicare recipients, Government spent $480 Billion in 2010.In addition to this; Medicare patient’s out of pocket cost is in the range of $2000 to $4000 for the supplemental insurance, part D premium and medications. This adds up to average of $14000 per each Medicare patient per year!!!!
With this statistics in front of us, one has to be absolutely insane or stupid to believe that more Government intervention in any shape or form will result in anything but a bigger mess and bankrupt the country.
Problems :
Are you aware that, as a patient, when you pay $100 to doctor’s office, the physician gets only 40 to 50% of it as his/her income? Hospital charges are also outrageously inflated beyond any body’s understanding. So who really gets the money? The answer is complicated and described in next few paragraphs.
At least 5% to 7% is wasted in clerical tasks or so called front deskwork such as chart preparation, verification of benefits and insurance, and handling of crazy phone systems. All these can be automated with the currently available technology and can be performed at a fraction of the cost, but for some strange reasons it is not happening. (Because of political lobbying and bureaucracy)
Approximately 6% to 8% is the cost of record keeping in any medical facility – inpatient or outpatient. Additional 5% to 8% cost is from the billing and rebilling department. This can be reduced significantly (almost by half) with applications of methods we are proposing.
It is difficult to estimate, but we think that anywhere from 8 to 15% of the medical services are performed for reasons other than real patient care. The factors are: a) defensive practice by physicians, b) over utilization of ancillary services by physicians for profit motives, c) over utilization due to patient demands, d) fraud and abuse by the DME companies and various vendors in the medical business. And there are many other factors that are accounted in detail elsewhere.
The mechanism of providing prescription medications to the patient is unnecessarily cumbersome and complicated. It can be simplified easily with mechanism we offer, resulting in savings of billions of dollars currently being pocketed by large pharmacy chains like CVS, Wal-Mart and Walgreen.
The sad thing is that neither a patient nor physicians, who are the main two components of the entire healthcare apparatus, have any control over these factors due to entrenched bureaucracy.
Solution
The
true answer to the problems above is The INTERNET.
The solutions offered below would not have been
possible 10-15 years ago but today with the use
of technology and Internet, we can change the
system.
The new proposal (we call it Y-System for reference) is designed based on free market principles, giving the control back to the patient and physician since they are on the frontline and have the most to gain or loose. The truth is, without this approach there is no way to fix this problem.
The Y-System concept consists of computer devices that are controlled by the patient and his physicians and thus, no national system is required. The component of the device that the patient will keep in his possession and control will eliminate problem #2 described above, resulting in the cost savings of 5 to 7%.
Physician or Hospital controlled computer and software programs will eliminate problem #3 described above with cost reduction of about 10% from the entire system.
When a Physician is actually treating the patient in the office or in the hospital, the Y-system is designed to run in real time the most up to date protocols and latest information available in medicine. The information will be transparent and displayed on the monitor screen. The decision-making process will be interactive via active participation by the patient with the physician. The cost of the different treatment options available will be readily visible on the screen. The final decision will be made based on the most recent medical information and full understanding of the cost and all options available. This is one of the most important features of the Y-system, and it will effectively tackle the problem #4 described above.
Finally, there are several other safety mechanisms incorporated in the system with a goal towards providing best patient care and keeping it between the patient and his or her physician.
Beauty of this system is all the savings will be initiated and controlled by the patient and hence there will not be any question of ‘denying’ any services. The money saved will come back to the patient’s pocket and to the economy.
