One in four living in the state of Texas – about 6.2 million people - are uninsured. It is ranked the lowest in the United States in health care. Governor-supported tort reform in the state didn’t impact health care costs one bit. Oh, and there’s no longer a state Medicaid women’s health program either.
You would like to think that those are the headlines from some third-world nation. However, according to Governor Rick Perry, Texas is doing just fine, thank you very much – so much so that he’s told the federal government that he won’t implement the Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act.
Governor Perry, in his desire to constantly remind us why he’s “Fed Up”, is slowly and steadily painting the health care of this state into a corner.
When it comes to health care, is this the state of Texas, or the state of Confusion?
Effective communication is a real challenge in our daily lives. When interactions occur between two people, they are subjected to the beliefs, values, and perceptions of each other. These will be manifested in their communication, their behaviors, and their actions.
The cornerstone of problem solving in health care is effective communication. Patients want their story to be heard and to be understood. The clinician is dependent upon communication in order to accumulate data, understand the patient’s problem, and subsequently develop solutions to their problem. This is no easy task.
Our ability to communicate effectively is critical to success in health care. Here are seven tips for improving communication with patients – or anyone else for that matter!
I am thankful for the world news. It keeps me fully amused, and it always provides a steady stream of good rhubarb. As they say, it’s the gift that keeps on giving!
With that being said, it is once again time for another episode of the Rhubarb Report. This episode was a tough selection process, but once again, politics. music, and health care reign supreme. Herein you will find discussion of the “haves” – and the “have-nots”. The task is to figure out which one is which!
On this July 4, it has now been a total of 45 days since I became a citizen of the United States. It is my very first Fourth Of July as a citizen. It’s a brave new world now, isn’t it?
It’s not like life has changed a bunch. I filled out a voter registration card. That’s a big step. I now have the right to carry a US passport. My wallet is a little emptier now that I don’t have a Permanent Resident Card. And let’s face the facts – a Canada Day celebration and an Independence Day celebration both typically involve food, fun with friends, and fireworks. Not much difference there either.
One thing that does appear more readily to me is how the values of Independence Day – and the reason for its celebration – have been forgotten, or misplaced, or perhaps even ignored. Sadly.
The words are pretty simple. The phrase sounds reasonable enough: I am what I am. Or as Popeye once noted, “I yam what I yam and I yam what I yam that I yam”. Let’s be serious: who am I to debate Popeye, right?
These words could be used in the context of being present in the moment, right here, right now, with a deep sigh of acceptance and joy. If so, they would be five wonderful words with a beautiful meaning.
The unfortunate reality is that they are rarely used in that context. Sadly, these 5 words have become symbolic of excuses, indecision, and the paralysis of analysis. There is a fine line between acceptance and apathy, a line that seems to get crossed regularly these days.
One patient. One clinician. One treatment room.
It should be pretty straightforward, right? Ask the right questions, get the appropriate answers, make some astute observations, add a little clinical reasoning, and get the patient moving towards a solution to their problem.
But once the patient and clinician step into that treatment room, worlds collide. It starts with what is going on in our heads before we ask or answer any questions. When two diverse self images collide in the treatment room, anything can happen, and oftentimes it does.
Thursday’s landmark decision by the Supreme Court regarding the Affordable Care Act became not only an important day in this country’s health care history, but also a blockbuster day for political diatribe, fear-mongering, irresponsibility, and downright stupidity.
When the real data emerges, and it will, we will look to this day much like the days when Medicare and Social Security were introduced. But I understand that anytime people are faced with something new, it can generate a little fear of the unknown.
It has become readily apparent to me that legislators have chosen, repeatedly, to ignore the data and the evidence. They have chosen to disregard responsibility, especially in their words to constituents. They have chosen to ignore their accountability to voters.
But they have not forgotten how to spin, spin, spin the agenda. They have chosen to listen to the doctors – the spin doctors – the “spinions” who have not forgotten how to create fear and uncertainty in the eyes of the average American.
Up to 60% of runners will sustain an injury within any given year. Poor running mechanics, in conjunction with poor, ineffective and outdated training methods, can pose a significant injury risk. "RunSmart" was written to address these issues in the running community.
"Running Injuries: Etiology And Recovery- Based Treatment" (co-author Bridget Clark, PT) appears in the third edition and fourth editions of "Clinical Orthopaedic Rehabilitation: A Team Approach" by Charles Giangarra, MD and Robert C. Manske, PT.
Allan Besselink, PT, DPT, Ph.D., Dip.MDT has a unique voice in the world of sports, education, and health care. Read more about Allan here.
Top 5 finalist in three categories: "Best Overall Blog", "Best PT Blog" and "Best Advocacy Blog".
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