The goal: Preserving health The obstacle: Medicare

One physician's opinion and statements on how it is becoming difficult to work and care for senior patients and still give some quality of life...and what the family practices goes through to support their patients...BD 

My patients and colleagues can't stop the aging process, but we can do something about the quality of their lives as they age. It is all a matter of spending tax dollars wisely.

Any reform plan that Congress contemplates, with or without Moore's ideas, must balance the tough choices between cost savings and appropriate care. Physicians must be able to provide care in a reasonable manner. Medical students -- future doctors -- must want to become primary care providers for Medicare recipients in the future.

The system needs to allow us to provide the right care in the right setting at the right time, as in this example, before patients fall. Keeping an elderly patient mobile and out of an institution for as long as is medically possible makes both economic and medical sense. We need thoughtful, appropriate policies, not an over-regulated process.

Star-Telegram.com | 08/12/2007 | The goal: Preserving health The obstacle: Medicare