It seems every day there is a new batch of developments in the political tussle over health care reform. Many members of the medical community are frustrated at the tenor of the debate in Washington, and concerned that the issues sacred to physicians and other medical professionals appear to have taken a backseat to others involved here. Even for those of us who see the need to change our health care system, it has been a fast moving and oft-confusing period filled with questions: are we moving too quickly on an issue that warrants the full attention of Congress and all of the major players involved? how can physicians do more to ensure that their voices are heard during this frenzied debate? Hosts Dr. Michael Greenberg and Dr. Matthew Birnholz welcome someone with a front-row seat to the health care reform process, Congressman Peter Roskam, of the 6th district in Illinois and a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, which has designed one of the health care reform bills that is currently circulating the Capitol.
Dr. Greenberg and Dr. Birnholz also discuss two interesting doctor-patient issues percolating in the media: one is a experimental program at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston that allows patients open-access to all of a physicians notes on their visit, the other is a new publication that examines the frequency with which we are not communicating worrisome lab results to our patients. Tune in to find out more.
