Money and Medicine: This documentary aired just last month on PBS. The documentary focuses on reducing healthcare expenditures and improving health outcomes through better coordination of patient care, shared patient decision-making, and through the practice of evidence-based medicine.
Escape the Fire: This documentary received a limited release last week and is being advertised as An Inconvenient Truth for healthcare. The documentary promotes prevention and wellness as effective alternatives to disease management.
Roger Ebert's review of Escape the Fire is available here.
Please share your thoughts.
This is a problem that needs a comprehensive approach at a state-by-state level to address the need for access to care. The problem is simply more than "corporate greed" that was used by a respondent. There are counties in the United States that have 1 or no pharmacy services available, let alone other health care providers. How many of the respondents would move their family to a rural county in the United States to provide health care? This lack of health providers impacts cost effective treatments, such as the use of generics like lisinopril and simvastatin for diabetics, as well as other productive features, such as immunizations. I am using a rural area as an example, since I grew up in a community of under 1,500 in a county that has a smaller population now than in 1900.
Posted by: Virge | May 18, 2013 at 08:22 AM
I cannot wait to watch these full documentaries! This is unbelievable how much we spend on healthcare in this country and we are not even in the top 20 for life span. This is just a good example of how alternative medicine can fit into healthcare and possibly lower cost. Also having incentives for patients to engage in health life style changes is great. Prevention is more cost effective than treatment in most cases. I also think it is ridiculous that the big rig companies pay by productivity. Patients aren't products. Time should be spent with them to listen to their symptoms, draw conclusions and make a rational treatment option. Not just send them home with a quick fix drug that will have them back in the office in a few days. Looking forward to seeing more actions taken to lower costs and improve care.
Posted by: KJ | November 19, 2012 at 10:36 AM
This documentary (Money and Medicine) is compelling and is a “must-see” for everyone and not just because of the impending election! It is not just critical of the existing system, but offers valuable suggestions for reducing spending and improving the quality of medical care in the U.S. It brings real issues to the forefront and dramatic though it may be, real patient cases are presented that are examined and discussed. The film aptly meets one of its goals—asking the audience to consider their own decision making about personal health care issues and to question providers about costly medical testing and treatment options. I was spellbound and amazed at how much information the general public is lacking! Thanks for posting the film
Posted by: ss | November 01, 2012 at 09:29 AM
The preview of “Escape the Fire” and the review by Roger Ebert have encouraged me to watch it, though I know it will likely leave me depressed and even more concerned about how Health Care in the U.S. is just not working. The film dramatically highlights the frustrations of both providers and patients have: discussion of everything from corporate greed (hospitals and the Pharmaceutical industry) to declines in the quality of services and the level of REAL care. Most of us have been patients; some of us suffer chronic and debilitating conditions and unfortunately, leave Dr. Offices and hospitals feeling less than “cared for or about”. In theory government officials know something needs to be done to change the model from healing sickness to prevention. If more decision makers watch this and take the time to real learn about the issues, we might see some improvements.
Posted by: ss | October 25, 2012 at 12:34 PM
These are certainly timely issues, especially with healthcare being a hot topic in politics right now. They are also related to each other, as utillizing a more prevention-based strategy instead of a band-aid strategy can help reduce the cost of healthcare. However, while I am sure that healthcare providers and pharmaceutical are part of the problem, it is really society as a whole that has this mentality of wanting a magic bullet, rather than putting in the effort of prevention. Let’s face it, staying healthy can be challenging; it’s hard to always eat right, exercise, get enough sleep, and not stress too much over things we face in our faily lives. Also, it’s astonishing how many people do not know things like how to read food labels and which foods have unexpectedly high levels of fat and salt. I think more education on this and other personal health topics would be ideal. Of course, that costs money too, but it would save a lot in the long run!
Posted by: GP | October 25, 2012 at 10:50 AM
It is amazing how so many health concerns and outcomes the US experiences comes from having too much of everything: too much food, too much medicine, too much healthcare. Doctors are paid more for giving more care whether that is benefiting or harming anyone. US is spending more than twice what Western European countries are spending on healthcare, yet we are the fattest country in the world. Something doesn't make sense in terms of the monetary input into healthcare and the poor output that results. It is with great hopes that with the Affordable Care Act in full swing, with more Americans having access to healthcare,that the resources will be allocated more appropriately and thereby increase the quality of care we provide, not the quantity. Thank you for uploading this great documentary!
Posted by: nb | October 24, 2012 at 11:09 AM
I am looking forward to watching these two documentaries on healthcare. Focusing more on preventative care and less on making money from people getting sick is a very important issue in healthcare today. Insurance companies are making entirely too much money and inflating costs to the point that it is often impossible for hard working people to get the care they need. I am happy to see these documentaries come out at such a pivotal point in this election year, and hope that enough people can see that change needs to happen in healthcare in order for people to get the healthcare they need at a reasonable price. Thanks for posting these links!
Posted by: xr | October 19, 2012 at 02:09 PM
I saw Escape the Fire documentary, the pharmaceutical companies are really getting money from the people. We should really revise our healthcare system.
Posted by: Mike Carlson | October 18, 2012 at 01:00 AM