Pathe Sambe's Blog

Reforming the U.S Health Care System Relies On the IT and Prevention

Dr. Pathe Sambe — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 20:21:16 EDT

My ideas in reforming the U.S. health care system will relies, also, on the Information Technology (IT) and prevention as developed in my previous blog " Organizing Health Care System: Time is Ripe for Action". I will like to bring to your attention this report as following posted in consulting firm blog.

"Upon assuming office, U.S. President Barack Obama made it clear that reforming healthcare is a top priority for his new administration. But unlike past attempts at healthcare reform that concentrated on the cost of coverage, it appears that today’s healthcare reform debate will revolve around the delivery of healthcare itself. Many experts in the field, such as Dr. Paul Grundy, director of healthcare transformation at IBM, believe this approach is ideal for tackling issues from the quality of care to the cost-effectiveness of medicine. “There is a real understanding this time that there needs to be an adult conversation around ‘what is it we buy,’” he says. “This is the first time we’ve really begun to focus on that issue as part of the reform.”

Technology provides the basis for sweeping reform
"Despite the current state of healthcare, Grundy is optimistic about the new administration’s emphasis on modernizing the field with technology, as he notes that developments in technology are poised to make reform economically attractive. Using IT to make healthcare smarter, he explains, may save billions for American businesses—and provide employees with a better quality of life. “We have huge issues around errors and medical errors, which are hugely expensive,” Grundy says. “In a system where you have something as simple as electronic prescribing, you see a 90 percent reduction in medical errors because you have a system in place that identifies, warns you, prevents you from having that error occur.”

"As an example, Grundy points to pilot programs such as the ActiveCare Network pharmaceutical program, which can lower the cost of drug therapies by up to 90 percent by ensuring that the right drug is used on the right patient at the right time. These kinds of programs, he says, are being closely examined by the Obama administration as models for how to prioritize healthcare. “We have the pyramid upside down,” he explains. “We take our money, and we spend it on heart transplants and MRIs until the money goes away—and it never reaches down to covering comprehensive, robust prevention and primary care.”

Click here to read the complete report

Thanks so much for your comments and attention on this blog.

Obama Offers Broad Plan to Revamp Health Care

Dr. Pathe Sambe — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 19:21:19 EST

A awesome plan, and budget! As the main problems are the payments to hospitals, insurance companies and drug companies. Our health care system will be better if the federal government create a better administration and controling procedure by using a state of the art information technologies to manage our health care system in this digital age.

Following is the details of the article in New York Times dated February 26, 2009:

"President Obam's budget would make a down payment toward his goal of covering the uninsured, and he would pay for it in part by cutting federal payments to hospitals, insurance companies and drug companies.

He would also increase premiums charged to Medicare beneficiaries with higher incomes for prescription drug coverage.

Mr. Obama requested more than $6 billion for cancer research at the National Institutes of Health, up from $5.6 billion last year, and he announced a “multiyear plan to double cancer research.”

In addition, Mr. Obama said he would speed the approval of low-cost generic versions of expensive biotechnology drugs by establishing “a new regulatory pathway” at the Food and Drug Administration.

And he said he would increase access to family planning services for low-income women by expanding eligibility under Medicaid. A similar proposal was dropped from the recent economic stimulus bill after it provoked an outcry from Republicans.

Mr. Obama asked Congress to set aside $634 billion in a “reserve fund for health care reform.

He provided no new information about how to cover the uninsured, saying he would work out the details with Congress later this year. But he did propose specific changes to save money, and many of his ideas face opposition from Washington lobbyists and the interests they represent.

Mr. Obama would, for example, require drug companies to give bigger discounts, or rebates, to Medicaid, the health program for low-income people.

Drug makers now must provide Medicaid with a discount equal to at least 15.1 percent of the average manufacturer price for a brand-name product. Mr. Obama wants to require discounts of at least 22.1 percent. Pharmaceutical companies have resisted such proposals in the past.

Mr. Obama said he would save $176 billion over 10 years by cutting Medicare payments to health insurance companies that provide comprehensive care to more than 10 million of the 44 million Medicare beneficiaries.

Medicare pays private insurers an average of 14 percent more than it would cost to care for the same people in the traditional fee-for-service Medicare program. “It’s time to stop this waste,” the White House said.

Karen M. Ignagni, president of America’s Health Insurance Plans, a trade group, denounced the proposal. It would, she said, require people in private Medicare Advantage plans to bear “a disproportionate share of the costs to reform the health care system.”

The president also proposed cutting Medicare payments to hospitals that re-admit a large proportion of patients within 30 days after they are discharged. Such re-admissions sometimes indicate that hospitals provided poor care or did not properly coordinate care.

Under the proposal, hospitals would receive “bundled payments” that cover not only their own services, but also any care provided by nursing homes and home health agencies in the month after patients left the hospital.

The White House said this proposal would save $26 billion over 10 years."

For more information on this report, please click here

Organizing U.S. Health-Care System, President Obama Top Fiscal Priority

Dr. Pathe Sambe — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 18:51:26 EST

Now, the President Obama is working on this urgent matter. As proposed in my previous blog: " Organizing Health-Care System, Time is Ripe for Action " that is a very important priority of the Obama administration.

The report by Lori Montgomery and Amy Goldstein, Washington Post Staff Writers, Tuesday, February 24, 2009; Page A05:

"President Obama will make reforming the U.S. health-care system his top fiscal priority this year, administration officials said yesterday, contending that reining in skyrocketing medical costs is critical to saving the nation from bankruptcy."

At a summit on "fiscal responsibility" convened by the White House, top administration officials said they also are committed to stabilizing the Social Security system and to revising a tax code that generates too little money to cover the cost of government.

For more details on the report, clik here

Thanks for your views and comments

Organizing HealthCare System, Time is Ripe for Action

Dr. Pathe Sambe — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 20:03:37 EST

1. Problematic

Economically, with the baby boomers about to retire in growing number, the cost of America’s public- health and retirement programs, if left unchanged will rise from 8% of GDP now to 19% 2050.

The time is ripe for grand bargain that reforms the tax code, entitlements and healthcare simultaneously, boosting productivity, raising revenue, expanding healthcare coverage and putting the budget on the path of long-term balance.

2. Institutional Goals and Solutions

Our approach for this socio- economic crisis must be global with the full participation of everyone following their capacities and not their incapacities. With organization and method by helping any states with tangible policies, and more funding concerning the health care, special education and rehabilitative services issues, as following:

In every county, we must create a “ Social and Health District” with mission to coordinate the prevention, care and rehabilitative services in the framework of a   district area. This will permit to anyone residing in the district to have the opportunities to get all the basic services needed in the field of social, health care or rehabilitative issues.
In these districts, naturopathic and allopathic medicines will work together with other legally licensed professionals in the basic of conventions with the district. This global approach will have the merit to lower the costs and give people more choice for their health care and medical rehabilitative issues.
The Social and Health District will have the responsibilities to protect people and the prevention any diseases as a local public health authority. (The recent case of the   salmonella in a manufacturing plant of peanut is a important evidence for a better prevention with qualified investigators and equiped laboratory at the district level to save many innocent people of the salmonella)
The Social and Health District work with the School District concerning   students with disabilities for their full integration into their respective school at all level. This will permit the students with disabilities to benefit all the services needed for their full participation as a responsible citizen. The best school inclusive integration is the path for a better integration into the workforce.
For persons with disabilities, the local district will have a better control for the respect of the Americans with Disabilities Act. There are a lot of discriminations again people with disabilities in the workforce. It is time to change these discriminations, by tangible policies and controls for the full respect of the law. The local district will help to solve efficiently these problems
The present organization of the US health care system needs tangible reform, and because it is was not planned to serve everyone, but only for people with health insurance. This is a discrimination, as everyone have the right to a better health care based on the WHO rules.The prevention, health care and rehabilitative services issues must be administered and controlled at national level by the federal government and provided at local level by the Health and Social District for to serve the people and not the big insurances and other corporations. The urgent reform of the health care system is on the priority of the President Obama.

Thanks so much for your attention on this proposal and ideas

Obama: Language Weakness Hurt U.S.

Dr. Pathe Sambe — Thu, 29 May 2008 16:10:03 EDT

Sen.Obama said U.S. students must learn a second or even third languages or the country will struggle to compete in a global economy. " We as a society do a really bad job teaching foreign languages, and it is costing us when it comes to being competitive in a global marketplace" said Obama. He is absolutly right.

The undersigned work every day in almost five languages: French, English, Italian, etc....If someone have BA level, she/he must be able to be proficient in a second or event a third languages. The solution is to teach student how to learn to learn temself , and also, introduce foreign languages in every professional boards examination such as : medicine, teachers, nurces, etc.... If someone have the Ph.D. degree what is the reason she/he is unable to be proficient in espanish or french language?

It is important to know, if you are a doctor or a bus driver, you have to learn every day during your life. Everyone can learn, something, every day during his life. Consequently, learn a language you will be happy!

Be well!

Pathe

www.wfdcnet.org

Clinton's Impossible Dream by John Hay

Dr. Pathe Sambe — Fri, 16 May 2008 15:42:59 EDT

Clinton's association with his Presidency would be a disaster for him. It would taint the image of the new administration from the outset. He would not be able to trust her and he would always need to be on his guard. The American people owe the Clintons nothing, and it is time the Clinton brand of politics was dispensed with in exchange for honest, open and responsible government. That would be real change.

Link to full article: http://www.tellingthoughts....

Pathe Sambe

w: wfdcnet.org

John Edwards Endorses Barack Obama for President

Dr. Pathe Sambe — Thu, 15 May 2008 17:48:58 EDT

That is a great new and a conscious decision from a great leader. The question is how Senator Clinton will take a similard decision. Becoming a great leader is to be conscious to step down if mathematically in a dead end.

Theare are many strategics errors from Sen. Clinton and her management team. I think that Senator Obama will explore the opportunity to teaming up with someone sharing his strategies and vision for to chance this country, if elected as our President in January 2009.

In politic, you are serving the People not yourself. If you are " mathematically dead", you step down. Forcing the destin, that is a personal desir of importance, not serving the Peopl.

Consequently, Senator Barack Obama will be the winner and must concentrate in winning the General Election and send Senator McCain at a home retrait. To beat Mr. McCain in November, Mr.Obama must persuade Americans that youth and intelligence trump age and experience. He must convince them that Mr. McCain represents a third term for Mr. Buch . And he must persuade wavering whites that he is genuinely post-racial.

We our contentious enthousiam, and together with Senator Obama, we will win!

Pathe Sambe

website:www.wfdcnet.org