About Our Bloggers

David Williams
Should we care if doctors drop Medicare? August 06, 2013 | David Williams
Does it really make sense to use an insurance mechanism for routine, relatively low-cost expenditures such as primary care?
Policy recommendations on quality measurement: my reactions June 05, 2013 | David Williams
Do these esteemed health experts choose their own providers based just on the "organization" or do they do what I and everyone I know does, which is to give considerable weight to the individual physician they are going to see?
Wanted: Entrepreneurial business models for doctors May 22, 2013 | David Williams
I believe many physicians would like to work for themselves if there were a viable way to make it happen.
What if the healthcare cost crisis solves itself? May 10, 2013 | David Williams
Health plans tend to follow Medicare rates and do little to independently establish and negotiate price levels.
Oncologists get serious about drug prices May 03, 2013 | David Williams
The federal government has done almost everything possible to make sure cost-effectiveness and overall costs are ignored in policy-making. Those closer to the action know better.
Facility fees for office visits: What is the role of health plans? March 14, 2013 | David Williams
Hospitals are adding facility fees in the hundreds of dollars for many visits to hospital-owned physician practices, even when those practices are nowhere near the hospital.
Do Canadian primary care offices really discriminate against the poor? February 28, 2013 | David Williams
A new study purports to demonstrate that primary care physician offices in Ontario are less likely to offer appointments to poor patients. My assessment is that the study methodology is biased.
EHRs and improper billing: Should we worry? February 19, 2013 | David Williams
Concerns are emerging that the adoption of electronic health records is leading to inappropriate increases in billings to payers, including Medicare, and that these higher billings could undermine or even overwhelm any cost savings generated by the digitization of providers. The concerns are legitimate but overall I’m not worried about this phenomenon.
Who will save the independent physicians? February 06, 2013 | David Williams
If small practices can show they're doing a great job, then I’m confident that in the long run they’ll be able to not just survive but to thrive as consumers increasingly take their business to those who can show they are the best, regardless of setting.
What Amazon can teach us about telehealth adoption January 29, 2013 | David Williams
It didn’t occur to policymakers 50 years ago that broadband communications would allow the “virtual presence” of physicians from afar. Those rules should be changed.

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