From: Arnold B. Wolf, DPM
As I read Dr. Hrywnak's initial post, I asked myself, "What world am I living in"? With no personal offense intended, it is my observance that there are those who believe that once statistical models are created, they must all, in fact, be true. In point of fact (and in agreement with all the other contrarians who have posted to this conversation), it is my belief that healthcare in the United States, as a whole, is deteriorating. I submit the following for consideration:
1) The ACA was supposed to enhance the portability of medical information. If our government had any common sense, one information platform would have been selected (after thorough testing) so that all providers...
Editor's note: Dr. Wolf's extended-length letter can be read here.
From: David Gurvis, DPM
I am in complete agreement with Dr. Markinson. I was dismayed and outraged by Dr. Hrywnak’s remarks. Some seem to have swallowed the hook, the sinker, the float, and are still going. How can we have come so far downhill? Is this kind of crap going to hit us and hit us hard? Sure. But as they say, do we have to enjoy it and embrace it?
EMRs have done nothing good except build a tower of Babel. Yet some rave about how much it has improved medicine. If it has improved anything, it is...
Editor's note: Dr. Gurvis' extended-length letter can be read here.
From: Elliot Udell, DPM
Dr. Markinson is correct. The quality of healthcare in this country is rapidly declining. Obamacare plans with their high annual deductibles dissuade many people from seeking medical attention, allowing minor problems to evolve into serious ones. Other regulations alluded to by Dr. Markinson force doctors to spend more time fiddling with time-consuming government regulated EHR programs than giving the time to their patients. Other cutbacks are causing downsizing of medical staffs in all areas of the healthcare system.
There is an old story about a farmer in the great depression who used a horse to plow his fields. One day he came up with a "brilliant" idea. He cut back on the amount of oats he fed the animal and guess what? The horse adapted and the farmer saved money. Each week, he fed the horse one less bag of oats and boasted to his friends that he will soon have a horse that will work his farm and not have to be fed at all. He finally reached a stage where he was able to wean the horse from all food, and lo and behold the horse dropped dead. I wish the bureaucrats in Washington would learn from this story before it is too late for all of us.
Elliot Udell, DPM, Hicksville, NY
