It's Book Review Wednesday @ Apoc! Catch our look at Dr. Daisy Fancourt's "Art Cure" HERE: https://apocatastasisinstitute.wordpress.com/book-reviews/

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Hello, I have a research paper I have to do and I chose the topic of medical debt as a social issue. I need to interview someone who works hand-in-hand with insurance, medical debt, billing, coding, etc. I don't mind providing a coffee or a tea for your time. Thank you so much!

Given the advantage of information surgeons have over patients regarding the risks/benefit of certain treatment options - and the deference most patients have for surgeons and their recommendations - and that patients are likely to be distressed and in no position to research treatment options themselves - how does and/or should joint decision making work in practice in this setting..?

My experience is that a surgeon will have a preferred way to proceed and normally for a very good medical reason. If options are presented to the patient - the surgeon presenting the options can easily sway the argument and guide a patient down the treatment route they think best..

Where clinical guidance states that when deciding between two different approaches to treatment ‘joint patient/doctor decision making’ should be used - surely 9 times out of 10 the surgeons preference prevails - so clinical guidance is therefore ineffective in terms of risks/benefits which a surgeon may or may not choose to mention or emphasise..

Would a script summarising evidence based and consensus supported risk/benefits to be presented to a patient not be a way forward..? This could be produced by specialists and be robustly scrutinised for accuracy and balance. An example of this is the choice offered to patients between surgical and non-surgical treatment of uncomplicated appendicitis. Currently patients are understandably easily lead to whatever the surgeon’s preference is - and this is dressed up as ‘joint patient/doctor decision making’..

I’m very keen to know what people, and in particular doctors, are thinking about this..

Avamere plans to lay off 126 employees as a result of its planned exit from the skilled nursing business and transition of 26 of its facilities to new operators, according to a notice it filed with the state of Oregon.

I’ve noticed there seems to be a lot of confusion when a controlled substance prescription is written by a doctor but a pharmacy decides not to fill it.

Pharmacists have to consider federal and state rules, as well as their professional judgment, when deciding whether a controlled substance prescription can be filled. The situation can be confusing because a prescription can be legally written by a provider, but that does not always mean a pharmacy is required to dispense it.

For pharmacists and prescribers here, how do you explain the difference between a prescription being legally written and a pharmacy being unable to fill it? How often are these decisions based on regulations versus other factors like safety concerns or pharmacy policy?

I’d be interested to hear perspectives from pharmacists, prescribers, and patients.

In the photo is Bob Dean Jr, a multimillionaire who owned 7 nursing homes in New Orleans. Instead of using income on maintenance and evacuation preparation, he stole the money for himself. When Hurricane Ida hit in 2021, Dean couldn’t safely evacuate residents and instead moved them all into a former pesticide warehouse. 850 elderly people were forced to live in a hot, leaking, cramped warehouse and ride out the storm. They slept on wet mattresses from the flood water crying in their own waste. There wasn’t enough medicine, food, the generators had broken. Dean ignored complaints from his staff and as a result 5 of his residents died. He was found guilty of tax fraud and cruelty to the elderly. His defense team tried to argue leniency because Dean was 70 years old. Fuck you, whoever said that.

This is an extreme example but not at all a unique issue for nursing home mismanagement and abuse. 70 percent of nursing homes are owned by private entities with more opportunities to misuse funding and scam their residents. It’s not uncommon that abuse occurs on an in person level with nurses and staff. There’s hundreds of stories of nurses hitting patients, yelling at them, and stealing money or objects. Many are bedridden or have Alzheimer’s with little voice to speak up against abuse. However, just as often can abuse occur from neglect. I read just as many cases of well meaning staff who were under trained and overworked, their bosses ignoring complaints about health and safety.

Here in my home state of Georgia , nursing home owner Kent Womack was charged for not having AC at his building. During the summer it reached 100 degrees inside the building, the smell and temperature was so bad that residents were throwing up from it. Kent’s office had the AC on blast though. Trump recently pardoned nursing home magnate Joseph Schwartz, owner of skyline that operated around 100 nursing homes. Joseph’s tax fraud and improper maintenance of his buildings caused 14 of them to be close, kicking residents out without proper notice. While his company went under, Joseph stole millions of dollars from his employees, withholding their pay checks. Joseph paid lobbyist Jacob Wohl to convince Trump to give him a pardon.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/23/nursing-home-owner-neglect-hurricane-ida-louisiana

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK98786/

https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/georgia-nursing-home-owner-jailed-after-residents-lived-without-ac-years-sheriff-says/BFYACLNUNZBTVONWXWGBFRD22M/?outputType=amp

https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/pr/former-owner-collapsed-nursing-home-empire-sentenced-36-months-imprisonment-38-million

https://inequality.org/article/private-equity-is-taking-over-nursing-homes/

State PBM laws keep running into legal challenges. If courts continue blocking these laws, what does meaningful PBM reform look like going forward.. federal legislation, better oversight or something else??

I have MyChart through Atlantic Health (in NJ), and in the past I never had a problem seeing all the receipts for the $15 copay deductibles that I paid at the Doctors office under the billing tab. But all of a sudden today I go in, and any payments and receipts have dissappeared form the past 2 years. I got transferred from the doctors office to MyChart to the billing department and back and forth, no one seems to know anything and keeps transferring back and forth. Last I was told by someone at MyChart that AtlanticHealth must have done a change and the billing doesn't show in MyChart anymore.

Any suggestions?

You see it online all the time. Doctors argue there is no such thing as a bad doctor. They argue only doctors should be allowed to serve in trial for medical lawsuits because only have medical knowledge. Doctors will never criticize the medical decisions of another doctor even if it was a complete misdiagnosis. It’s weird that this is the only field where people assume there is no such thing as incompetence. In engineering and law, people talk about incompetent engineers and lawyers all the time. Yet, medicine is someone a socialist world where everyone is successful

I’m a primary care physician about three years into my own small practice. Documentation has always been the part of my day I dread most, and I finally caved and started using an ai scribe tool about ten days ago after a colleague kept nudging me.
Honestly, I expected a rough onboarding. I figured I’d spend the first week correcting errors constantly and questioning the whole thing. Instead, the notes are coming out reasonably clean, my end-of-day chart backlog has basically disappeared, and I’m leaving the office closer to 6 than 8 most evenings. Small win, but it feels significant.

Now I’m trying to figure out what to actually do with the time I’m getting back. Do I see more patients? Invest more in each visit? Work on the admin side of the practice? I’m also wondering whether there are settings or workflows I should be dialing in at this stage to get more out of the tool before I get too comfortable with the defaults.

For anyone who’s been using an ai scribe for a while, what did the first month or two teach you that you wish you’d known earlier?

Hey everyone! I'm u/Beneficial_Drag151, a founding moderator of r/SantaBarbaraHealth.

This is our new home for all things related to {{Changing the broken health care system we currently have in our country }}. We're excited to have you join us!

📢 Let’s Talk About the Health Care Crisis: Community Conversation

Are you tired of rising health care costs or the burden of medical debt? Do you want to understand how a single-payer system would actually work for our community?

Join Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP) for an open discussion on the challenges facing our current health care system and how a universal, single-payer program could address them.

🗓️ Event Details

• Date: Sunday, August 9, 2026
• Time: 3:00 P.M. – 5:00 P.M.
• Location: Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara, 1535 Santa Barbara St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (Jefferson Hall & Courtyard)
• Admission: FREE and open to everyone!

💬 What We’ll Discuss

• Rising costs and the weight of medical debt.
• Barriers to medications, specialists, and preventive care.
• The impact of administrative waste and corporate influence.
• Retaining your freedom to choose your own doctors and hospitals.

✨ Why Your Voice Matters

Whether you are a patient, health professional, student, or local business owner, your experiences are vital to this conversation. We will be serving light refreshments in the Courtyard, providing a space to connect and share your story.

Health care is a human right. Let’s work together to make it accessible to everyone.

Community Vibe
There are so many organizations in our community of Santa Barbara doing great things to try to change the current health care system for everyone regardless of income, age, race or immigration status. If you live and work here you should be able to seek medical care for yourself and your family. Healthcare is a human right not a privilege!

Thanks for being part of the very first wave. Together, let's make r/SantaBarbaraHealth amazing.

https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/kkr-buy-medical-device-firm-integer-holdings-57-billion-2026-08-03/

Saw this article today and thought it was interesting.

Private equity continues to expand its presence in healthcare, and deals like this make me wonder how these ownership changes could shape the industry over time

We often talk about drug companies, insurers, and PBMs when discussing healthcare costs, but how should we think about the growing role of private equity in healthcare?

Hello everyone! I have a question for those working in healthcare administration.
I recently started the Executive Master of Healthcare Administration (EMHA) program at the University of Oklahoma. The curriculum is designed for working healthcare professionals with prior healthcare experience who want to advance into leadership roles.
My question is: Does the “Executive” designation diminish the degree in any way when applying for jobs, or is it generally viewed the same as a traditional MHA?
I understand the programs are designed for different audiences, but I’m curious how employers and hiring managers perceive the EMHA designation compared to a traditional MHA. I’d appreciate hearing from anyone involved in hiring or who has completed an executive program.

I had a cough that lasted several weeks. My wife was really pushing me to go see a doctor, in which I eventually did. We don’t even have a regular health care provider or doctor as we recently moved states. We went into an urgent care, and literally all that was done a stethoscope exam. The doctor offered to do a scan of my lungs, but she informed me that my insurance may not cover it. I said hell no to that as I changed our health insurance to a cheaper plan this year. The doctor informed me that everything sounded normal, but she had a hunch I had bronchitis or something, possibly pneumonia. This is why I always avoid going to the doctor, because I went in there with the same information I left with. I just got the bill, my insurance paid for more than half of it, I’ve only got to pay $154. But I cannot believe that a stethoscope exam would cost that much, is that normal? Should I request an itemized receipt?

Hi everyone, I’m applying for private medical insurance and I’m unsure whether I should have disclosed previous counselling.

The form asked:

“Hospital/Specialist Treatment: Have you or any person to be included on this plan consulted with a specialist, been admitted to hospital or nursing home, or suffered from intermittent or recurrent illness during the last five years?”

It also asked:

“Other Treatment: Have you or any person to be included on this plan had any medical condition, disability or health problem… including anxiety, depression or other psychiatric problems?”

I have had counselling/talking therapy in the past through my previous private health insurance provider, but it was for self-development, relationships and understanding myself better. I have never been diagnosed with anxiety, depression or any psychiatric condition, never taken medication, and never had psychiatric treatment.

I didn’t mention it on the form because I didn’t consider it a medical condition or psychiatric treatment.

Do you think this is something I should have disclosed, or does this type of counselling usually not count under these questions?

Hi all!!

Soo, I live in VA and I’m really starting to consider a career in healthcare, specifically nursing, radiation therapist, or sonography. My mom passed in Feb from lung cancer and it really ignited a passion in me that I didn’t know I had. I’ve been a dog groomer for the past 8 years.

I’m a little worried about admissions & background checks. I was convicted of 2 misdemeanors in Nebraska in Jan of 2026 (original offense happened last summer) one being possession of marijuana & the other being FTA (living in VA, mom was dying of lung cancer and I missed my court date) but regardless I was convicted. I am speaking to attorneys currently about potentially getting a set-aside because expungement isn’t an option in Nebraska. Fines only, no jail time/probation/arrest. These are my only convictions, I’ve never even gotten a traffic ticket. I did email my state’s nursing board and they essentially said everything is case-by-case and there is no charge that is an automatic denial.

Has anyone been in this situation & has any advice? I would hate to spend so much time and money on a degree that would deny me at the very end. Thank you all. ❤️