My Journey Through The PPACA: Patient-Centered Research

Trying to read the PPACA is brutal. I've skimmed it twice and am now going through in a little more detail- reading the words. I have no intention of being an expert on this- but, I do want to be informed with what it is and what it isn't. So, I'm going to share some thoughts as I go through it on the blog.

As with any legislation (not just health care) the words and the organization (sections, titles, and all the rest) probably makes sense to the lawyers but I doubt even the politicians can explain it. That is a large part of the problem with this- it is just hard to explain what is written. Very few have tried.

I was particularly interested in the "patient-centered" stuff. Section 6301 page 609 creates the "Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute" and a boatload of money is allocated to it.

Here's the definition/purpose:

"to assist patients, clinicians, purchasers, and policy-makers in making informed he

alth decisions by advancing the quality and relevance of evidence concerning the manner in which

disease, disorders, and other health conditions can effectively and appropriately be prevented, diagnosed, treated, monitored, and managed through research and evidence synthesis that considers variations in patient subpopulations and the dissemination of research findings with respect to the relative health outcome, clinical effectiveness, and appropriateness of medical treatments services and items--"

Whew. Take a breath.

While this diatribe probably means something to those in health care- (health care loves to use a lot of words or acronyms to say simple things)- the average person will have no clue what this is and why it may be important. How this definition of purpose even remotely relates to anything "patient centered" is beyond me.

I've found there are some good things in the law and some things that make no sense. Many times I had to work to find them. The lack of education, communication and explanation of this reform approach at a very basic consumer level remains a huge part of the problem as this debate continues.

Beginning to organize the information in the health care system is a good thing. Starting to organize system-wide "best-practices" and prevention methods is a good thing for everyone involved. Unfortunately, the consumer is never going to know why this is important because nobody is telling them and they have to try figure it out on their own with the 77 word definitions provided. Or, they just do the easiest thing and listen to the talking points of cable news or the politicians.

We all know how balanced these sources are.

A Wake-Up Call For Our Country

It’s unfortunate that sometimes it takes a significant event to force us to step back, reflect, and determine where we are. These events occur for us individually as well as collectively as a society and as a nation.

The tragic events in Tucson this past weekend is one of those.

The finger-pointing and accusations were flying within hours of the shootings even before any facts were known. We still don’t know many facts today and we never may know the real reasons for this insane act.

New York Times Nobel Prize winning columnist Paul Krugman quickly jumped to blaming the Tea Party, Glen Beck, Sarah Palin and conservatives in general. He commented, “Violent acts are what happen when you create a climate of hate.” He believes conservatives created this environment of hate.

Florida Democratic Congressman Alan Grayson didn’t help to create an environment of unity when he referred to Tea Party Challenger Daniel Webster as “Taliban Dan” during the mid-term elections. The rhetoric during these elections across-the-board was brutal.

Let’s just call it even. There is enough blame to go around on all sides. Regardless of whether the accused was politically motivated or not, we all know our political process and dialogue has grown toxic and does not help the cause of addressing the challenges we face as a country. We have serious challenges ahead of us. Whether we want to accept it or not- they will not be solved as Republicans, Democrats, or Tea Party; they will be solved as Americans.

Commentator David Gergen states it best, “This is not a moment to point fingers and make accusations. But it is a time to pray for the victims- and pledge to each other that we will struggle for a more civil and decent America.”

To honor the victims, and with prayers for Gabrielle Giffords, let’s come together to at least agree on that.