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I am a physician and behavioral scientist. My research and writing explore the quirks in human nature that influence our lives -- the mixture of rational and irrational forces that affect our health, our happiness, and the way our society functions. (more...)- Have a question or just want to get in touch? Email me at peter.ubel@duke.edu
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Tag Archives: Medicare
Healthcare for the Uninsured Is Wasteful (For a Surprising Reason)
Shutterstock American physicians dole out lots of unnecessary medical care to their patients. They prescribe things like antibiotics for people with viral infections, order expensive CT scans for patients with transitory back pain, and obtain screening EKGs for people with … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged health insurance, health policy, Medicare
What Confusion about Health Insurance Looks Like in the Doctor’s Office
Shutterstock Mark Letterman’s rheumatoid arthritis had been progressing unrelentingly despite popping dozens of pills each week – eight methotrexate pills on Mondays alone. Letterman felt like he was 63 going on 93. If rheumatoid arthritis progresses unchecked, it is as … Continue reading
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Tagged health policy, healthcare cost, Medicare
If We Cut Surgical Pay, Will Surgeons Cut into More People?
Shutterstock Knee replacements are booming. Between 2005 and 2015, the number of knee replacement procedures in the U.S. doubled, to more than one million. Experts think the figure might rise 6-fold more in the next couple decades, because of our … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged health policy, healthcare costs, healthcare quality, Medicare
Medicare Is Reducing the Cost of Knee Replacements (Here’s How That Could Backfire)
Knee replacements are booming. Between 2005 and 2015, the number of knee replacement procedures in the United States doubled, to more than one million. Experts think the figure might rise sixfold more in the next couple decades, because of our … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged health policy, healthcare costs, Medicare
Watch Out Hospitals: Medicare’s Planning to Punish You if You Misbehave
It used to be that hospitals billed Medicare for the services they provided, and Medicare – I know this is crazy! – simply paid the bills. Those days are rapidly receding into history. Soon, a significant chunk of hospital revenue … Continue reading
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Tagged health policy, healthcare quality, Medicare
Why The Government Tried To Fix Primary Care And Failed
Americans spend more per-capita on medical care than just about any other country and, yet, they often have little to show for it. Americans have worse access to care than people in other countries, and are often less likely to … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged health policy, healthcare quality, Medicare, primary care
Your Physician Can’t See You Yet – She’s Busy Filling Out Paperwork!
Left to our own devices, most of us physicians try our best to provide high quality care to our patients. But almost none of us provide perfect care to all of our patients all of the time. In fact, many … Continue reading
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Tagged health insurance, health policy, healthcare quality, Medicare
The Healthcare Efficiency Myth – What Really Happens When Doctors And Hospitals Join Forces
For much of the history of U.S. medical care, hospitals and physicians have existed as separate financial entities. Physicians in the U.S. have typically been self-employed, as solo or group practitioners and not as hospital employees. An internist like me … Continue reading
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Tagged healthcare costs, healthcare insurance, Medicare, Obamacare
An Easy (But Politically Complicated) Way To Save Billions Of Dollars On Medical Care
I sometimes worry that my wife Paula won’t be able to see me grow old. Not that I expect to outlive her. She is four years my junior and has the blood pressure of a 17-year-old track star. It’s her … Continue reading
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Tagged health policy, healthcare costs, Medicare, pharma
Can’t Afford Medical Care? Welcome to America!
David Blumenthal and colleagues recently wrote a wonderful piece in the New England Journal on the future of Medicare. In it, they present a powerful picture comparing how often people in 11 countries have difficulty accessing medical care because of … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged healthcare costs, Medicare