For every dollar spent on health care last year, 75 cents went to treat chronic illnesses, he said. Medicare spending is even greater — about 96 cents per dollar.
The numbers illustrate the need to change the way the medical community addresses chronic illnesses, starting with preventing the chronically ill from becoming acutely ill by providing access to primary care physicians, he said. Those physicians, in turn need to be reimbursed for helping their patients manage their disease as opposed to reimbursement for procedures only.
Americans have the fifth-lowest life expectancy of 25 other nations, yet the country spends the most per-capita on health care.
”There are more MRI (machines) in Columbus, Ohio, than there are in the U.K. and France combined,” said Dr. Stephen Feagins, who assisted Weiner in the presentation.
One attendee asked how obesity factored in the statistics. Feagins said the U.S. ranks No. 1 in obesity.
Wiener said the hospital did not endorse any specific health care reform proposal before Congress but would be behind any plan that would promote high quality care that is patient-focused and provides fair and sufficient payment to health care providers.
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0347 or kmori@coxohio.com.
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