Health Care System Transformation

This morning, I participated in an online forum sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation on how to transform the Health Care system. I suggested the following:

1. Place a cap on malpractice awards
2. Eliminate conflict of interest at FDA (no funding should ever be accepted from pharmaceuticals)
3. Make it illegal for physicians and members of congress to accept anything (trips, training, money, etc…) from pharmaceuticals.
4. No more direct marketing to the consumer by pharmaceuticals (TV, magazines, etc…)
5. Have a public advisory board review the powers of the FDA and the drug approval process.
6. All medical providers should have their fee schedule posted prior to service being provided (the cost should not depend on whether patient is insured or not).

I also stated that the current system does not provide treatment to patients in a manner that is respectful to the patient. The human body is not just a group of organs. The human body is a complex system of organs that work together in an amazing way.

Many of us have lost trust in physicians because we have been prescribed treatments which do not consider the root cause of dis-ease, just provide treatment for manifested symptoms. In my humble opinion, treating the symptom without understanding the root cause could add more layers of complexity to the illness- side effects, masking of symptoms, etc…

If we are serious about improving WELLNESS in our society, our Health Care System should provide an INTEGRATIVE approach towards WELLNESS, which MUST include nutrition and nourishment education to our clients.