Artificial intelligence applications have been in the news lately. I’m especially interested in medical applications. I’ve previously written about using AI to help radiologists interpret X-rays and diagnostic images. Computer-aided radiology interpretation has been around for a few years and has gotten to the point where AI can catch things that radiologists miss. The New York Times worries about whether AI is ready to manage patient care. The consensus seems to be that although it may be premature at the moment it soon will be.
Category: Doctors & Hospitals
Four Year Wait to See a Dermatologist in the UK’s National Health Service
The dermatologist examined my skin and he wrote me a prescription for a steroid cream. My entire visit was only $86. I scheduled minor surgery for a month later, which cost around $560 including a pathology report and a free, post surgery follow-up visit. My dermatologist gives uninsured patients a cash discount similar to the Medicare price. He also throws in free services, like writing a prescription for eczema since I was already in his office.
Contrast my experience seeing a Dallas dermatologist with patients from the United Kingdom. In the UK there is very little cost-sharing or out-of-pocket payments for services covered by the National Health Service (NHS).
Tuesday Links
- Why do hospitalizations increase in the last quarter of the year?
- Scientists use AI to find an antibiotic for a multidrug-resistant bacteria.
- Scientists have managed to preserve rat kidneys for 100 days. Apparently, that’s good news for humans.
- For medical student education, is a virtual cadaver as good (or better) than a real one?
- Are crisis pregnancy centers deceiving pregnant mothers?
What Patients Want in a Physician
What do patients want in a physician and how do people select their doctors? These are questions that prompt different answers from different people. Answers likely vary depending on the type of health insurance those responding have. The following is from a Health Services Research study that is now 20 years old. It found that consumers were somewhat passive in their choice of physicians.