Ben Schwartz, MD, MBA
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benschwartzmd.bsky.social
Ben Schwartz, MD, MBA
@benschwartzmd.bsky.social
Orthopedic Surgeon with an interest in health tech and value-based care (however you choose to define it).

https://thesurgeonsrecord.substack.com/
Bump in MA payments, bump in hospital payments, decrease in physician payments.

Is the system fixed yet?
January 14, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Strong work Ed. The cult of personality is not new, but leveraging it to manipulate people has reached new levels. I hope we move toward a future where personal brands are more authentic and less manipulative.
December 22, 2024 at 9:05 PM
Distrust is a huge issue. There should be checks and balances, but the motives have to be transparent.
December 13, 2024 at 9:19 PM
It's obvious that everyone is frustrated with the status quo. Payers could start by taking a much more collaborative stance with patients and healthcare providers instead of an adversarial one.

Want to fix things? Stop the games, and come to the table on real solutions.
December 13, 2024 at 8:26 PM
Also interesting that you mention how capital has been beating labor. This speaks to the angst and frustrations felt by many physicians (78% employed now) and other frontline healthcare workers. The pendulum is set to swing in the other direction in medicine too IMO.
December 13, 2024 at 8:20 PM
Plenty of examples of the govt's healthcare struggles (the VA system, Medicare Advantage, CMMI, Medicare solvency, etc.)

Healthcare will be best solved the way we solve other difficult problems in the US -- by smart, driven innovators and those with the means and vision to support them.
December 13, 2024 at 8:20 PM
Of course we're dictators, those op notes aren't going to write themselves!
December 11, 2024 at 10:21 PM
EMRs perpetuate the problem by leading to overdocumentation or misclassification of these events. The label follows the patient throughout the healthcare system. Once the "allergy" is attached to the patient, it's very difficult to reverse.

It's about time we addressed this problem.

#medsky
December 10, 2024 at 3:46 PM
Enjoyed your recent post on current state of digital health unicorns!
December 3, 2024 at 8:17 PM
Innovation in healthcare is critical, but it works best when built in partnership with practicing clinicians—enhancing their work, not replacing or criticizing it. Medicine is built on trust. Let's keep that in mind as we build towards lasting solutions.
November 30, 2024 at 1:47 AM
Such perspectives are often false narratives framed as insight. They're provocative and pander to the angst many feel toward the system. No one would deny we have problems. There's no point in glossing them over. But we need well-reasoned solutions built on firsthand experience.
November 30, 2024 at 1:47 AM
It’s particularly troubling when these perspectives are tied to ulterior motives, like promoting a product or company. Underinformed critiques of the profession, especially from those who haven't experienced the frontlines, risk undermining trust in clinicians.
November 30, 2024 at 1:47 AM