Why does healthcare cost more in some cities?

I just finished reading a fascinating article from the New Yorker about healthcare spending disparities across the US. I found this article while reading a story form Business Week about President Obama's challenge in working with doctor's to lower costs. I have grown more and more interested in anything related to healthcare policy and spending since I started working at Regence Blue Shield. I've heard a lot about what is wrong with the system, but I think this article does a great job of laying out the facts and really investigating what is at the core of the problem.

This article primarily focuses on what doctors and hospitals are doing right and wrong and to be fair I have to mention that there are many players in the system that are to blame (government, pharmaceuticals, certain insurance companies, unhealthy lifestyles...). The core of the argument in the article is that when doctors focus on the business aspect (making the most money possible) they drive costs up, quality goes down, and service to the patient is poor. Certain models like the Mayo Clinic are shining examples of putting patients first and implementing preventative measures, which drives costs down and quality goes up.

Time some time to read the article and write a comment on this blog about your reaction or your perspective.

Stem Cells Used to Cure Blindness

I found a fascinating story/video at Gizmodo.com about how scientists and doctors are using stem cells to help cure blindness, specifically for people who are blind in one eye. They take a small amount of stem cell from the healthy eye, cultivate it onto contacts in a lab, and then place the contact on the damaged/blind eye. Throughout the time period of a month, the three test subjects had improved vision in their blind eye. Watch the video to get a complete explanation (or visit my site to watch the video).



Pretty amazing. I wrote a blog post about stem cells a few months ago and how they have miraculous potential. Anyone else have any miracle stories related to stem cells?

Joshua Bell performs undercover in DC Subway

I heard about this story from the Seattle Sketcher, who while waiting in the Seattle bus tunnel for a media tour on the new Light Link Rail he noticed and sketched a woman playing the cello.

In his small description of the sketch, he mentions how this musician reminded him of an experiment that the Washington Post did with world famous and renowned violinist Johsua Bell. They asked him if he would be willing to perform incognito at a busy subway stop at L'Enfant Plaza in downtown DC. Only one person recognized him and in the 43 minutes of playing only made $32.17! The experiment was actually focused more on if people would stop and appreciate the beauty of the classical music as they hastily passed by on their way to work. Pretty cool story. What do you think?