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News/Updates
To: Our Patients & Friends
From: Dr. Nissan Kahen
Subject: Healthcare Crisis in the US
Date: May 31, 2006
Healthcare in the United States faces a major crisis. Between 1994 and 2004, spending in this country for medical and healthcare doubled, that is, a 100% increase over that 10 year period. At the end of 2004, Americans were spending $1.9 trillion on health and medical care1. Put it another way, this amounts to about 4 times what the country now spends on its national defense. It will be a few months before results for 2005 are compiled and published. However, Health care spending in the United States is projected to grow 7.4 percent and surpass $2 trillion for 2005 and increase more in following years2.
A number of issues define this rather dark reality for the nation's biggest industry. For example:
Health insurance premiums are escalating 12% to 20% per year, and the near term future indicates this trend will continue.
Too many US citizens are getting sick or injured for
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unnecessary reasons and we're not taking good care of ourselves or taking sufficient steps to avoid unnecessary injuries.
Too few healthcare payment incentives (by insurance companies, HMOs and government) promote quality care and economical care.
For all "so-called" developed nations, the US expenditures for healthcare are the highest but the US rates low in certain measures for morbidity and mortality.
Although often there are references to the US healthcare system, in many ways US healthcare delivery is not systematic at all.
US healthcare is too fragmented even after the emphasis on "Managed Care" over the last several years.
Many believe that physicians' fees are the main reason why US healthcare costs are excessive. However, the biggest cost increase component in US healthcare is technology -- new drugs, new medical devices and new ways of treating diseases.
For a better understanding of this crisis and potential solutions, Americans should, among other things, look inward and examine our daily habits. That is, US healthcare costs would decline if more Americans exercised on a regular basis, improved their diet and stopped smoking. Put another way, factors creating poor health in Americans are within the length of one's arms -- diet, alcohol, cigarettes, etc. Smoking cessation not only would spare many people from lung cancer, heart disease and other ills, but it could also save $3 billion in yearly medical costs. Healthcare cost would also decline if Americans regularly adhered to safety precautions. For example, using car safety seats and seat belts correctly is the most effective thing we can do to save lives and reduce injuries on America's roadways. By some estimates, 55 percent of passenger vehicle occupants who died in auto wrecks were not wearing seat belts. If everyone used seat belts and car seats correctly, that figure could be cut in half.
We should also look at and analyze the way the US healthcare industry is organized and operated, the way government regulates the industry and the way government operates healthcare programs it administers. If we do take critical looks at ourselves, the industry and government regulations and programs, we will better understand many reasons for this healthcare crisis and possible ways to address the crisis.
1 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, .Healthcare Spending Growth Rate Continues To Decline in 2004., January 10, 2006
2 Christine Borger, Sheila Smith , Christopher Truffer , Sean Keehan , Andrea Sisko , John Poisal, M. Kent Clemens .Health Spending Projections Through 2015: Changes On The Horizon., Health Affairs. 2006.
To: My Patients & Friends
From: Dr. Nissan Kahen
Subject: SAMG Launches New Website
Date: April 21, 2006
Los Angeles, CA April 21, 2006 - South Atlantic Medical Group (SAMG) of Los Angeles announced today the launch of its newly redesigned website. SAMG is a leading medical group in Los Angeles that provides primary, preventive, diagnostic and acute/urgent patient care as well as direct or referral access to a wide range of medical specialists for the whole family. Located at
www.samg.org, the website features clinic locations, services offered, news updates, suggested health and medical Internet resources and information on the SAMG founding physician, Nissan Kahen, MD.
The website allows users to access SAMG news and updates as well as medical and healthcare news summaries. "We have primary family care clinics in five convenient locations to serve patients quickly and efficiently" says Dr. Kahen. "The website is designed to provide a professional image, useful healthcare and
medical information and easy navigation." The SAMG staff includes clinic physicians, nursing personnel, medical technicians and office support personnel. SAMG's primary care clinics are located throughout Los Angeles in the areas of Commerce, Huntington Park, El Monte, Bell Gardens and Gardena. SAMG also has a solid network of medical specialist for on-site and in-community referral services. Browse the website at www.SAMG.org for more information about SAMG or call 323-725-0167 to schedule an appointment.
SAMG is affiliated with South Atlantic Medical Group IPA, an Independent Practice Association of over 100 primary care and specialists physicians throughout Los Angeles. A collaborative effort by a number of independent medial practices, SAMGIPA is dedicated to advancing the science and practice of primary and specialty medicine. Dr. Kahen serves as a Director of SAMGIPA.
ABOUT SAMG
South Atlantic Medical Group (SAMG) of Los Angeles is a medical professional organization committed to the healing mission of Medicine. Founded and developed by Nissan Kahen, MD, all SAMG patients are treated with full effort and resource utilization as indicated by their condition. All activities of SAMG support the its healing mission of offering health services to any patients and are based on SAMG's core values. SAMG has 5 primary care clinic locations in Los Angeles County. SAMG is a member of South Atlantic Medical Group IPA, an independent practice association with more than 100 primary and specialty care physicians located throughout Los Angeles who are dedicated to advancing the science and practice of medicine.
To: Our Patients & Friends
From: Dr. Nissan Kahen
Subject: Bird Flu Update
Date: April 15, 2006
Recent intense media coverage about the outbreaks of influenza in birds in Asia and Europe has caused many of you to become concerned about the potential for this flu to become dangerous to humans here in the United States.
The first thing you should know is that right now this virus does not have the ability to cause a "pandemic" (a world-wide epidemic) in humans. Whether or when it may acquire the ability to do so is not known.
Some news outlets have publicized Tamiflu as a medicine people should consider having around in case a bird flu pandemic occurs. This is a medicine that has been used to reduce the severity and duration of "regular" flu. How effective it would be for a possible bird flu epidemic in the future is not known.
Some of you have requested a supply of Tamiflu to keep at home. I, Nissan Kahen, MD, and the other South Atlantic Medical Group physicians think that this is not a good idea. The most important reason we feel this way is that in the theoretical event an epidemic did occur, this medicine might be needed in certain areas and by certain types of patients. If too many of us stockpiled his or her own personal supply, there would not be enough left to go to the people who needed it. We believe that in the event of a bird flu epidemic, steps would be taken to get the right treatments to the people who needed it.
We hope you now understand why we will not be writing prescriptions for Tamiflu "to have just in case". We thank you for your continuing trust and support.
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