Calling All Doctors, Nurses, and Other Health Care Professionals!

Dr. Valerie Arkoosh explains it all for you!

Dr. Arkoosh, President of the National Physicians Alliance, was in Williamsport, north central PA, last night, June 9th, to talk to health care professionals about what reform means for them and their patients.

Doctors, she said--and there was much nodding in the audience--will be really glad to know that they'll be able to spend more time with their patients instead of pushing paper, once provisions like electronic records and standardized billing go into effect in the new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).

 One doctor asked about the title of the law: What does it protect patients against? Those of us who've been battling the insurance industry and their lobbyists this past year had to bite our tongues to keep from yelling out in unison, "AHIP!" (America's Health Insurance Plans). But really, Dr. Arkoosh said, it's so much bigger than just the insurance companies (though given their recent behavior, acting like close relatives of BP and Big Tobacco, we need protection from them). Taken together, all the many provisions of PPACA will protect patients' health by providing higher quality care and will protect their wallets by bringing down costs.

 Dr. Arkoosh gave us a preview of her power Point presentation back in April at the PHAN conference:  See her presentation here.

An updated version will be available soon at the National Physicians Alliance website,  complete with audio.