Why my dad and I will vote for health
Oct 15, 2015
As a family physician, the most important way I can help (and not harm) my patients, is to vote for healthcare in this election…. View Article
Tag Archive: health care
Evidence is in: privately funded health care doesn’t reduce wait times
Jun 14, 2015
Current public dialogue is full of questions about what kind of innovation or “revamping” the health system needs. In this context, as a physician, I am compelled to apply principles of evidence-based practice to the public vs. private debate: Will Brian Day’s plan to expand privately funded health care in BC shorten wait lists and… View Article
Ok, Let’s Talk.
Jan 29, 2015
Yesterday was Bell Let’s Talk Day 2015. You might have heard about it. According to Bell, a record 122,150,772 Bell Let’s Talk tweets, texts, calls, and shares on January 28, 2015 translated into a new donation of $6,107,538 to mental health initiatives. Let’s Talk is a multi-year campaign focused on four “action pillars” related to… View Article
BC government using affordability excuses to underfund education and health
Aug 11, 2014
Affordability is becoming the new buzzword of the BC government. In the dispute with teachers, for example, the Minister of Education has repeatedly argued demands for lower class sizes and improved class composition, as well as fair wages, are unaffordable and unrealistic (see here). When parents and businesses make the case for more public funding… View Article
How Doctors are Paid in BC
Feb 22, 2014
[A version of this piece was posted on the Tyee] Health care is the biggest, most expensive and most important thing that government does. Hospital care swallows up a large proportion of the health care budget, but primary care in the community takes care of most patient needs and keeps people out of hospital…. View Article
Will a flu shot keep you healthy? (hint: probably not)
Oct 2, 2012
BC’s Provincial Health Officer Dr Perry Kendall announced in August that BC will be adopting a policy mandating flu shots for health care workers. Or they have to wear masks. This is likely the most aggressive flu prevention policy in Canada, one which could set the trend for the rest of the country. But Dr… View Article
Getting it Wrong For Seniors in British Columbia
Sep 27, 2012
Seniors and their families need and should have access to useful information when they are making critical decisions about residential care and throughout the period of residence in facilities. — BC Ombudsperson, The Best of Care: Getting It Right for Seniors in British Columbia (Part 1) Mass replacement of staff can occur when facility operators switch… View Article
To address health inequalities, look beyond the role of individual responsibility
Aug 13, 2012
A new report by the Canadian Medical Association provides a timely reminder that money buys better health, even in a country with a universal public healthcare system. A poll commissioned by the CMA found a large and increasing gap between the health status of Canadians in lower income groups (household income less than $30,000) and… View Article
A prescription for health care reform: think integration & collaboration
Jan 16, 2012
This morning the CCPA released a new report (co-authored by yours truly) that looks at the thorny issue of health care reform in BC and identifies some practical, evidence-based strategies that have been successful in improving quality of care and controlling costs in other jurisdictions. The paper comes out at a time when all Canadian… View Article
Why incentive pay won’t fix education or health care
Oct 14, 2010
It turns out — surprise! — that it’s really hard to measure quality in complex social systems and that employing simplistic quantitative measures can backfire. That’s the take-home message from a recent talk by UC Berkley economist and public policy professor Jesse Rothstein who came to SFU to present his latest research on using standardized… View Article