Specialty Focus 4/8/25: The forgotten patients + How much will that surgery cost?

April 8, 2025 | Volume XIV | Issue 14

The forgotten patients

Veronica Bonales, MD writes for KevinMD:

I am a true crime buff, and I work in the emergency department. Sometimes the two seem to blur together.

In my career, I have followed my patients to the coroner’s office, going to see the autopsies on traumas, sudden deaths, or sometimes murders. We can do CT scans or MRIs. I can look at images and labs galore, but there’s nothing like looking at a fresh dissection to really appreciate the traumatic or natural process that led to someone’s death.

In the ED, we see a lot of human drama. We see people at their worst. We see dysfunctional families. We see the problems of substance abuse and mental disorders. We see those who get “lost in the system” or who are simply “lost.”

How much will that surgery cost?

Daniel Chang

It’s a holy grail of health care: forcing the industry to reveal prices negotiated between health plans and hospitals — information that had long been treated as a trade secret. And among the flurry of executive orders President Donald Trump signed during his first five weeks back in office was a promise to “Make America Healthy Again” by giving patients accurate health care prices.

The goal is to force hospitals and health insurance companies to make it easier for consumers to compare the actual prices of medical procedures and prescription drugs. Trump gave his administration until the end of May to come up with a standard and a mechanism to make sure the health care industry complies.

But Trump’s 2025 order is also a symbol of how little progress the country has made since he issued a similar directive nearly six years ago. Consumers find it only partially useful, and the quality of the information is spotty.

Henry Ford Health's 'Zero Suicide Model' reduces rates by 25%

Local 4

Henry Ford Health's "Zero Suicide Model," developed in 2001, has demonstrated a reduction in suicide rates by up to 25% in locations adopting the program.

Watch the video HERE.

Last Word

Publisher of Week in Review, Specialty Focus, FHIweekly & Game Changers