The PMD Critical List: Often Times Physicians Don't Report Their Own Mental Illnesses

While doctors advise patients to get help for their mental disorders, they are less likely to seek treatment for their own depression or anxiety. That story tops this week’s PMD Critical List. Also making the list: Three-fourths of doctors think that they are “tech savvy,” de-prescribing medications is becoming a trending approach, and a comparison between Hillary Clinton’s and Donald Trump’s health reform proposals.

• Why Physicians Don't Report Their Own Mental Illnesses (Health Leaders Media)

“Physicians might urge patients to seek treatment for depression or anxiety, but when it comes to their own mental health, many are far less willing to get help. They fear stigma and even possible sanctions for revealing their diagnosis, according to a General Hospital Psychiatry study.”

• Medicare Unveils Far-Reaching Overhaul of Doctors' Pay (AP)

“The goal is to reward quality, penalize poor performance, and avoid paying piecemeal for services. Whether it succeeds or fails, it's one of the biggest changes in Medicare's 50-year history.” But, “many doctors are still unaware of the magnitude of the changes ahead.”

• Real Doctors Easily Surpass Online Diagnosis (Forbes)

In the first direct comparison between human-made and computer-based diagnoses, done at Harvard Medical School, physicians' performance was vastly superior. Researchers found that doctors made a correct diagnosis more than twice as often as 23 commonly used symptom-checker apps.

• Most Physicians Agree Climate Change Negatively Impacts Health (Nature World News)

“A new international survey involving the American Thoracic Society revealed most of the physicians around the world (96%) believe that climate change is real and has a direct negative impact to patient care. Doctors must play a major role in educating patients, the public, and policy makers.”

• Physicians Say Unnecessary Tests, Procedures a Serious Problem (Healthcare Finance)

Nearly 75% physicians surveyed by the American Board of Internal Medicine said unnecessary tests and procedures are a serious problem. The authoritative National Academy of Medicine estimated that 30% of all health spending ($750 billion) is wasted on fraud, administration and needless procedures.”

• MBA for Physicians: How Healthcare Informatics Helped a Doctor Succeed (Southern New Hampshire University)

A motivating report about Thomas Scott, MD, MBA — “I realized I needed to get a business degree because a lot of the time I found myself sitting in meetings and not talking about medical stuff at all.” – about how to develop the business skills needed to get ahead.

• Doctors Say Mobile Technology Changing Office Visits (Mobihealthnews)

“As the focus in healthcare continues to shift towards efficiency and value, doctors say they consider themselves well-equipped to keep up with demands thanks to digital technology and information tools, according to a new survey by Merck Manuals.” Nearly 75% think they are “tech savvy.”

• A Look at the Clinton and Trump Health Reform Proposals (Commonwealth Fund)

One of them is going to be America’s new president come November 8, and Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have two distinct approaches to health reform. This independent analyses “estimates how the candidates’ proposals would affect health insurance coverage, the federal deficit, and consumers’ out-of-pocket health care spending.”

• When Patients Take Too Many Pills (Wall Street Journal)

“More physicians are adopting an approach known as de-prescribing to help patients reduce excessive use of prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications and supplements. The goal is to keep patients as healthy as possible on the least number of medications. More screening of patients to cut out ineffective medicines and avoid risky combinations.”

• Over One Million to Lose Obamacare Coverage (Bloomberg)

“A growing number of people in Obamacare are finding out their health insurance plans will disappear from the program next year, forcing them to find new coverage even as options shrink and prices rise. At least 1.4 million people in 32 states will lose the Affordable Care Act plan they have now.”

• How the Nobel Prize in Economics Could Impact Physician Compensation (Becker’s Hospital Review)

“Two American economists were awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences last week for their work in contract theory—work that could inform physician-hospital, compensation and value-based care agreements. Providing the tools to analyze the financial terms of contracts as well as how control and decision rights are allocated between physicians, hospitals and other stakeholders.”