Richard Meyer As I See It, Cost of healthcare in the U.S.

Side effects of the pandemic

QUICK READ: Because of the pandemic people are putting off annual physicals and going to see their doctor for health problems that could become worse. Sure telehealth can be of some help but technology can’t replace a person-to-person conversation with an HCP.

Annual physicals can be important to patients. Blood work along with talking to a physician can be very important to maintain health. According to the HCP’s I’ve talked with their offices are empty and not many people are taking up their offer of consultations via the Internet.

We don’t know how much this is going to cost us in the long run but it could cost patients a lot. In order to offer the best treatment options, it’s essential that HCP’s catch potential problems before they become major issues.

Then there are the people who need surgery for health issues but learn that they are postponed. A good friend of mine really needs a knee replacement but can’t even get it rescheduled until May. He is living in contant pain yet he can’t get a good supply of pain medications because of the restrictions around opioid Rx’s.

Where is pharma?

Pharma websites should be encouraging patients to consult with their doctor for health issues that could become major health problems. What happens, for example, if an undiagnosed diabetic suddenly gets diabetes?

Pharma websites are stagnant. I haven’t seen one address the issue of consulting with an HCP for certain health conditions. Instead, the same DTC is running and the websites are collecting dust.

Two pharma companies are developing vaccines for the Coronavirus yet have they tried educating the public on what these vaccines actually might do or the challenge of bringing them to market?

This pandemic has demonstrated that our healthcare system is not as good as we believe. Healthcare costs are going to rise like a bottle rocket. In all likelihood, the delay in seeking treatment for some people is also going to lead to more health issues and costs. Telehealth may help with some but too many are going to go untreated until this pandemic is far behind us.