The Leading Physicians of The World

Medicaid, the nation’s public health insurance program for low-income people, now covers nearly 60 million Americans, including many working families, as well as many of the poorest and most fragile individuals in the US society. Medicaid is the largest source of financing for nursing home and community-based long-term care, and it provides essential funding for the safety-net delivery system on which many Americans rely. Most Medicaid enrollees would be uninsured without the program. Medicaid is a counter-cyclical program; during the economic recession, it expanded as intended, assisting millions of people affected by loss of employment and health coverage and declining income, but also straining state budgets. A Growing Program In 1965, the United States enacted Medicare for the elderly – and also Medicaid to help pay for health care for very poor children, the disabled, and seniors. At first, the types of people eligible for Medicaid were those receiving cash welfare

New nurses know that teaching patients is important. They also know that their shifts are usually so hectic that patient teaching comes after more immediate responsibilities, such as medicication administration and dressing changes. New nurses need to get in the habit of thinking about patient education as a way of providing nursing care beyond the here and now. Even more important, new nurses need to maximize the time they spend on patient education to obtain the best outcomes for their patients. Busy nurses often find it difficult to provide effective patient teaching in the current healthcare climate. As Fran London, a nurse, patient-education expert, and author, noted, “Teaching patients isn't rocket science, but it is a sophisticated skill that takes practice and commitment. Without patient education, there's very little effective healthcare with improved long-term outcomes”. When nurses incorporate patient education into the patient's plan of care, they can impr

After years of big promises, telemedicine is finally living up to its potential. Driven by faster internet connections, ubiquitous smartphones and changing insurance standards, more health providers are turning to electronic communications to do their jobs—and it’s upending the delivery of health care. Doctors are linking up with patients by phone, email and webcam. They’re also consulting with each other electronically—sometimes to make split-second decisions on heart attacks and strokes. Patients, meanwhile, are using new devices to relay their blood pressure, heart rate and other vital signs to their doctors so they can manage chronic conditions at home. Telemedicine also allows for better care in places where medical expertise is hard to come by. Five to 10 times a day, Doctors Without Borders relays questions about tough cases from its physicians in Niger, South Sudan and elsewhere to its network of 280 experts around the world, and back again via the internet. In