Voting is winding down in our annual Top Docs survey, a chance for physicians, nurse practitioners, optometrists, psychologists and chiropractors to help us select and honor the best of the best in their professions in Richmond. (Email Lifestyle Editor Tharon Giddens at tharong [at] richmag [dot] com if you are a medical professional who would like to participate in the survey.)
It’s a unique survey in that it’s professionals choosing from their peers and co-workers, the caregivers that they think most highly of and would recommend to a family member or friend.
There are 90 categories this year, in specialties ranging from addiction medicine to vascular surgery. New this year is a category for nurse practitioners. We also have special honors for teen volunteer, lab technician, patient advocate/care manager, nurse midwife/midwife, surgical assistant and best medical office front desk worker.
We also asked participants to share with us what type of medical care reform they’d like to see from the federal government, an appropriate question to consider as a new administration and Congress seek to change or replace the Affordable Care Act, and consider changes to Medicaid and Medicare.
The answers so far are interesting, and varied:
- “Repealing the ACA is going to be an enormous problem. I would encourage the federal government to work to improve upon the existing ACA by continuing to provide health insurance to the 20 million (plus) the ACA has already provided insurance for while working on some of the issues we have faced in the first few years of implementation. Without significant reform, the cost of healthcare will rise exponentially and is simply not sustainable. The ACA was a step in the right direction, now we need to continue working in that direction and not reverse course.”
I would like to see the Affordable Care Act modified such that premiums become affordable. I do not want the act to be repealed. That will affect 20 million people who'll lose their coverage.
I would like them to stay out of health care. All of our problems are historically due to government interventions from non portability to mandates.
I would like to see a replacement for the ACA before any changes to the current system are made. I would also like to see private insurance companies taken out of the equation. That, to me, is what has made Obamacare so expensive. At the state level, I would love for Virginia to start prioritizing health care for all of it's residents. By not accepting the federal funds for Medicaid extension there are still millions of Virginians unable to access insurance, leaving huge gaps in services and causing deficits in current health care systems that accept indigent populations.
Hard to answer in a short way, but the bottom line is my patient's co-pays are going up from $20 to $60 per medical office visit, and their deductibles are $5,000-$10,000 per year, which they don't meet, so they end up paying the majority of their bills while their insurance pays nothing since they haven't met their deductibles. It's like the old days of catastrophic insurance, but it's touted as regular whole health medical insurance. And they are paying a lot per month for these high co-pay, high deductible plans. This has to change.
Patients will not schedule appointments because they can no longer afford the copays.
Where do you stand? If you’re a physician, psychologist, nurse practitioner, optometrist or chiropractor, you can vote through 11 p.m. Monday, Feb. 13.
Winners will be announced in the April issue. Check here for last year's winners.
HEALTHY DEVELOPMENTS
A roundup of the week's health and medicine news
- It's American Heart Month and VCU Health is promoting heart health through its free seminars at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, 1800 Lakeside Ave. Today, the seminar is on women's heart disease and a mini health fair will be offered, too. Dr. Phoebe Ashley of the VCU Health Pauley Heart Center will lead the discussion. The mini health fair, which will include blood pressure and BMI screenings, will be offered at 4 p.m. Ashley speaks at 5:30 p.m. Registration and check-in begin at 5 p.m., with light refreshments offered. It's free. Call 628-0041. A session on Feb. 21 will focus on atrial fibrillation, and the Feb. 28 seminar topic is heart valve disease.
- Roberta Bogaev has been named as the medical director of the Advanced Heart Failure and Mechanical Circulatory Support Center for Bon Secours Richmond Health System. Bogaev is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Medicine, and is board certified in heart failure, according to a release.
- Pediatric neuropsychologist Steve Hughes will discuss "Education for Life" in a session at 6:30 p.m. tonight at the Richmond Montessori School, 501 N. Parham Road. He's currently in a private practice in St. Paul, Minnesota, and is a past president of the American Academy of Pediatric Neuropsychology. Tickets are $10, and limited seating is available.
