A Pivot
It’s been a while. Since my last post, I’ve been working out some things on my own thing personally and professionally. Still working through some of it to be honest, but I want to get back into writing, hopefully on a more consistent cadence.
So for now, I’ve decided to put a pin in the DME venture for the time being. Turns out I like to Talk Durable more than I like to Act Durable. I just don’t believe that the issues with DME can genuinely be solved by a company, not even a massive one. Trifling reimbursement rates and stringent prior auth reqs just don’t make much room for a good customer experience. While these are responses to very real problems in the industry - like fraud - it doesn’t mean they were the right responses. CMS needs to step up and take the lead, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.
And in that vein, I’d also like to pivot this (admittedly infrequent) newsletter away from strictly medical equipment towards federal/state healthcare policy analysis. I’m of the mind currently that most of American healthcare problems began with well meaning but ultimately harmful policy choices. These choices have stifled small business, created unjustifiable regulatory moats for big + dumb incumbents, and assisted in concocting an incomprehensible system for the average American - even the ones who work in the system! This isn’t exactly news for the kind of people who read this, but it doesn’t make it less true.
S going forward, I’ll be tackling just what makes for Durable healthcare policy?
Not durable in the sense of solely long-lasting, but rather what are the best policy choices for Americans in the mid and long term. What laws percolating in state and federal legislative committee could be steps to a better healthcare system? Conversely, which will dig us into a bigger hole? In either case, what could enforcement look like?
I’d like to provide non-partisan analysis on laws, rules, and potentially court cases - what stakeholders are funding what, potential bear and bull case outcomes, and my probably over-simplified take on their healthcare Durability. Hope to put something out soon!