Dr. Rocky D. Bilhartz | Taking Back Medicine

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Looking for Craftsmen, Finding Red Tape

February 26, 2015 / Rocky D. Bilhartz / 2 Comments

I’ve got dozens of peculiarities with my personality. In fact, my wife might say that’s a conservative estimate.

I get frustrated when the collar of my polo shirt curls up in the humidity. I’m amazed that you can’t make a moisture-wicking white undershirt that doesn’t wrinkle, doesn’t fade to light gray with months of washing, and whose logo won’t show through a white dress shirt. If you find one of these, send me a message, and I’ll purchase a dozen.

I don’t buy the “off-brand” bottled water anymore, at least not the kind they sell at my local grocery store. Why? Does it taste different? Not to me. My taste buds are so bland, I probably wouldn’t know if I were drinking salt water. The reason is that 1 in 10 of the off-brand plastic bottles actually upsets me. The bottle upsets me, not the water. The wrapper just won’t stay glued to the plastic bottle long enough for me to finish drinking it. It starts to peal off, and yes, this bothers me. It’s just glue, and you ought to be able to get that right.

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The Parable of the Successful Businessman

February 21, 2015 / Rocky D. Bilhartz / 0 Comments

The following story was shared to me by a good friend. The author is unknown, but the perspective is clear. The ride is short. Relish it. Enjoy it now, and never forget to laugh often and much.

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A very successful businessman was taking a much-needed vacation in a secluded coastal village when a small boat with just one fisherman pulled into the dock. The boat had several large, fresh fish in it.

The businessman was impressed by the quality of the fish and asked the local fisherman how long it took to catch them. The fisherman replied, “Only a little while.” The businessman then asked why he didn’t stay out longer and catch more fish?

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Why I Don’t Buy The New York Times

February 16, 2015 / Rocky D. Bilhartz / 3 Comments

I’m a cardiologist. I’ve written one of the most transparent books about the U.S. healthcare system that you will ever read. Yet, if you believe the news, you will assume my entire medical speciality is shady and full of morally suspect physicians. Let me tell you WHY.

In the last month, two articles surfaced in the lay press, one published by The New York Times and the other by U.S. News & World Report. Like the majority of medical news that I’ve seen originate from these sources over the last few years, the articles provide no meaningful contribution to advancing quality standards in medicine or improving patient care. They are written by medical outsiders and fraught with errors. But, to their defense, the authors have been tasked with the impracticable job of interpreting a data dump of poorly understood numbers released to the general public by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

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The Two Towers

February 9, 2015 / Rocky D. Bilhartz / 1 Comment

“Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves.” –Genesis 11:4

With these words, so begins the biblical story of the The Tower of Babel. The tale was written, at least in part, to explain the origin of different languages. Essentially, a group of earth’s early inhabitants started to build a tower to the sky in order to see with their own eyes God’s heavenly home. Alongside grandiose intentions, they worked and worked, up until God finally put a stop to the project by confusing the language of the workers. The building of the tower ceased.

On a daily basis now, my medical colleagues and I have been hoping for a similar divine intervention to take place within America’s healthcare system. Literally, Stop the Babel! sums up our humble request. Babel means a scene of noisy confusion, which is the most accurate description that I can give you regarding the current administration of medicine in this country. The current tower of babel is being built with a myriad of uniquely shaped bricks, many of which I’ve previously described to you, including the poor management of healthcare quality measures by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the failure of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) to provide value regarding physician certifications, the over-reliance on data in medicine, and the expanding beurocratic burdens that continue to move medical providers further and further away from being the centerpiece of healthcare delivery.

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There’s Neither Good News or Bad News, Just News

February 5, 2015 / Rocky D. Bilhartz / 0 Comments

I learned a lot of history from my father.

If you knew my dad, you might find that statement a bit obvious. After all, Dad was a college history professor. But, don’t get too far ahead of yourself. I’m not referring to what you think that I am. I’m talking about Dallas Cowboy history.

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Live From New York, It’s Saturday Night!

January 30, 2015 / Rocky D. Bilhartz / 0 Comments

This week, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced an ambitious goal to have 85% of payments made to doctors linked to clinical quality measures within the next two years. HHS believes that incentives should be weighted almost entirely toward quality of care instead of volume of care. I guess if you’re a patient, you could ask yourself the following question: are you currently more frustrated with (1) your quality of healthcare, or (2) your inability to get an appointment in a timely manner?

The truth is that both are equally important. And, since the latter problem will only get worse after eliminating incentives for volume, HHS is essentially betting the future of your healthcare on its own ability to assess and manage quality. Oh, gosh, I just read that sentence again, and nearly collapsed thinking about it.

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We Live in a World of Mostly Bogus Certifications

January 23, 2015 / Rocky D. Bilhartz / 4 Comments

“Certification is the universal scam.”

I read that in one of James Altucher’s books. If you don’t know who he is, don’t worry, I didn’t know his name twelve months ago either. As it turns out, the Google search phrase that is most likely to take you to his website is, “I want to die.” When I learned this, I thought he must be a physician counseling those with severe depression. As it turns out, he’s not a physician at all. But, he’s helped a lot of people. In fact, you should go read a post on his webpage after finishing this one.

Regardless, Altucher is right. Certification is the universal scam, at least in medicine right now.

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I Bet Papa Helps God with the Weather

January 19, 2015 / Rocky D. Bilhartz / 5 Comments

In the mind of a child, life is perfect.

Ok, I’ll give it to you. Children fight with their siblings over ridiculous things like being first in line to leave the house. They fuss about having to wear their jacket when it’s 50 degrees, and then complain of being cold when you don’t make them put it on.

But, in the mind of a child, life is perfect, because on so many days, life just makes more sense.

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In Search of a Meaningful Life

January 16, 2015 / Rocky D. Bilhartz / 5 Comments

Meaningful. Having a serious, important, or useful quality.

You know this word because you want it to define your life. Nearly all of us, at some point, will seek a more meaningful existence. Most wish our jobs were that way too.

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