Teach. Heal. Empower. Repeat. Our World View Looks Something Like This “We don't want tradition. We want to live in the present and the only history that is worth a tinker's dam is the history we make today.”
~Henry Ford
 As in the early auto industry, Henry Ford was right. If we are to move forward as individuals and as a nation, we must always raise an eyebrow to those who blindly cling to antiquated traditions and trust those who embrace innovation in healthcare and other industries. Blind tradition is rooted in fear, insecurity, laziness, ignorance and, often, selfishness. It ultimately serves as a deterrent to progress. There is no place for such tradition in Science and, in particular, Medicine. We must therefore necessarily be be wise about how we approach our patients and their healthcare issues.
Every day we discover that many chronic diseases are much more complex than we ever imagined or, conversely, much more simple. Doctors over-treat and over-refer because they want to make their patients happy or because they're afraid of getting sued. They under-diagnose and under-treat often because they are poorly compensated for all the extra work that's required. That's the unfortunate collateral effect of an incredibly poorly-designed system (actually it was never truly "designed" or a real "system"at all).
ResponsiCareSM values an Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) approach to its delivery of healthcare. This approach assures that we are constantly searching for new, innovative, and clinically-relevent treatment paradigms based on sound research and actual evidence. We do this through a vast network of clinical decision tools that are constantly being updated. BIG Innovation Cannot be Sustained on the Self-Serving Fringes of Discovery
World-changing discoveries are borne out of pure motivation for the greater good to society-not profit, wealth, or other selfish gain. Pharmaceutical companies are a good example of exploiting the discovery fringe, often developing drugs that have little benefit over existing medications, but with potential for great profits. The more buy-in we give them, the less motivation they have to develop permanent cures for serious diseases. The problem is, most of our elected leaders have a vested interest in keeping things exactly the same. Corporate America sees to it that their pockets are appropriately lined to further their interests. Meanwhile, America has an embarassingly poor standard of healthcare compared to many other countries in terms of value and overall health outcomes. Every day we ask the same question: Why does it have to be that way?
Taking Charge: A Win for Your Life
“There is only one security, and when you've lost that security, you've lost everything you've got. And that is the security of confidence in yourself; to be, to create, to make any position you want to make for yourself. And when you lose that confidence, you've lost the only security you can have. ... Self-confidence is self-determinism. One's belief in one's ability to determine his own course. As long as one has that, he's got the universe in his pocket. And when he hasn't got that, not all the pearls in China nor all the grain and corn in Iowa can give him security, because that's the only security there is.” ~L. Ron Hubbard
Upon critical consideration, this life of ours is, in reality, a series of hypocrisies and contradictions punctuated by sentinel events and wake-up calls. We desire health, yet we live unhealthy. Our indolent vices, more than just mere social accompaniments and habits, are our constant companions. Our society has turned moral indiscretions into addictions, gluttony and sloth into diseases. We legitimize behaviors to align with our transitory whims and desires, and, certainly, to reconcile our actions with our religions. We defy our very conscience as a people and as a nation, and fail to own the very things that erode the temples of our souls-our perfect human bodies.
If we think rationally and logically, regardless of our age, sex, station in life, or religion, abusing our bodies is the ultimate act of disrespect. Our lungs were meant to breathe the perfect combination of gasses our atmosphere has to offer. Our bones and muscles were meant to support an optimal mass of tissues and fluids. Our minds were meant to be free of unhealthy thoughts and worry. Our spirits were meant to be in sync with an overarching master plan.
With an increasingly unhealthy population and planet, we believe that, as a health care company, our duty of care is greater than it has ever been. We have tremendous opportunities to make real differences in the lives of the people we touch. The cool thing is, with the right tools, you can build just about anything you want. The thinking doctor's tools are not necessarily drugs, devices and scalpels, but the emotional and intellectual skills that are constantly refined by taking on increasingly difficult challenges.
Metrics: The Proof
We must never assume that which is incapable of proof.
~George Henry Lewes Prior to transitioning to a primarily consulting, management and health care policy focus, ResponsiCareSM had a 20-25% higher colon cancer screening rate, higher vaccination rates, and significantly lower hospitalization rates than its peers. Our AQAF and Medicaid data proved that we were doing something right with some of the most challenging and disenfranchised citizens of our communities; and we didn't achieve that success by just treating runny noses and sore throats. Our burden of illness was high. Our patients were sicker and come to us with more complicated problems than average, yet we were able to achieve incredibly low per-member-per-month hospitalization rates. How did we achieve these results? Our compassion, work ethic and willingness to help patients from all walks of life with difficult, sometimes life-threatening issues. It has been said that "a smooth sea never made a good sailor." Likewise, we wouldn't be good at what we do if we, as providers, didn't face our own fears and challenge ourselves daily. Tackling difficult and complex problems adds to our knowledge base and enhances our performance. Can we cure everything that burdens our current health care system? Of course not. Sometimes our job is not to cure, but rather to help our clients adapt to their illnesses or social situations, maximize their functional status, and improve their quality of life. Sometimes it's having the knowledge to point folks in the right direction. Often, simply, to compassionately listen, and always to teach.
You can see our historical care metrics in the News section of this site.
Scuttlebut
 
No matter how dire the situation, Senate Republicans seem determined to prove they can act irresponsibly.Senate Republicans are unanimously supporting a draconian constitutional amendment that they claim will balance the budget, but is really nothing but a cowardly ploy to force devastating cuts to vital social programs, including Social Security and Medicare, while writing into the constitution an impossible requirement — a two-thirds vote — to raise taxes.Last week, in a column called "Getting to Crazy," Paul Krugman closed by noting that "there has been no pressure on the G.O.P. to show any kind of responsibility, or even rationality — and sure enough, it has gone off the deep end."We agree. We need you to be part of that pressure. Even though we know it is unlikely that Republicans will break ranks and do the right thing, we must hold individual Republicans like Sens. Shelby and Sessions accountable to reality and let them know their constituents see through their fantasy proposals.Even worse, the amendment the Senate Republicans are backing wouldn't actually balance the budget, rather it would arbitrarily cap government spending at 18% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).To put this in perspective, the last time government spending was 18% of GDP was 1966. And no president in nearly half a century, Republican or Democrat, has even proposed a budget where spending is 18% of GDP or less.1It's simply insane.And this is the crux of the real problem.The Big Lie spread by Fox News and its Tea Party allies is that the United States — the richest country in the history of the world — is too broke to afford a social safety net.The fact of the matter is that right now we are confronting the effects of a tax-cutting binge and an eagerness for wars of choice that conservatives and so-called moderates in both parties have been indulging in for decades.You have to go back 60 years to find a time where the U.S. government took in less taxes revenue relative to our GDP than the government takes in today.2And yet, the Republicans tell us that they think the responsible thing to do is to put Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block so we can afford tax cuts for the Koch brothers.They need a reality check that only you can provide.Thank you for speaking out to defend Medicare and Social Security.Matt Lockshin, Campaign Manager 1. "Spending Cap Is Bad No Matter How You Slice It," Michael Linden and Michael Ettlinger, American Prospect, 07-18-2011. |
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ResponsiCare, Inc.
PO BOX 47
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
Scott Alan Anderson, M.D.
President and CEO
 ResponsiCare by Scott Anderson, M.D. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.  http://www.twitter.com
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