When a Doctor Becomes A Patient With Cancer: Therapy, Fighting Insurance Companies, Finding Good Care–TED Video

Medicine has turned into a big business and Dr.

Medicine has turned into a big business and Dr. Kamen talks about his dealing with drug shortages as a physician and his oath he took of “do no harm”.  How do you deal with managed care when being told what to do with bean counters and insurance companies?  He states 2 insurance companies control 70% of all managed care in the US.  He references Epocrates and and again emphasizes the doctor/patient relationship. 

Both videos are great and the doctor talks about doing harm.   He finds himself with an extremely rare case of a tumor and called all the experts at Harvard and MD Anderson and St. Jude.  He found himself with a disease that he could not find any information about.  He had surgery and is in his final steps of chemotherapy.  Most important take from these videos:  Medicine is still an Art.  He spent hours on the telephone fighting insurance companies who classified his tumor as pre-existing.  He made a deal with the doctor treating him that he would not self-diagnose and be a good patient which helped him get through all of this.  BD