People Power plus Political Power is the Key to the Repair

Stanley Feld M.D.,FACP,MACE

The following email was recieved. I feel it is important to post this email on the main page because some of you might not read the comments. I thank Walt for his comment.

First we need Patient Power and Political Power will follow!

Dr. Feld,  I believe you’re on the right path.  By getting a posse rounded up and engaged in the hunt for a solution through sharing of information, insights, and observations of constraints, we may be able to get the political ‘help’ needed to effect change.  Are you working with Newt’s group here in Atlanta (http://www.healthtransformation.net)?

Walt

Dear Walt

I know Newt and he knows me. I have presented my ideas on Disease Management to Newt when he was speaker of the house. His response was this is a "BIG IDEA" .

He was then at a Human Resource and Information Technology meeting at Delta Airlines a few years later, after he left congress, where I gave a presentation. He loved my presentation and summarized it for an hour. He then invited me to visit him at his office in Washington. We went over the presentation in great detail. It was still a BIG IDEA in his mind. He told me he has quoted me often. However, I have never had followup from him nor have never been able to make contact with him since.

I have sent him the blog information. However, I suspect he has a fortress of  people creating blockades between him and the ordinary people like me, and they do not know me.  This information has probably never gotten on his screen.

If you know him please direct him to the site. He is a nice guy. I am convinced the concepts I am presenting will excite him. He theoretically understands the problem about the dysfunction of the healthcare system in my view. 

I am trying to get to the main stakeholders, the patients and future patients, in mass to appeal to people like Newt.  Newt could help greatly if he became engaged in my effort.

However, it is going to take "People Power" to turn this boat around, and not simply talking about turning it around. Coming from one person, the "BIG IDEAS" that will be presented in this blog will have little impact, unless people understand the problem and act. Anyone involved personally in the healthcare system or has a relative involved has felt the pain of the dysfunction. I am convinced we have the power to fix it and align everyones incentives.  One can not be passive anymore and simply make judgements to disconnected sound bites.

I believe the media has failed us. They have not provided real information in systematically connected way. I also believe connecting people in a systematic way with the same vested interest, protecting our health, and fixing the healthcare system is the power of RSS and the blogosphere. 

If you can help, it will be greatly appreciated

Stanley Feld M.D.,MACE