After years of working as a lawyer and executive in healthcare—navigating the complex intersection of patients, doctors, pharmacies, health insurance, laws, rules, and regulations—it became impossible to ignore that the U.S. healthcare system is fundamentally flawed. I am not alone in this conclusion.
As a recent piece in The Atlantic noted,
“[f]or many Americans, health care is something to be dreaded and deferred—a source of pain, wasted time, or financial hardship.”
I agree. For far too many, systemic barriers make access to everyday medications unnecessarily complicated and frustrating. Unfortunately, our broken system deprives people of the care and medicines they need for basic ailments and routine chronic conditions.
I am a firm believer that we can improve our system by developing technology-enabled solutions that facilitate the transfer of power over health care decisions away from insurance companies and back to doctors and patients. TelyRx is one such patient-centric solution; it was built by doctors (and a lawyer) to empower patients to be healthier.
I have seen the issues our system creates firsthand. In one case, a patient was denied a $10 medication he needed for a chronic condition due to a paperwork error. Cost wasn’t the issue. He was new to the area and couldn’t get in to see a doctor to get a script for a med he had been on for years—a med he knew he needed and tolerated well.
When he finally got an appointment, there was an issue with his insurance. He was unable to get his meds in time and soon after he ran out, the lack of his simple medicine impacted his health and resulted in an emergency room visit that cost him and the system thousands of dollars. It was a clear example of how a lack of convenience and respect for patient autonomy in healthcare can lead to unnecessary suffering, expense, and wasted time.
Unfortunately, this story isn’t unique. Millions face long wait times, limited access to primary care physicians and pharmacies, and confusing processes just to get the medications they already know they need. What struck me was the stark difference in experience between those with a personal connection to a doctor and everyone else.
I remember a conversation where a friend casually mentioned texting his buddy, who is a doctor, asking him to call in a prescription for a refill he needed—no appointments, no waiting, no hassle. The doctor just asked him to confirm one thing to make sure the medication was appropriate.
One piece of pertinent information and then a prescribing decision. This kind of convenience—and the ability to play a bigger role in your own health decisions—shouldn’t be a privilege. It should be the standard.
