AIMS Research Fellow David Zitner discusses the signs of frailty. As care rationing becomes a more prominent reality in the health system, patients will have to take on more knowledge and control over their own health care. He gives warning signs about frailty to help readers monitor their own function. As government rationing of [...]
In the Chronicle Herald, AIMS Senior Fellow for Healthcare David Zitner explains how patients are often stymied from adequately participating in their own healthcare. Many people are medically illiterate; others cannot navigate between informed medical opinion and amateur advice available online. His article promotes the upcoming AIMS Health Literacy Forum. Medical treatments are usually helpful. [...]
The Nova Scotia Department of Health is intent on enrolling uninformed Nova Scotians in an ill-conceived health-care experiment — one that will reduce patient and physician choice and reduce access to family physicians. No one seems to have reported on the scientific merits of the experiment, bothered to ask people if they want to enroll, [...]
AIMS health policy fellow, Dr. David Zitner, argues healthcare in Nova Scotia is problematic, leading to excessive costs for medical and non-medical health services.
People who can afford it should be encouraged to pay some of the cost of their own inexpensive care.
AIMS Senior Fellow in Healthcare Policy David Zitner argues, "one solution to the cost, quality, and access crisis in Canadian mental health is to enable non-medical professionals to provide the talking and behavior therapies that help most people."
AIMS Senior Fellow in Healthcare Policy David Zitner discusses governance problems within Nova Scotia's healthcare system and suggests a number of solutions available for fixing them.
In this article from Healthcare Papers, AIMS Fellow in Health Policy Dr. David Zitner continues to engage his colleagues in a discussion of the inherent bias in a system where insurer also acts as regulator. In looking at the work of another fellow pioneer in this area, George Browman, Zitner finds further compelling evidence that the system is in need of fundamental change.
AIMS Senior Fellow Dr. David Zitner argues the government’s ability to play a regulatory role effectively is hampered because, as the ultimate provider of health care services, government is actually being asked to regulate itself – an impossible conflict of interest.
Dr. David Zitner, AIMS fellow on Health Policy, believes that there is something odd about government being both the sole legal provider and the regulator of health care. In this opinion piece from the Medical Post he outlines for his colleagues in the health professions why this dichotomy is no-ones best interest. Says Zitner, “Governments have been abysmal failures at regulating public health insurance. There are no rules for timely claims settlement or even a well-defined menu of covered services.” The reason for this is quite simple, when government as regulator applies rules to health care, government as insurer must bear the full cost of regulatory compliance. In that circumstance there is a reverse incentive to ensure compliance costs are kept to a minimum with a resulting lack of strict standards, real accountability and regular reporting. Publication: Medical Post, October 15, 2002