My big emphasis is making health care delivery a demand-side- driven model, which means the patients and physicians will determine how the suppliers (hospitals, insurers and others) adapt to their desires—not the other way around.
When I came back home to the United States, I began seeking more roles in organized medicine, with associations like SIR, the American College of Radiology and the American Board of Radiology. Working with those organizations gave me tremendous exposure to health policy—I was hooked. Finally, I received a baptism by fire in terms of U.S. wartime strategy when I served in Afghanistan in 2009.
While I appreciated the opportunity to make a difference each day practicing IR and leading sailors and Marines, I quickly realized that making a positive impact for millions of Americans across a broad policy spectrum required me to run for U.S. Congress.
Can you briefly describe your views on health care? One of my top priorities is re-establishing the patient-physician relationship. Like so many of my colleagues over the past decade or two, I've been frustrated by the growing gulf between patients and their doctors. This trend has occurred, in large part, because of the bureaucratic and administrative hurdles introduced by the federal government. The practice of medicine is more challenging and onerous for physicians, because of the ever- growing burden of bureaucracy. This has taken much of the joy out of practicing medicine, which is derived from connecting with patients like
sirweb.org/irq | 33
my mom. It’s also caused legions of burned out physicians to retire prematurely, resulting in workforce shortages and access challenges for patients who are the greatest casualty of this phenomenon. I’m convinced that the north star for health care reform is restoring the emphasis on the patient-physician relationship.
We have a duty to create economic models that give all patients access to high-quality, affordable health care. Today, health care is entirely supply-side-driven: hospitals, insurers, pharmaceutical companies, etc. are dictating the models in which health care is delivered. Patients end up being marginalized from the health care system because even if they have health care insurance, they don’t often have healthcare access. For some, there are no timely appointments to be found and for others their high deductible makes it too cost-prohibitive. Meanwhile, insurers and health care systems play a shell game with in- and out-of-network contracts so patients can’t decipher who or where they’re supposed to be seen.
My big emphasis is making health care delivery a demand-side-driven model, which means the patients and physicians will determine how the suppliers (hospitals, insurers and others) adapt to their desires—not the other way around. This is how we engage with every sector
Read more about Dr. Ferrara’s platforms at
ferraraforcongress.com.
Read more about Dr. Ferrara’s experiences serving as a Navy- based interventional radiologist in “IR on the high seas” (IR News. Jan.-Feb. 2011:6–7;
bit.ly/2LJu4Nv).
of our economy that is remotely efficient and gratifying. Wherever demand factors are marginalized, service, quality and cost follow.
How would your election impact IR? I’d say there are two main areas of impact.
First, having an IR in Congress would give our specialty much needed positive exposure. In the past year, some high- profile public figures have had positive experiences with IR, shining a spotlight on a couple of the many ways we help patients. But those quick, high-intensity media blasts can’t compare with the value of a consistent, day-in and day-out presence in Congress.
Second, there would be tremendous value in bringing the qualities we bring to the angio suite to the governance process, like being first- class problem-solvers, collaborators and conveners. We work with a host
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
