DIAGNOSIS LAS VEGAS: Dr. David Steinberg
What is the biggest misconception about medical care in Las Vegas?
The biggest misconception about the medical care in Las Vegas is that we have bad doctors that provide poor-quality medicine. Ironically, many of the doctors practicing medicine in Las Vegas were trained at the same institutions in other cities that Las Vegas residents are seeking care from. The media and general public spend a lot of time concentrating on the ills of the medical delivery system in Las Vegas and, unfortunately, very little time on the successes and quality of medicine that is available here. This is partly because the culture in Las Vegas is to look at medical care only as an expense rather than an asset to the community. Hopefully, some of the quality institutions that are now choosing Las Vegas as their home, i.e. Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Brain Center, will change the emphasis from the cost and expense of medical care to the value of quality medical care.
If you could change one thing about health care in Las Vegas, what would it be?
It would be the coordination of care. It’s unfortunate that there are many diverse delivery systems of medical care in Las Vegas. Often these delivery systems have inadequate communication among them. Hopefully, in the near future, the variety of medical delivery systems will be connected with electronic health care records and interchange. This is a big initiative in today’s health care world and there are major incentives for developing electronic health care records. When a patient’s medical records are online or on a common database, better care and coordination of care are possible.
Las Vegas is often regarded as an unhealthy city. Is that a fair assessment?
Las Vegas is a city of excesses. It’s both a draw and a drawback. Our 24-hour town has promoted lifestyles often tied up with unhealthy activities, such as drinking and smoking. While new laws have changed smoking in public places, the 24-hour lifestyle of Las Vegas adds an innate stress to the city not seen in other cities. I think there is certainly a movement to improve the health of the city. However, this is still a minor initiative, and I believe much more attention should be focused on getting the citizens of Las Vegas dedicated to a healthy lifestyle. In part, more friendly roadways for bicycling and hiking would promote exercise, and certainly civic-sponsored events and education are key for helping change unhealthy lifestyles.
What is the biggest challenge facing the medical community in 2012?
The biggest challenge facing the medical community in 2012 is the uncertainty in health care legislation. Will "Obamacare" be held constitutional? Will the Supreme Court rule in its favor or against it? Certainly, quality health care is expensive. Can our nation afford a health care system that uses advanced technology and can we afford the level of care we have come to expect? We have lots of ways of extending life and spending money to do it, but can we afford to and who will make the ultimate decisions regarding life and death matters? Much of the cost for the Medicare program is spent in the last 90 to 120 days of a patient’s life. Do we have the religious, philosophical and moral structure to make these hard decisions about the end of life, quality life and value of life? All of these questions are extremely difficult to discuss, let alone answer.
