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Dateline: January 8, 2010 ... Coatesville, PA
Contact: Nancy Calandra, Author Marketing Experts
Phone: (858) 560-0121
E-Mail: nancyc@amarketingexpert.com
Web Address: http://normanmakous.com
COATESVILLE, PA - January 8, 2010 - "The current health care reform
proposal is just a beginning," says Norman Makous, M.D., author of the
new book, TIME TO CARE: PERSONAL MEDICINE IN THE AGE OF TECHNOLOGY.
"This legislation addresses health coverage reform. The problem that
has not been touched in the current legislation relates to how we
provide medical services. What we need now is true medical care
reform."
In TIME TO CARE, Dr. Makous proposes that the patient-doctor
relationship be brought back to the center of the healthcare system.
"This will improve quality, humanize treatment, and reduce unnecessary
spending," he says. "TIME TO CARE is a must-read as the nation
struggles with healthcare reform," said Joseph P. Sullivan, Chairman
of the Board of Advisors, RAND Health. "His research, combined with
fascinating personal experiences, makes this a lively read."
Based on Dr. Makous' sixty years of medical practice from the late
1940's into the early 21st Century, TIME TO CARE shows how medical
practice has changed dramatically in recent decades. The book is
filled with dozens of case anecdotes that illustrate the crucial role
of the patient-doctor relationship in proper diagnosis and treatment.
"The author's commitment to and compassion for his patients
reverberates throughout this book," said Dr. Herbert Fred, in his
recent review for the Texas Heart Institute Journal. "By using dozens
of case anecdotes from his 60-year career as a personal-care
cardiologist, he effectively illustrates how a strong patient-doctor
relationship - the essence of personal medicine - brings joy and
satisfaction to everyone involved."
In one case, for example, Dr. Makous found that the cause of Helen's
recurrent hypertension was her habit of buying licorice daily in the
Hospital's gift shop when she was on the way to visit her husband
while he was a long-term patient there. She would then eat the whole
package in the course of her visit. True licorice like that sold at
the gift store contains glycyrrhizin, a substance that can cause
hypertension when ingested in high enough quantities, as Helen was
doing regularly. Dr. Makous diagnosed this problem only through his
personal knowledge of the patient's daily life.
Today, the personal relationship between the patient and doctor has
been almost completely displaced by technology. Frequently today,
patients are subjected to the wrong tests and treatments, often very
expensive procedures. Millions of dollars are spent on unnecessary
tests and incorrect treatments. In TIME TO CARE, Dr. Makous points out
that the high cost of technology-based care has caused the economic
squeeze in healthcare that has already led to covert rationing of
medical services. The cost of medical care will continue to rise, and
the need for rationing will increase.
The personal relationship between patient and doctor that was central
in traditional medicine can help prevent these problems. Having an
independent primary care physician at the heart of the patient's
medical care is a proven effective and ethical method of monitoring
the care process. If the patient-doctor relationship is recognized as
essential to our health system, the book explains, medical care will
be humanized and unnecessary spending will be greatly reduced. "We
will then have a society that is not only happier and healthier, but
also more financially capable of affording broader coverage for a
greater number of people."
ABOUT NORMAN MAKOUS, M.D.: Dr. Norman Makous spent sixty years
providing personal care to his cardiology patients from the late
1940's into the early 21st Century. After extensive training and
service in the Navy, he started private practice in Kansas City and
moved to Philadelphia. He held appointments for many years on the
faculties of both the University of Pennsylvania Medical School and
Thomas Jefferson Medical University. Dr. Makous has received the
Distinguished Achievement Award from the American Heart Association of
Pennsylvania, as well as many other awards. He also served on the
boards of several government and health insurance advisory groups and
is the author of many professional articles. His first book, The Road
Taken: My Life and Times, was published by TowPath Publications in 2006.
ABOUT BRUCE MAKOUS, co-author: TIME TO CARE was written with the
assistance of Bruce Makous, a published novelist and journalist. His
novels include RIDING THE BRAND, Hilliard & Harris, 2004, which
received coverage in THE WALL STREET JOURNAL because of its indictment
of the venture capital industry for operating like organized crime.
For eighteen years, Bruce has served on the editorial staff of
BOULEVARD, the award-winning national literary magazine. Bruce is also
a healthcare fundraiser noted in THE NONPROFIT TIMES as one of the
most "Influential and Effective Fundraisers in the US for 2009." And
is an enthusiastic supporter of the writing of his father. For more
about his writing visit: www.brucemakous.com
BOOK DETAILS:
TIME TO CARE: PERSONAL MEDICINE IN THE AGE OF TECHNOLOGY, Norman
Makous, MD, with Bruce Makous. Philadelphia: TowPath Publications;
2009. US .95. ISBN 978-0-9776686-1-8. Format: Softcover book. 464
pages. Trim size: 5.5 x 8.5 inches. Available through bookstores,
Amazon.com, and from Publisher, PO Box 43522, Philadelphia, PA 19106.
Website: http://normanmakous.com/
For additional information, interviews, or reviewers' copies, contact
press agent Nancy Calandra by phone at: (858) 560-0121. Downloadable
photo available at: http://normanmakous.com/press-room/
For more reader comments please visit:
http://normanmakous.com/what-readers-are-saying/
For patient stories and book excerpts please visit:
http://normanmakous.com/books/
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