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Healthcare Delivery: Lost in Red Tape

The story of one physician’s journey to coordinate care for a child is a worrisome example of the ways in which the healthcare system is configured for potential failure.

What happens when a patient gets caught in limbo due to reimbursement issues, a lack of treating physicians or simply because his or her medical condition can’t be explained? These are situations that occur more frequently than many realize, causing significant frustration for both the physicians seeking to treat and the patient who is left without answers. Despite good intentions by all, many of the patients may never get the help they need for many reasons, all of which lie in the workings of a healthcare system that fails to focus on the patient, but instead results in a rationing of healthcare. One such example of this is a patient who has caused me to see this issue very clearly.

The Link Between PIDD and Skin Cancer

Research shows that PIDD patients have a 60 percent greater chance of developing cancer, and a handful of specific indications account for the majority of cases.

People who have primary immune deficiency diseases (PIDDs) are susceptible to a number of life-threatening health complications. One that should not get overlooked is skin cancer. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, with two million people diagnosed each year. Normally, when abnormal skin cells pop up, the immune system attempts to knock them out. But those with PIDDs have weakened immune systems that aren’t up for the fight, and the cancerous abnormal cells multiply. To make matters worse, the cancer and the chemotherapy wear out the already-taxed immune system even more, making it a vicious cycle.