October 2004

Growing movement reduces wait to see doctor
The push for open access.

Stop the Shakedown
"Voters in six states will decide, on Nov. 2, the fate of ballot measures on lawsuit reform. In the past lawyers have prevailed in nearly all such battles. Will things be different this year?" (via Overlawyered).

Workers prefer better health coverage to a raise
"Given the choice between a raise and more generous health care coverage, most workers would opt for the coverage . . ."

I'll be attending Pri-Med in Boston tomorrow at the new Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (I'll take a break for the Red Sox parade). I know that drug companies provide a lot of the funding, but this is going a bit too far.

First, my registration credentials folder was compliments of Boehringer Ingelheim and Lilly. Opening up the folder greeted me with this: ...

FDA Holds Off Approval of New Merck Drug
As expected, the FDA is holding off on Merck's new COX-2, Arcoxia. I've been bombarded with ads saying it's "coming soon". I guess not.

Chlamydia Testing Disappointingly Low
"Only 26 percent of women enrolled in commercial health plans who were eligible for screening were tested in 2001 . . . Only 38 percent of eligible women in Medicaid plans were screened, the report said."

Screening for Chlamydial infection is important since it can cause urethritis, cervicitis, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), and result in ectopic pregnancy, infertility, and chronic pelvic pain in women. ...

For Inventive Business (and Health) Officials, Flu-Shot Specials
"On the mad, mad quest for a flu shot? Take the flu-shot special, a high-speed ferry from Seattle to Victoria, B.C., that offers a scenic ride across the Strait of Juan de Fuca and a vaccine stop in Canada; 2,000 people already have reservations. Or hop on the Flu Bus from Grand Forks, N.D., for a rollicking journey to immunity ...

U.S. Trails Others in Health Care Satisfaction
"The study shows that people in the U.S. face longer wait times to see doctors and have more trouble getting care on evenings or weekends than do people in other industrialized countries. At the same time, Americans were more likely to receive advice on disease prevention and self-care than others."

Stop-gap medicine
"With the suturing and unsuturing of Curt Schilling's ankle, the dawn of "episodic medicine" has arrived. Episodic medicine is aggressive treatment for the now, and it inherently contradicts our "quality of life" policy . . .

But there are consequences. What about the cost? Who pays for these procedures? What are the limits? Already, new technologies, new pharmaceuticals, and new procedures are stretching the medical dollar. ...

What has evidence based medicine done for us?
BMJ with a theme-issue on evidence-based medicine.

Wyoming med-mal study
"The Milliman actuarial firm projects what will happen if Wyoming enacts a cap on non-economic damages. According to Martin Grace's summary, the study's simulation model 'suggests that the cap [at a level of $250,000] will reduce losses and loss adjustment expenses by about 15%.'"

Playing Doctor
"Lying on a résumé isn't a crime - except when a doctor does it."