The New Hampshire Medical Society is making a plea to physicians to support the bill for pre-trial panels in medical malpractice cases (SB 214). I will do my part by spreading the word through this blog. This has been exhaustively discussed previously.
From a letter I received today: "Many legislators have only received one call or one letter from physicians in support of SB 214. ...
April 2005
All Stories
Turning the tables: Doctors are now suing the insurance companies
"Local doctors claim greed has overtaken the health industry, and that insurance companies are making decisions of life and death instead of physicians. Now thousands of doctors are suing insurance providers."
The insurance company's ironic response: "We believe the class-action lawsuits ... are baseless and frivolous."
A man who was declared dead and had life support withdrawn was actually alive
"The doctor on duty had removed the life support systems and was making arrangements for sending the patient for postmortem when the family doctor of the patient, who happened to be there, noticed that the pulse was still beating."
9 and 10-year old children are receiving Epivir and AZT after being exposed to HIV
"Some students already have begun taking a combination of medicines - 100 milligrams of Retrovir (or AZT, an HIV treatment) and 150 milligrams of Epivir (an HIV and hepatitis treatment), in addition to a stomach protector - to prevent the onset of the virus. One poking victim, George Whitaker, 10, reported having felt dizzy from ...
A pregnant 13-year-old girl in Florida has been told she cannot have an abortion because she lacks the maturity to make such a decision
"Florida's department of children and families intervened and took the matter to court, arguing the teenager, who is under the care of the state, is too young and immature to make an informed medical decision. Judge Ronald Alvarez in Palm Beach accepted that argument and ...
Money talks: The UK is paying physicians to have better access
Using cash as an incentive to promote open-access scheduling. Crude, but that's one way to reduce wait times.
"It's our malpractice system and its reliance on fault that are responsible for increasing damage awards and costly defensive medicine on the part of physicians."
"The American malpractice system relies on fault. It requires the injured victim and their attorney to allege fault and to accuse the medical provider of substandard medicine. The system requires the medical provider and their attorney to defend against these charges -- which, ...
The patients lose again: In the crusade against pain physicians, those in real pain are left hanging
"Since the doctor's arrest, KETV NewsWatch 7 has heard from several of his patients, telling stories similar to Hook's. Hook is a nurse, and describes Rosario as a good physician. She said Rosario did not push pills, and instead, often prescribed therapy for her."
As treating chronic pain is becoming a ...
A 2-year old died in his father's arms while waiting to be seen in the emergency room
"The Toronto Sun reported yesterday that the child was brought to the hospital by his parents around 5:30 Monday morning. He had reportedly vomited and had diarrhea the day before, and when his condition did not improve his parents tried to have him seen by an emergency room doctor.
They told the ...
Even for those with health insurance, medical costs are bankrupting families
"Families are paying more and more for health insurance that covers them less and less."
An Ohio judge has formally sanctioned an attorney who brought a frivolous suit against a physician
"The plaintiff's attorney pressed her case even after her own expert witness could offer no evidence that the doctor hadn't met the prevailing standard of care. The judge ordered her to pay the physician $6,000 plus interest, to cover the expenses he incurred defending himself. Moreover, the judge specified that the plaintiffs ...
An 86 year-old woman goes on a hunger strike protesting staffing shortages at her nursing home
"We need help desperately. Two people looking after 17 is not enough." (via Cuppa News)
Shifting care from physicians to nurse practitioners do not result in any cost savings
"Because nurses spent more time with each patient, however, they saw fewer patients per hour. In four of five studies on nurse-led urgent care, lower salary costs were offset by this so-called 'lower productivity' and increased use of resources."
Mid-level providers, such as PA's and NP's generally spend more time with patients which more ...
More than two-thirds of U.S. adults think that the law should allow medical euthanasia for dying patients in severe distress who ask to have their lives ended
According to a Gallup poll, the most frequently recommended occupation is medicine
A surgeon is sued when a patient developed arterial blood clots after ankle surgery
The case ended in a mistrial. An arterial blood clot is uncommon: "The defense, however, argued that Horrell's particular complication after her surgery was utterly unheard of and that Fugate could not have been reasonably expected to discern it."
Perhaps the patient had some underlying heart disease that led to arterial emboli:
The majority ...
They found Legionnaries' disease in a teaching hospital in NYC
"Legionnaires' disease is a bacterial infection with pneumonia-like symptoms that first became widely known after a 1976 outbreak killed 34 people attending an American Legion convention in Philadelphia. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 8,000 to 18,000 people contract the disease each year in the United States, and it is rarely fatal except for people with ...
A mother dying of ALS is recording her wisdom for her children and pleading with the government to control health care costs
"Her other battle was making people realize that health care's oppressive costs can be a drain on those around you. Her family spends at least $20,000 a month for round-the-clock care, therapists, aides and medicines.
'We did everything you're supposed to do. We had savings in the ...
Are the number of uninsured overstated?
"The number of US residents without health insurance may be overstated by as much as nine million people, according to two new analyses of census data, the Los Angeles Times reports."
DrTony gives his inner monologue during an ED visit
Update:
Part 2 is here.
Kevin Pho, MD
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Should Google censor anti-vaccine claims?
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Why an anesthesiologist would be needed for organ donation
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5 ways to avoid a misdiagnosis
Billionaire Teddy Forstmann had been diagnosed with a serious form of brain cancer. There’s a tragic twist to the story: according to...
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Benefits of the Medicare Adult Wellness Visit
One of the things I love about family medicine is that I get to care for people of all ages. I almost...
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Cancer has a way of teaching us poignant life lessons
I just finished reading George’s recent post on Evelyn Lauder, who recently passed away from ovarian cancer, and am still stirred by...
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In love there is a life giving force
Here is a toast to the miracle of love. Not to the romantic, chocolate, dance club nightlife type of love. Not warm...
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How to get ready for death
No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet...
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The long term cost of a pain in the neck
One morning this May, I woke up with a stiff neck. I applied hot and cold therapy all day and took an...
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Preparing for your visit with someone in hospice care
Visiting someone who is dying or critically ill is an experience many of us will have in the course of our lives....
Policy
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AMA: Advocating for Medicare, military and fiscal responsibility
A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com. This week, I’m joining hundreds of physicians and medical students in Washington, DC...
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A critical look at value driven health care
Everyone in the world is talking about “value-driven health care.” Or so it might seem if you pick up a medical journal...
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Surviving the new landscape of physician reimbursement
CNN recently posted an article titled "Doctors Going Broke." It described several cases of independent physicians who are near bankruptcy although they once...
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Doctors lobby Congress to repeal the SGR
One of the things that I like most about my job is engaging with ACP’s physician leadership—the internal medicine doctors who dedicate...
Tech
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There is a patient attached to that implantable defibrillator
As a follow-up to my post on why patients with implantable defibrillators should have access to their device’s data, I am going...
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The pitfalls of email communication with patients
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal reviewed the emerging role of email in healthcare, arguing that doctors should more aggressively...
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Why adoption of EHRs is a transformational event for physicians
Paul Conslato, MD, director of clinical affairs for Lancaster General Medical Group, recently was quoted in the PAMED Better Health Network eZine...
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Why EMR is a dirty word to many doctors
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Social Media
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Using Twitter to deliver health improvement messages
I have decided to spam for public health. Phone calls, text messaging, and even apps have been shown to help improve health...
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Addressing comments on your medical practice’s Facebook page
Does your medical practice allow anybody to post links and comments on your Facebook page? The short answer is yes. We do....
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The Internet is where patients go for pre-visit consultations
As a physician, technology cannot replace you, but it can make you more efficient and effective. This was the message from Richard...
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5 ways doctors can benefit from professional connections
Looking ahead to the next several months, I’ve found myself frequently wondering how many physicians will make this their year to take...
