Pfizer warns of 6% earnings drop in 2005 . . .
. . . which will cut into their 2004 earnings of $11.36 billion.
April 2005
All Stories
A patient with hepatitis threw blood at a doctor after being refused methadone
Videotaping births is coming to an end thanks to malpractice fears
Update:
Red State Moron, an obstetrician, comments.
Are surgeons liable for men who do not return for postvasectomy semen analysis (PVSA)?
This study suggests that over 40% of men undergoing vasectomy did not return for a PVSA.
Why lawyers object having a physician on a malpractice screening panel
"Lawyers argue that a doctor's presence on the board, if only by dint of having special knowledge, would prejudice the proceeding against patients. They want claims screened by a single judge experienced in such cases, a proposal that's anathema to physicians."
Again I ask, how are non-physicians supposed to determine what is malpractice? Perhaps I'll go ...
Canada publishes guidelines for wait times
Can doctors increase the complexity of the service they provide?
"By increasing the number and complexity of the services they provide, doctors can maintain or increase their incomes even if the fee for each procedure is reduced."
This was said in response to the outcry surrounding the impending cut in Medicare reimbursements. What ignorance. As a physician, I only code what I see during a visit. I cannot magically "increase the complexity of the service I ...
Canada weighs free health care versus long waits
"Americans who flock to Canada for cheap flu shots often come away impressed at the free and first-class medical care available to Canadians, rich or poor. But tell that to hospital administrators constantly having to cut staff for lack of funds, or to the mother whose teenager was advised she would have to wait up to three years for surgery to ...
The President's push for malpractice reform is hitting roadblocks
"Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), a vocal advocate for the proposal, has tacitly acknowledged that the legislation will have to be altered, perhaps significantly, if it is to succeed. Speaking to obstetrician and gynecologists at the Capitol recently, first said he would consider many kinds of changes in the original bill -- including breaking with Bush and seeking a ...
A 74-year old doctor is HIV+ from a blood transfusion
The risks of transmitting HIV via a transfusion is one in 2.1 million.
Doctor David Hartman, a blind student who earned his MD
A blind student earns his M.D.
Amazing. Medical school is hard enough for those with their vision intact.
Pharmacies are ordered to fill oral contraceptive prescriptions
"Gov. Rod Blagojevich approved an emergency rule Friday requiring pharmacies to fill birth control prescriptions quickly after a Chicago pharmacist refused to fill an order because of moral opposition to the drug."
Physicians go 0-for-3 in New Hampshire
Three lawyer-friendly malpractice bills are passed in the House.
The Pope is in grave condition
It appears that the Pope is suffering from an episode of urosepsis. The articles states that he has elected to stay at home, rather be transported to a hospital.
Treatment at this time involves intravenous antibiotics. With a description of septic shock (i.e. the inability to maintain a blood pressure due to the infection spreading to the ...
The UK has a 56-hour work week limit for residents
Kind of puts the 80-hour limit we have here to shame.
Medicare doesn't get it
"Spending grew as doctors saw patients more frequently, did more tests and provided more in-office drugs than expected.
In addition to increasing premiums, the higher-than-expected spending on doctor services last year might hamper physician efforts to win a pay increase instead of a cut from Medicare next year."
This is a no-win situation for everyone involved. The government is blaming the physicians ...
Kevin Pho, MD
-
Warren Buffett’s prostate cancer choices aren’t right for every man
A version of this column was published on April 24, 2012 in USA Today. There has been a recent uptick of elderly men...
-
Many medical decisions require shared decision making
The following column was published on April 1, 2012 in USA Today. I recently saw a middle-age man in my primary care clinic...
-
Patients deserve a medical malpractice early offer
The following column was published on March 25, 2012 in the Nashua Telegraph. Medical malpractice historically has been a contentious issue. Doctors...
-
Discussing whether tests actually help patients or cause more harm
The following column was published on April 11, 2012 in CNN. When you visit the doctor, chances are you are given a...
Physician
-
Being a good doctor is no more an achievement than being a good Mom
At no other time in my medical training was I as confident that, with hard work and dedication, I could master the...
-
The malpractice risk of volunteer medical coverage at sporting events
From Outside Online, an article about how physicians are increasingly hesitant to provide volunteer medical coverage at athletic events: "Last year, 13 Americans...
-
What does a perfect pediatrics practice look like?
I had a phenomenal day in clinic yesterday. Imperfect for sure but inspiring, connected, and busy. I felt useful and like anybody...
-
Tips to improve your patient satisfaction scores
Recently I was asked, “How can I improve my Press Ganey scores?” Presently this question applies mostly to hospitals as CMS is...
Patient
-
What meaningful encouragement can be given to someone who is dying?
Theirs is a lonely journey; to be moving towards the separation and end of all things known and loved. Being with a...
-
Health care journalists have tendencies similar to those of doctors
As a patient who was asked to speak at the Association of Health Care Journalists 2012 conference, I felt a bit covert....
-
Adaptation can be painful, but it can also be a gift
Nothing will force you to live life on your own terms faster than almost losing it. In 2008, I was on fire....
-
Embracing the longing without the outcome
I’m not sure when I stopped missing my husband. I suppose familiarity crept in after 7 years together and I rarely felt...
Policy
-
Repairing the tear in health care’s safety net with social media
The nation’s “safety net” hospitals are designed to ensure that uninsured, lower income and indigent populations receive adequate medical care – a...
-
Look to technology to reduce health costs
Technology to lower costs rather than accelerate them. Smart phones to increase physician and other providers’ productivity. Fewer primary care physicians but...
-
How to save a trillion dollars in health care
It is both conventional wisdom and factual truth that, unimpeded, American healthcare cost inflation will bankrupt the United States economically, educationally, socially,...
-
How the Affordable Care Act combats preventable hospital infections
As the Supreme Court deliberates the Affordable Care Act, Americans should take a closer look at the commonsense reforms embedded in the...
Tech
-
EMR liability needs to go further than just the physician
This example of a disaster waiting to happen, in the form of an error-promoting CPOE, is a poster example of why the...
-
AMA: Changes are needed in the stage 2 meaningful use EHR proposal
A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com. Continuing our efforts to move medicine forward while prioritizing patient care and minimizing...
-
EMRs require better user-centered design
Healthcare IT News recently asked, “Do doctors have to be typists to get MU incentives?” That question reminded me that given the...
-
Electronic records don’t tell us stories that make cognitive sense
One morning recently, I found another physician standing morosely at one of the mobile computer terminals we refer to as “cows”—computers on...
Social Media
-
We need to see the potential harm of social media
Prior to 1794, farms across the world could only pick cotton as fast as humanly possible. In the late 18th century, Eli Whitney...
-
Why social media may not be worth it for doctors
Social media in healthcare is all the rage these days. You can’t visit even one physician-oriented website without someone breathlessly advising you...
-
Transparency defines social media success for doctors
Want to understand social media? Physicians wanting to learn about social media must learn transparency. We must learn transparency on a personal...
-
How Twitter was used in a potential mass casualty scenario
It was my first ER shift in charge of the resuscitation area. Needless to say, my adrenaline and nerves were firing like...
