From the monthly archives:

May 2005

May 31, 2005

Are rising malpractice premiums related to economic downturns and stock market losses?
“Trial lawyer advocates often repeat the silly assertion that medical malpractice premiums spiked in recent years because insurance companies had to recoup bad stock market investments. It’s an argument refuted often enough before . . .” (via PointofLaw.com)

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May 31, 2005

Over 90 percent of physicians admit to practicing defensive medicine
“A total of 824 physicians (65%) completed the survey. Nearly all (93%) reported practicing defensive medicine. ‘Assurance behavior’ such as ordering tests, performing diagnostic procedures, and referring patients for consultation, was very common (92%). Among practitioners of defensive medicine who detailed their most recent defensive act, [...]

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May 31, 2005

If one in five Chinese doctors smokes, how can China’s army of 350 million smokers be persuaded to kick the habit?

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May 31, 2005

“Stop misleading the public. Tell the truth.”
Simple, yet difficult to enforce, in direct-to-consumer advertising. The FDA made this bed, it’s their mess to clean up. Easier to ban DTC advertising outright.

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May 31, 2005

Grand rounds is up this week - Da Vinci style
Come get the weekly best of the medical blogosphere.

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May 30, 2005

151 people were wrongly given a diabetes drug, instead of simethicone for stomach complaints
The diabetes drug was a sulfonylurea. Simethicone is given for bloating and gas. Death from hypoglycemia can occur with the diabetes medication.

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May 30, 2005

With caps coming, Illinois’ lawyers are racing to chase ambulances“Down the stretch they come.
Attorneys are furiously filing medical malpractice lawsuits in Cook County in a race to beat Gov. Blagojevich’s signature on a bill that caps awards in such cases.
Since legislative leaders announced a deal on caps last Wednesday, 58 medical malpractice lawsuits have been [...]

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May 30, 2005

Is giving Viagra to a sex offender akin to giving a gun to a convicted murderer?
This sex therapist says no: “In my clinical experience, healthy sexual encounters are actually a key part of a sex offender’s successful recovery. They teach the sex offender to refocus his desire on an appropriate subject. Some convicted sex offenders [...]

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Spectrum of waiting

May 29, 2005

Reading these comments got me thinking - Where in the spectrum of waiting are you?
Are you, fellow physicians, the type who is always on time, every 15 minutes? Or do you spend as much time as it takes with each patient?
Do you, as a patient, want a physician who runs on time, every time? Or [...]

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May 29, 2005

How HIPAA is interfering with health care quality
“In a paper published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers from the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center report how their research on heart attack care has been hampered by the national medical privacy regulations under a law known as HIPAA, which took effect two years ago last [...]

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May 29, 2005

Malpractice caps: Both sides can show data that they’re right
Illinois is the latest state to enter the cap fray: “Now that Gov. Rod Blagojevich and state lawmakers have agreed to try caps to contain the rising costs of medical malpractice insurance and keep doctors in Illinois, even the most optimistic say there is not much [...]

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May 29, 2005

A surgeon had his certification revoked after he sold test answers on eBay
“The Philadelphia-based board, which has certified tens of thousands of surgeons nationwide, found out last summer that 86 questions used on its 290-question multiple-choice exam were listed on eBay. Questions used on the exam are rotated from a large pool each year.”

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May 28, 2005

More people are using walk-in clinics for primary care
“‘People are much more consumerist today,’ Dr. Lo said. ‘No one wants to wait two weeks to see a doctor. In fact, no one wants to wait an hour in my waiting room. People are much more concerned about getting things done on demand, and they have [...]

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May 28, 2005

Sounds like primary care physicians are going through the same pains in Canada“Family medicine is a tough sell. Patient needs are more complex than ever. They’re older and not coming through their doctor’s door with one ailment. Some have diabetes and heart disease. Others have had a stroke and are now battling cancer. These aren’t [...]

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May 28, 2005

A doc in Canada gives up - and lets us know all about it
“You start to realize some patients don’t give a s—.They don’t
appreciate you or what you have to go through. I’m busting my butt, working all hours and getting called at 4 a.m. I have people crying on my shoulder and I have [...]

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