My analysis of George W. Bush's physical is up at Straightfromthedoc
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July 2005
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Researchers found, on average, female doctors would spend an extra one minute and 33 seconds with their patients than male doctors
The NY Times gives an update on how concierge medicine is going
"Even patients who decide on a concierge practice may find themselves back in managed care, as those of Dr. Enrico J. Versace, in West Yarmouth, Mass., discovered recently. Dr. Versace said he spent $100,000 on consultant fees and marketing to establish a practice charging $3,000 a patient two years ago. There were complications from the beginning. Although ...
Ads and billboards are being more commonplace for those looking for organ donations
"As the number of organ donors doubled to 14,154 between 1992 and 2004, the number of patients on the waiting list tripled to more than 89,110, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. Last year, about one in 12 of them died before receiving an organ.
Desperate to avoid the same fate, more and ...
Lies, damn lies, and statistics: PointofLaw.com looks at the Vioxx case
Many people discount the recent NEJM study about Echinacea
I think this just shows the amount of distrust that people have for scientific studies. Even when a respected journal like NEJM reports this, it doesn't really matter. And who can blame them? Patients have been back and forth about Vioxx and hormone replacement therapy with conflicting studies. All one can do is present the (lack of) evidence, ...
Are robots, e-mail, and telemedicine further depersonalizing medicine?
"'This is a triumph of the model of medicine that has abandoned the idea of personal interaction and providing comfort in favor of a model of the patient-physician interaction as essentially an exchange of information,' said David Magnus, a Stanford University bioethicist. 'You can see a face, but there's no touch, no laying on of hands, no personal contact. We're increasingly isolating ...
Liability Update: A new blog dedicated to malpractice reform
"Featuring news, commentary and legislative action about the medical liability crisis, which impacts both physicians and patients by limiting access to quality medical care." (via PointofLaw.com)
What do you know, Dr. Frist shows he can think for himself
After his embarrassing, lemming-like Schiavo debacle, he breaks from Bush in stem-cell research.
An Illinois neurosurgeon who advocates for caps gets hit with malpractice verdict
An Illinois neurosurgeon who advocates for caps gets hit with a $2M malpractice verdict
"Dr. Thomas Hurley, president-elect of the Illinois State Neurosurgical Society, told the Chicago Sun-Times his case illustrates the problem of allowing big awards that raise doctors' insurance rates.
He said his annual malpractice insurance premium would probably increase from the current $245,000 to $300,000 or more.
The legal action was by Richard McCorry, ...
The House passes malpractice caps for the third straight year
"The bill, approved by a vote of 230-194, would cap awards for pain and suffering at $250,000. There would be no limit on economic damages, which provide reimbursement for such expenses as medical bills and lost wages. Finally, the bill would in many cases cap punitive damages at $250,000."
The life of a "standardized" patient
"Colvin is a professional patient, trained to role-play specific medical conditions to train nursing students, emergency medical personnel, police, medical students and residents at the Center for Studies of Clinical Performance at the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine.
Officially, Colvin is known as a 'standardized patient.'"
The toughest standardized patients to be would be the ones where medical students would ...
A 100-year-old driver with an 82-year unblemished record is angry that his doctor has advised him to give up driving
"Despite suffering a heart attack days before his 100th birthday, Tom
Soulby, a former engineer, says he is still fit to drive his
24-year-old Austin Metro, which has only 24,387 miles on the clock."
They found boxes of fake Lipitor in the UK
"After discovering 73 fake packets, the MHRA decided to recall all that remains of a 120,000-packet batch, each containing 28 x 20mg Lipitor pills, marked 004405K1 and imported into the country in February. The alarm was raised last week after customs officers confirmed that they had intercepted fakes in the Dutch port of Rotterdam in late May."
Most undergraduate doctors in the UK receive only 5 minutes education on sleep medicine
I suspect the same is true in the US. No wonder so many physicians take the easy way out and just prescribe a sedative medication for insomnia.
Do free drug samples influence residents' prescribing decisions?
Would they have published the study if the answer was no? (via Blogborygmi)
A pretty thorough debate on the role of the media in reporting health news
A malpractice fear scale quantifies defensive medicine
Quantifying defensive medicine: Now we have the "malpractice fear scale"
"In evaluating patients who have chest pain, some emergency room physicians too often order unnecessary tests and hospitalizations out of fear of malpractice lawsuits, according to a new study. 'Concern about malpractice has a formidable effect on physician decision making,' particularly in the scenario of a possible heart attack or unstable angina, collectively referred to as acute coronary syndrome, Dr. ...
Is there anything statins can't do?
Seems like a potential new indication is cropping up every day: "In the latest research to suggest that the popular cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins are good for more than the heart, a new study hints that the medications may help curb the spread of HIV throughout the body.
In the study of nearly 4,000 HIV-infected people, those taking statins tended to ...
Kevin Pho, MD
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How I approach ovarian cancer screening with patients
Ovarian cancer screening clearly touches a nerve. No one doubts that ovarian cancer is a devastating diagnosis, often found when the disease...
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Why more primary care doctors are referring patients to specialists
According to a recent study from the Archives of Internal Medicine, primary care physicians are referring more patients to specialists than ever...
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Should Google censor anti-vaccine claims?
One of the reasons there is such a movement against vaccines is the democratization of information, perpetuated by search engines like Google....
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Radiologists who cheat on their board exams: Who’s to blame?
In a widely circulated CNN article, many radiologists have been found to cheat on their board exams: "Doctors around the country taking an...
Physician
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Why an anesthesiologist would be needed for organ donation
I've only had to declare death a couple of times. Once in a three-year-old and once in an adult. In each case...
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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...
Patient
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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
Don’t get me wrong, EMRs (electronic medical records) are inevitable. Over the long-run they are almost certainly good for physicians, patients and...
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...
