In cases that go wrong, they are highly sought to be expert witnesses against the referral source.
July 2006
All Stories
A delayed biopsy triggers a lawsuit
The patient wanted to "think about it", but the 10-week delay results in a lawsuit:
One of Dr. F's patients was a 44-year-old woman who was given a routine mammogram as part of her annual checkup. The results pointed to a "suspicious area in the upper outer quadrant of the left breast." On receiving the report, Dr. F, a family physician, called the patient into the office to discuss ...
A pharmacist’s opinion shouldn’t outweigh doctor’s orders
As this writer opines:
If you have moral or ethical objections to the particular drug called for by the physician, keep them to yourself. Your views on birth control pills and abortion, don't change the fact that it is dangerous and downright deadly for some women to get pregnant. A few states passed laws giving pharmacists a loophole on that, but if you can't do your job, isn't it ...
Dr. Anna Pou: Here comes the lawsuit fallout
People are going after the hospitals:
The deaths at Uptown's Memorial Medical Center during the stifling, dark hours after Hurricane Katrina have spawned more than the highly publicized arrests of a doctor and two nurses on murder charges. A predictable thicket of civil lawsuits has also sprouted, records show.
Two suits filed at Orleans Parish Civil District Court concern the deaths of five patients at Memorial, some of ...
A doctor has second thoughts about concierge medicine
He opts out of his contract and goes back to the primary care grind:
He knew he would have to part with most of his patients. But it proved much harder than he expected. "When you see the patients and talk with them, and you understand their financial situation and how difficult it was for them to afford [the concierge service]. . . . I had this 90-year-old lady ...
A charity is on the verge of ushering in a medication for black fever
Without profit potential, it was abandoned by Big Pharma. However, this treatment for black fever will have immeasurable positive impact:
A small charity based in San Francisco has conducted the medical trials needed to prove that the drug is safe and effective. Now it is on the verge of getting final approval from the Indian government. A course of treatment with the drug is expected to cost ...
On the proposed Medicare redistribution of reimbursement
It's scaring the hell out of the medical-device industry:
'Industry and surgeons have to face up to reality: We have been overpaying for procedures - in particular, cardiac procedures,' Durenberger said. 'We have to do something to change it.'
There is a shortage of sperm donors in the UK
Some would call it a "national crisis".
A doctor’s fraud puts a methadone clinic in jeopardy
A psychiatrist is convicted of forging prescriptions. How his methadone clinic will soon be under fire:
On July 21, addiction specialist Marc Shinderman was found guilty of 58 crimes connected with his practice of forging another doctor's name and federal registration number on prescriptions for patients of his Westbrook methadone clinic. He now faces a prison sentence, and his clinic, CAP Quality Care Inc., is the subject of ...
"There’s nothing sweet about the doughnut hole"
Medicare Part D is now hitting many seniors hard:
Although the Medicare handbook clearly describes the coverage break, critics say most Medicare recipients, bombarded with advertising from private prescription plans, focused on deductibles and premiums and the drugs included.
"There was a lot of emphasis on signing up seniors. It was a crusade almost," said Stuart Guterman, a Medicare expert with the nonpartisan Commonwealth Fund. He doubts that ...
A doctor’s accent
There are some courses that address this topic for foreign physicians:
Although foreign-born physicians may have excellent medical training and comprehension of English, patients and co-workers can struggle to understand their speech and are often reluctant to call attention to the problem. For example, the numbers 15 and 50 can sound similar in some accents, as can the words "breathing" and "bleeding." This increases the potential for medical errors, Wilner ...
Tort reform in Mississippi
Another success story:
Before tort reform, Mississippi was viewed by outsiders as a state with a "jackpot justice" system that featured frivolous lawsuits and outlandish damage awards.
The legislation has removed a huge obstacle for many companies who were leery of moving to Mississippi. Even some insurance companies who fled the state have returned, including Mass Mutual and St. Paul Travelers.
Trial lawyers and tort reform opponents say ...
There is no such thing as a medical miracle
Often charlatans (and lawyers) prey on the fact that medicine is inherently uncertain:
Over the next few weeks, Trevor did indeed begin to gain consciousness, an improvement that Debbie took as proof of Dreamhealer's powers. "The doctors said that he wouldn't recover, so to me, that's a miracle," Debbie said. "It's a miracle that he's still alive." Yet of course medicine is not an exact science; doctors can only go ...
Canada care: A woman miscarries while waiting for hospital bed
An official admits they "dropped the ball". Really:
Dr. Chris Eagle says health officials "lost the human touch" in dealing with Rose Lundy, 34, who was three months pregnant.
Her husband, Rick Lundy, had pleaded with emergency room staff at Peter Lougheed Hospital to help his wife find privacy.
But he was told there were no beds and she was left to go through the experience in ...
The subtle effects of drug-sponsored lunches
They do it because it works:
The $258 Merck lunch, for example, cost the company only $10.75 a person and fell clearly within industry guidelines allowing modest meals. But it could easily return thousands of dollars for the drug maker in prescriptions for the osteoporosis medication Fosamax and the asthma treatment Singulair, the two drugs discussed during lunch with two Merck representatives.
CJD guest-blogs on This Makes Me Sick
An unlikely combo to be sure, but he serves up some malpractice views from the other side:
As to the counter, from reading in the medical blogosphere, I think that many physicians simply don't like adversarial settings. That's true of most of us, even most lawyers, but I think physicians in particular are acutely sensitive to it. Maybe it's the fact that they (like preachers) aren't ...
Orac’s doses of woo
The last two weeks focuses on colon cleansing and liver flushes.
Mixed messages on the Studdert study
No surprise, as has been discussed here previously. (via PointofLaw.com)
Dr. Anna Pou: The arrest warrant
More details can be found here. Here is an excerpt:
. . . T.M., Nurse Executive and Director of Education for Lifecare Hospitals, advised affiant that on Thursday, September 1, 2005, conditions at Memorial Medical Center had deteriorated. Lifecare patients were located on three floors awaiting evacuation. There were several patients remaining on the seventh floor of Memorial Medical Center. That morning, Dr. Pou came up to the ...
Dr. Anna Pou, Hurricane Katrina, and euthanasia
Due to intense interest in the Anna Pou story, the following post will be republished to stay current.
Original post date: 7/18/2006
Some more details are emerging from this desperate time.
NOLA.com:
Dr. Anna Pou, an ear, nose and throat specialist, and nurses Lori L. Budo and Cheri Landry were each booked with four counts of second-degree murder.
"We feel they abused their ...
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...
