From the monthly archives:

July 2006

Beware who you refer to

July 31, 2006

In cases that go wrong, they are highly sought to be expert witnesses against the referral source.

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A delayed biopsy triggers a lawsuit

July 31, 2006

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, [...]

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A pharmacist’s opinion shouldn’t outweigh doctor’s orders

July 31, 2006

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 [...]

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Dr. Anna Pou: Here comes the lawsuit fallout

July 31, 2006

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 [...]

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A doctor has second thoughts about concierge medicine

July 31, 2006

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 [...]

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A charity is on the verge of ushering in a medication for black fever

July 31, 2006

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 [...]

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On the proposed Medicare redistribution of reimbursement

July 31, 2006

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.’

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There is a shortage of sperm donors in the UK

July 31, 2006

Some would call it a “national crisis“.

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A doctor’s fraud puts a methadone clinic in jeopardy

July 31, 2006

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 [...]

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"There’s nothing sweet about the doughnut hole"

July 31, 2006

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, [...]

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A doctor’s accent

July 30, 2006

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 [...]

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Tort reform in Mississippi

July 30, 2006

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 [...]

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There is no such thing as a medical miracle

July 30, 2006

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 [...]

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Canada care: A woman miscarries while waiting for hospital bed

July 28, 2006

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 [...]

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The subtle effects of drug-sponsored lunches

July 28, 2006

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 [...]

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