From the monthly archives:

September 2006

In-store health clinics start closing

September 30, 2006

So much for that threat to doctors - they didn’t even last a year in Portland, OR:
Rite Aid Corp.’s first experiment offering health clinics inside its stores ended when the clinic operator decided it could not turn a profit.
Take Care Health Systems told Rite Aid that it would close its last seven health clinics on [...]

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CP r/o MI, another ER story

September 30, 2006

Another “ER is too busy, I had to wait” story. Maybe if more of these get published, something can be done about it.

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Government to Ontario doctors: "Hang in there"

September 30, 2006

At least they acknowledge a shortage as well as reimbursement issues. More than can be said Stateside.

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You think ER docs got it bad here . . .

September 30, 2006

. . . try Baghdad.

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Jury hits Walgreens with a $31 million verdict after a prescription area

September 30, 2006

Another jury sending a message. The incident involves giving Glipizide, a diabetes medicine. Noted in the case, was the Oxycontin-addicted pharmacist who stole 86,000 pills over an eight-year period.

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Defensive medicine in action

September 30, 2006

Occurring daily at an ER near you. The main reason why health care costs are skyrocketing.

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What happens when physician fees are controlled

September 30, 2006

Demand increases, shortages develop, quality goes down. The road where Medicare is taking us.

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The botched student intubation continued

September 30, 2006

Thanks to various commenters from the prior post for the links.
Apparently the patient didn’t want any student touching her. More details:
Mullins sued because several weeks before the procedure, her surgeon, Dr. Marvin E. Eastlund provided her with an informed consent document on which she indicated she did not want health care students in the [...]

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Medical care in Belgium

September 29, 2006

Certainly a world of difference compared to what happens here:
This was the beginning of a series of happy discoveries about medical care in Belgium. Healthcare in the US is mired in bureaucracy and competing interests and concerns about liability. It’s a complex system that both doctors and patients hate for different reasons. The typical doctor [...]

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Chiropractic quackery

September 29, 2006

So much for time travel being a valid therapy:
State regulators had been investigating Dr. James Burda of Athens, who said he could take care of anyone, anywhere by reaching back in time to when the injury occurred.
Burda said he discovered the skill six years ago when he hurt his own foot while driving. He said [...]

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Malpractice war in Florida heats up

September 29, 2006

Lawyers sidestep a voter-approved constitutional malpractice cap. Doctors are asking patients to sign a form waiving their rights to to collect anything more than $250,000 in a medical malpractice lawsuit:
“We cannot allow trial lawyers to circumvent the will of the people through their legal maneuvering,” said Patrick Hutton, president of the Florida Medical Association [...]

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You can’t sue a doctor for a medical bill

September 28, 2006

Some patients think they can sue doctors for anything. Like this story over medical bills:
Out of the blue, we received a bill for $300 from a collection agency from the former neurologist. I recently wrote to the doctor and told her what had transpired and how we felt we owe her nothing.
We know we [...]

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A woman claims battery after a medical student botched an intubation

September 28, 2006

Having medical students intubate during elective procedures, under supervision of an anesthesiologist, is common practice. However, this patient specifically wanted no medical students, but the hospital ignored her wishes:
The Indiana Supreme Court is considering whether a woman who had to have a second surgery after a medical student tore her esophagus during a botched [...]

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