And may actually encourage youths to smoke. Devilish reverse psychology from the tobacco industry.
October 2006
All Stories
Is Exubera Pfizer’s white elephant?
It's starting to look that way. It didn't really stand a chance.
Saw III causes a theater to call EMS three times
The film was too horrific for some.
A hospice patient is stabbed to death
Apparently by a family member. Tragic.
Newsflash: The majority of patients are non-compliant
50 to 75 percent don't follow their doctor's instructions:
Either they don't fill a prescription, or they don't change a dressing, or they forget to take their pills, or they fail to follow instructions in some other way. Even more surprisingly, the people with the chronic problems, such as high blood pressure, have the highest non-compliance rates. Children, too, are often victims of caregivers who fail to follow a doctor's ...
Lufthansa’s new selling point: "There is a doctor on board"
80 percent of flights have a doctor on board.
Claudia Henschke fails evidence-based medicine 101
She is a proponent of CT-scans for early lung cancer detection, and doesn't get that randomized-controlled studies are the only standard. The rules can't be rewritten for her cause:
"I don't get what the resistance is," Dr. Henschke said.To her, it is a matter of simple logic: the earlier cancer is found, the better the odds of a cure. CT finds lung cancer early. So why not use ...
Should PFOs be sealed?
The medical device makers certainly hope so, they have lots of profit at stake. Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi had his sealed, chronicled here extensively.
Multidetector CT scan – the new ER triage test
It's touted as the 15-second heart scan that saves lives. Of course, cost isn't mentioned. You bet that once it's available, it will be a routine cya ER test. And we wonder why health costs are out of control.
Wonderful article on the NEJM
Boston Magazine writes on the controversies and challenges facing The Journal. Primarily on its relationship with pharmaceuticals, and its association with the Massachusetts Medical Society. Required reading.
Do drug expiration dates matter?
Yes, it does.
Anti-vaccine activists: "They are enemies of the people"
I have maintained that not vaccinating children is akin to child abuse. Here's taking it one step further:
Respectful Insolence and Kevin, M.D., characterize parents who refuse to vaccinate their children as guilty of child neglect. I'll go one step further. These parents' selfish decisions are hurting more than their own children. By defeating one of the core missions of public health -- that of conferring herd immunity from ...
UnitedHealth: Not only physician-unfriendly, but one of the worst health plans in the nation
Remember, their priority is money, not health care, as seen in the recent NCQA rankings:
Health care is a public good, not just an industry, to be governed by the same economic principles that govern pure business. Value in health care can only be assessed by weighing cost and quality together. Quality health coverage not only improves care, it saves lives.
UnitedHealth's record in this regard, as measured ...
Today’s doctor: "Low morale is here to stay"
There seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel:
"I think that it is safe to say that no physician is optimistic about the future of medicine at this point," one participant wrote. Others seemed downright hopeless: "One thing that rarely gets mentioned is that, unlike other industries that are cyclical, the practice of medicine continually gets worse and worse, more intolerable, more onerous, with absolutely ...
News flash: Most ER visits are non-emergent
What's more, the patients know it as well:
Among patients who had recent visits to emergency departments, nearly half believed their health problems could have been handled in a doctor's office, the study said.
Many of the patients said they did not have alternatives, such as same-day appointments with a primary care physician, or evening and weekend appointments; nurse advice lines; or urgent care clinics.
"The survey results ...
The free-market is forcing doctors to extend office hours
Extended hours are now "the new norm" in family medicine.
Canada always seems to be willing to pump money into the health system
Kind of opposite of what happens here, where reimbursement continues to be cut. An an aside, $170/hr for an ER doc translates into over $350,000 per year assuming a 40-hour work week. Not sure what they're complaining about.
A nipple piercing leads to necrotizing faciitis
Sad story in an 18-year old diabetic who had to have one of her breasts removed.
Desperate for $$$: A UK hospital wants to start treating pets
Reaching a little far for a new revenue stream:
A hospital in Suffolk has been criticised for a fundraising plan to offer radiotherapy to family pets.
Ipswich Hospital proposes using equipment unused at weekends to treat pets with cancer in Saturday clinics.
The hospital aims to raise £50,000 a year from the idea to help pay off debts of more than £24m.
The Patients Association condemned ...
Most don’t check the source of internet health information
Only 15 percent always checked the source. Scary considering the amount of quackery online.
Kevin Pho, MD
-
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...
-
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...
-
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....
-
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
-
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...
-
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...
-
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...
-
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
-
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...
-
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...
-
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...
-
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
-
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...
-
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...
-
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...
-
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
-
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...
-
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...
-
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...
-
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
-
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...
-
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....
-
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...
-
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...
