From the monthly archives:

February 2007

FDA approves a drug for dog carsickness

February 28, 2007

It’s good to know that the FDA is using its resources wisely.

Coding complexity

February 28, 2007

Dr. Rob looks at the morass we call E/M coding. He points out one fatal flaw with the proliferation with EHRs:
One of the solutions to this is to use an electronic medical record (like mine). These programs often include tools to properly match the coding to the documentation and suggest how to document in [...]

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Havidol – people fell for it

February 28, 2007

The artist behind the satire:
“The thing that amazes me is that it has been folded into real Web sites for panic and anxiety disorder. It’s been folded into a Web site for depression. It’s been folded into hundreds of art blogs,” he added.
The parody is in response to the tactics used by the drug industry [...]

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STD dating sites

February 28, 2007

Rising rates of genital herpes and other STDs are making these sites more popular.

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Doctor-senators on intelligent design

February 28, 2007

Seems like another physician-senator from Tennessee is throwing scientific thinking out the window for politics:
Now we have a state Senator, Raymond Finney, M.D. (Maryville), who is behind a resolution that, if passed by the Senate (the House need not be involved), will demand that the Tennessee Department of Education respond publicly to a series of [...]

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Treating a malpractice lawyer in the ER

February 28, 2007

Don’t know how I missed this earlier this year. Charity Doc tells of an ER encounter with a malpractice attorney:
“Yeah, I’m a personal injury lawyer. I have no problems telling doctors that. I get better care that way, actually. Makes you guys more careful around me.”
Another lawyer falling for the “more care = [...]

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Bird-flu vaccine: Better than nothing

February 28, 2007

The first attempt protected about 45 percent of patients in a hasty clinical trial.

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Krispy Kreme’s whole wheat doughnut

February 28, 2007

What they’re not telling us: 4 to 6 grams of trans-fat per doughnut.

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Taking the malpractice fight to the waiting room

February 28, 2007

New York physicians are encouraging patients to support malpractice reform:
“We’re not trying to scare anyone,” Conway said in a conference call with the Freeman and other society representatives. “We have a moral obligation to inform our patients the system is under stress. High malpractice premiums are already creating access problems for patients. It is driving [...]

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Expert witnesses are immune from defamation suits

February 28, 2007

It’s neurosurgeon vs neurosurgeon as one is sued for his testimony against the other in a malpractice suit.

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The shadowy world of internet prescribing

February 28, 2007

A multi-million dollar business that is kept alive by unscrupulous physicians:
In Internet chat rooms, people exploiting the rules often discuss the laws and assure one another that it’s OK to break them. They think they’ve got the system wired, and they’re usually clueless — or don’t care — that the doctor doling out the prescriptions [...]

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Implantable sensors

February 28, 2007

The FDA is considering these new, expensive, wave of devices to remotely track those who have chronic diseases:
The device, known as a “hemodynamic monitor,” is designed to measure pressure inside the heart, along with body temperature and heart rate. The information is transmitted wirelessly via the Internet to a doctor’s office. There, medical personnel can [...]

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