Why shell out thousands for an EMR when you can use Microsoft Word? Here's the equipment that this urologist uses for a DIY EMR.
November 2007
All Stories
Jail for failure to vaccinate
WhiteCoat proposes another solution.
Roadblocks to health care
There are plenty of sad stories about people who have difficult access to appropriate care.
Those proposing a government solution - like Medicare-for-all or single-payer system - don't realize the same roadblocks will be present in these systems as well. It's just a matter of a different entity pulling the puppet strings.
People who think that single-payer will be a MRI / PET scan, ...
Expanding health care options
Easier said than done, as Illinois is finding out. If states can't get it done, the chances for any federal reform are grim.
Health care rankings
Don't believe the rankings, says Arnold Kling: "As far as I know, the systems for financing health care are unraveling everywhere."
The "right" to health care
Relating the "right" to health care to forced labor and slavery:
If the medical service was replaced with physical labor, the scenario is still familiar. "Will you build that deck for me?" "Will I hire you to build my deck?" "OK?" "OK." Everything looks fine... except for number 4. "I don't care what you say, you are building my deck whether you agree to my proposal or not." That ...
"Stroke Code"
A man has a massive stroke. Read about how things should be done in the ensuing events at the Stanford ER.
The physician who disputes second-hand smoke claims
Boston University physician Michael Siegel goes against the grain on the effects of second-hand smoke:
Siegel has just published a heretical paper in the journal Epidemiologic Perspectives & Innovations analyzing the purported effects of secondhand smoke. Siegel - the kind of doctor who can cure you, not the Dr. Kissinger type - writes that "there appears to be no scientific basis for claims that brief, acute, transient exposure to ...
How woo is invading medical education
Orac compiles a list of culprit medical institutions. (via Dr. RW)
Autism or disease mongering?
Maggie Mahar on the AAP's recommendation to be more vigilant in autism screening:
"The pediatricians are, as far as I'm concerned, going about this a bit impulsively"”as very, very few have a clue about what would be appropriate treatment for a child who truly screened positive at, say, 14 months. And the risk of really stressing the child further by exposing him to treatments appropriate for a 2-1/2 to ...
Crazy warts
Or, the man who turned into a tree.
(via a reader tip)
The efficient ED
If physicians are expected to be productive and efficient, you have to give them the proper support.
"Fecal transplant": Curing C Diff by ingesting stool?
Even it it works, I can't see many patients opting for this treatment:
Clostridium difficile is a particular problem among patients who have been prescribed strong antibiotics as they also wipe out the so-called 'friendly' disease-fighting bacteria in the intestine. Faecal 'transplants', as they are known, are believed to restore the bacteria to levels at which they help the recovery process.
Doctors involved in the trials admit there ...
Sanjay Gupta and his spiral finger fracture
A somewhat more concerning injury, considering he needs his hands as a practicing neurosurgeon.
HIPAA is impeding research this time
Now the misguided privacy law is putting US researchers at a disadvantage. Way to go HIPAA!
Nearly 70 percent of clinical scientists in a national survey said U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act or HIPAA, enacted in 2003, has made research more difficult, according to the study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Almost 40 percent of those surveyed said HIPAA has added to the ...
The ability to fight through fatigue
"It's the gift of medical school and residency."
Mandating the cervical cancer vaccine
An idea fraught with problems: "I'm all for vaccines. But no way in hell am I for mandating vaccines without having long-term safety profiles established using the general population."
"Ten Things Your Primary-Care Physician Won’t Tell You"
I was interviewed for this piece in the December issue of SmartMoney Magazine. Some choice quotes from yours truly that won't be surprising to regular readers of this blog.
No link yet, so you'll have to read it on the magazine stand.
Momma in triage
Tougher ER triage. Ain't gonna happen, but would certainly would solve a lot of problems.
Educating us on alternative medicine
Panda Bear continues his series. Here's the next two parts.
Kevin Pho, MD
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Warren Buffett’s prostate cancer choices aren’t right for every man
A version of this column was published on April 24, 2012 in USA Today. There has been a recent uptick of elderly men...
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Many medical decisions require shared decision making
The following column was published on April 1, 2012 in USA Today. I recently saw a middle-age man in my primary care clinic...
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Patients deserve a medical malpractice early offer
The following column was published on March 25, 2012 in the Nashua Telegraph. Medical malpractice historically has been a contentious issue. Doctors...
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Discussing whether tests actually help patients or cause more harm
The following column was published on April 11, 2012 in CNN. When you visit the doctor, chances are you are given a...
Physician
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How we deliver bad news is critical to how families deal with grief
As a cardiac electrophysiologist, I have had to discuss bad news with patients and families more times than I would like during...
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His father’s suffering had already been too great
He looked dead. The paramedics brought him down the hall toward one of my critical care beds, and for a moment I...
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Diversity provides color to the tapestry of human experience
I was recently appointed the Assistant Director of the Yale Cancer Center with the portfolio of Diversity/Disparities. While I’m not sure I’m...
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Necessary is a word best defined when looking back in time
How do you define a “good” doc? I was reading the patient responses to an article here on KevinMD.com and was saddened...
Patient
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How death can be a beautiful experience
I was honored to be part of a beautiful experience in late January of 2011. It was the death of my mother-in-law...
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What meaningful encouragement can be given to someone who is dying?
Theirs is a lonely journey; to be moving towards the separation and end of all things known and loved. Being with a...
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Health care journalists have tendencies similar to those of doctors
As a patient who was asked to speak at the Association of Health Care Journalists 2012 conference, I felt a bit covert....
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Adaptation can be painful, but it can also be a gift
Nothing will force you to live life on your own terms faster than almost losing it. In 2008, I was on fire....
Policy
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Hospitals around the world aim to remain relevant to patients
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times ..." So begins a story called A Tale of Two...
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Repairing the tear in health care’s safety net with social media
The nation’s “safety net” hospitals are designed to ensure that uninsured, lower income and indigent populations receive adequate medical care – a...
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Look to technology to reduce health costs
Technology to lower costs rather than accelerate them. Smart phones to increase physician and other providers’ productivity. Fewer primary care physicians but...
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How to save a trillion dollars in health care
It is both conventional wisdom and factual truth that, unimpeded, American healthcare cost inflation will bankrupt the United States economically, educationally, socially,...
Tech
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Doctors, use Google to get more patients in less than 7 minutes
Every month, hundreds of thousands of people look for a doctor on Google. As an amazing practitioner, your site deserves to be...
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The user interface for EHRs should be uniform
The first thing I noticed when I walked into the physician’s office were the tall cabinets filled with manila folders, tabbed with...
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EMR liability needs to go further than just the physician
This example of a disaster waiting to happen, in the form of an error-promoting CPOE, is a poster example of why the...
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AMA: Changes are needed in the stage 2 meaningful use EHR proposal
A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com. Continuing our efforts to move medicine forward while prioritizing patient care and minimizing...
Social Media
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We need to see the potential harm of social media
Prior to 1794, farms across the world could only pick cotton as fast as humanly possible. In the late 18th century, Eli Whitney...
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Why social media may not be worth it for doctors
Social media in healthcare is all the rage these days. You can’t visit even one physician-oriented website without someone breathlessly advising you...
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Transparency defines social media success for doctors
Want to understand social media? Physicians wanting to learn about social media must learn transparency. We must learn transparency on a personal...
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How Twitter was used in a potential mass casualty scenario
It was my first ER shift in charge of the resuscitation area. Needless to say, my adrenaline and nerves were firing like...
