I'm participating in the Engage with Grace blog rally, as reported in the Boston Globe and the WSJ Health Blog. In the meantime, I'll be signing off until Monday. Happy Thanksgiving.
Engage with Grace: The One Slide Project
We make choices throughout our lives - where we want to live, ...
November 2008
All Stories
Is an Obama presidency a threat to Catholic hospitals?
With President-elect Obama promising to sign the Freedom of Choice Act, which would nullify all existing laws and regulations that limit abortion in any way, Catholic hospitals have threatened to shut down.
Bishops are saying that "any one of us would consider it a privilege to die tomorrow . . . to bring about the end of abortion."
This can have major health policy implications as Catholic institutions ...
Is major media censoring their own health blogs?
A fundamental feature of blogs is the ability to speak one's mind, solicit feedback and incite discussion to controversial topics.
Some major media outlets aren't getting the message. Journalism professor Gary Schwitzer cites an example where several controversial blog entries were deleted without the ...
Why major health reform is unlikely to happen next year
Despite all the big talk about reform, very little may actually happen.
The reason, says Joe Paduda, is the failure to address costs. Blindly focusing on the uninsured and increasing coverage will drive up utilization of services, and "once the medical/pharma/device/hospital industry figures out ...
"My primary-care physician decided to go boutique"
What happens to those who can't afford the retainer fee?
There is no doubt that doctors are leaving generalist practice to cash-only models, with a recent survey showing that 50 percent want to quit.
The current payment system is not sustainable, and the environment ...
Don’t use Wikipedia for drug information
Doing so may put your health at risk.
A study showed that many drug entries omitted important side effects and drug reactions. When compared with the Medscape Drug Reference - which is also free, but it's peer-reviewed - the study found that it answered ...
Key penetrates a toddler’s eyelid into his brain
Despite chilling x-rays, he had a full recovery. Very lucky.
Is trauma surgery a viable specialty?
As a primary care physician with a pure office practice, I'm not up to date with many of the issues that surgeons face. That's why I like to read Jeffrey Parks' observations on the surgical profession.
A recent post talks about how trauma surgeons ...
Is there a place for a part-time medical residency?
Doctors in training often do so in their prime family-rearing years.
A few pediatric residencies are offering part-time residency options, designed for those who also want to raise their own families. Proponents argue that residents can not only get more rest, but also ...
How do fecal transplants work?
Fecal transplants have been mentioned as a possible cure for C Difficile colitis.
Val Jones interviews a gastroenterologist on the procedure, who notes that the data is purely observational, and that although it has potential, "we have to temper our enthusiasm" as it's "simply not ...
Searching for health on the web often leads to the most dire diagnoses
Microsoft released a study looking at the patterns of those who perform health-related searches on popular search engines.
To no one's surprise, "self-diagnosis by search engine frequently leads Web searchers to conclude the worst about what ails them."
People only looked at the first ...
Should ADHD be re-branded as a blessing?
Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps has put a positive face on the condition.
Often presented as a disability, some are wondering whether children with ADHD should be re-labeled as having a "gift." By focusing on inspiring stories, like Phelps and other successful people with the condition, can the disease-focused stigma be removed?
Some wonder whether this is a good thing, arguing that you can't have it both ...
Partners Healthcare responds to the payment disparity uproar
The Empire strikes back.
BI-Deaconess' CEO Paul Levy points out that Partners Healthcare has taken out full-page ads in the Boston Globe rebutting the investigative story exposing their disproportionally higher payments.
Or, as Mr. Levy jokes, "the Boston Globe Spotlight team . . . ...
Should physician assistants be re-named?
There is some anxiety within the physician assistant ranks.
Do patients truly understand the role and scope of the physician assistant? Will it require more public education? It's important, because there is no doubt that PAs will play a growing role as health delivery is reformed.
An easier idea may be simply re-branding the profession. (via ADVANCE Blog for PAs) There are plenty of PAs ...
Why doctors and nurses are dissing the flu shot
Almost 60 percent of health care workers do not receive the flu vaccine. That's a shocking number.
Manoj Jain explores the reasons in his regular Washington Post piece. He debunks common myths, including the fear of side effects, "in particular the misconception that ...
Not enough patients get a second opinion
Just 3 percent of patients always seek a second opinion.
I think that's a mistake. There are enough gray areas in medicine where studies give conflicting guidance, that another physician opinion is warranted in many cases.
Patients often "worry that their primary physician ...
Why kids are crowding the emergency department
Another study rebuts the myth that the uninsured are flooding the emergency departments.
Kids comprise about a quarter of emergency visits with a majority of them are for non-urgent conditions. In this study at a single children's hospital ED, "95 percent had some form ...
How the media is being bought by the pharmaceutical industry
Think journalists are impartial to Big Pharma's big money? Think again.
The BMJ highlights the practice of pharmaceuticals "influencing some media by endowing university chairs or underwriting professional groups; fund journalism awards; sponsor video material with high-profile broadcasters, and hire public relations firms to ...
Do-it-yourself Proactiv at home for less money
Can the acne medication Proactiv, a well-publicized, and expensive, acne treatment be replicated at home?
Dermatologist Jeffrey Benabio suggests a more inexpensive alternative using generic pharmacy-branded products which have the same active ingredients.
The difference is more than half the price.
topics: acne, skin
Is money enough to save primary care?
Politicians are wisely acknowledging that primary care doctors need to be paid more.
But will that be enough? DrRich, who's practiced on both sides of the specialist and generalist fence, notes that the "litany of professional travesties has been visited upon the primary care doctors far more than upon the specialists," and that "merely increasing the pay of PCPs would override all these other considerations" is absurd.
Kevin Pho, MD
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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...
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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...
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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....
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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
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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
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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...
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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....
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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...
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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...
