December 2009

All Stories

Do electronic medical records decrease liability risk?

in Tech | 3 responses

Doctors are pushed to adopt electronic medical records harder than ever before.However, costs are often the prohibitive obstacle, and whether the current generation of EMRs improve patient care remains in question.But what about liability? Surely, more complete, legible medical records would reduce the risk of being sued. Right?Well, it's not that cut and dry.In a story from American Medical News, doubts remain as to whether EMRs reduce ...

Would I vote for the Senate healthcare bill? Here’s where I stand on reform

in Policy | 35 responses

Now that the Senate health care bill is nearing its home stretch, some are wondering if I continue to support reform.As a reminder, I wrote back in July that doctors should support Congress' health care reform efforts, because, "some reform is better than none, and doctors advocating for a free market-based system shouldn’t hold out, hoping for the perfect package."There were deuling columns in last Friday's New York Times, ...

Rich countries are selfish when it comes to vaccine safety

in Meds | 3 responses

A recent article from Newsweek discusses some of the long-term benefits of vaccines.But it's a section on the rich nation-poor nation dichotomy towards vaccine safety that's most fascinating. The authors observe that better educated nations are those with the most vigorous opposition to vaccines. The United States, for instance, has many who simply refuse to be given the H1N1 vaccine - a benefit that's not available to many ...

CT scan radiation exposure may be more than you think

in Conditions | 5 responses

Originally posted in InsidermedicineThe amount of radiation exposure associated with computed tomography (CT) scans as well as the increased risk of cancer associated with this exposure have been estimated in two studies published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.id="play_continuous_flvs" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="385" height="239" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0">

Is the end of pandemic H1N1 flu near?

in Conditions | no responses

Originally posted in MedPage Todayby Crystal Phend, MedPage Today Senior Staff WriterThe end of the so-called second wave of pandemic H1N1 influenza may be in sight as testing rates -- and the number of positive tests for the virus -- show evidence of decline across the country, a report affirmed.Is the end of pandemic H1N1 flu near? From their peak in late October, diagnostic H1N1 testing rates ...

How only lawyers can determine medical standard of care

in Physician | 18 responses

by Michael Kirsch, MDA medical malpractice case was recently filed against me.I received the thick envelope from noble and altruistic Cleveland barristers about 6 weeks ago. Once again, I saw my name in the good company of many other physicians and our local hospital. I reviewed my medical records and felt comfortable with the care I had provided. In a medical malpractice case, quality of medical care is important, ...

The medical home in health reform’s attempt to fix primary care

in Policy | 4 responses

Originally published in MedPage Todayby Kristina Fiore, MedPage Today Staff WriterEncouraging "medical homes" to deliver care outside the emergency room should be a key aspect of healthcare reform, according to researchers, policymakers, and business leaders.The medical home in health reforms attempt to fix primary care "It's not rocket science to put a nurse practitioner near a public housing project," said Jeffrey Brenner, MD, a physician in private practice in Camden, ...

How doctors can show respect to patients

in Patient | 18 responses

by Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD"Angelina Gomez," the medical assistant hollers out to the crowded waiting room. As always, I cringe when I hear this. It sounds so harsh, so cattle-like. I know that the assistant is actually a gentle and caring person, and I understand that he uses a loud voice so that he can be heard over the general din of a large waiting room.Nevertheless it feels horrible to ...

Best ways to get more patients for your medical practice

in Physician | 8 responses

Originally published in HCPLive.comby Ed RabinowitzPump up the volume. That’s what physician practices would like to do, and it has nothing to do with louder music. An increase in patient volume is the goal of virtually every practice. Even though the economy is struggling, there are still things physicians can do to increase the foot traffic passing through the practice’s corridors. And according to Drew Stevens, PhD, a practice ...

How can quitting smoking improve lung function in patients with asthma?

in Conditions | no responses

Originally published in MedPage Todayby Chris Emery, MedPage Today Contributing WriterAsthmatic smokers who quit the habit can reverse lung damage that exacerbates their breathing difficulties, regardless of how long and how often they smoked in the past, a Dutch study found.How can quitting smoking improve lung function in patients with asthma? The lungs of asthmatics who stopped smoking were in similar condition to those of asthmatics who never smoked, based ...

Why data driven medical decisions will fall on deaf ears

in Conditions | 11 responses

The fallout from the mammogram screening guidelines have served as a test case, of sorts, to see how the politicians and public will respond to recommendations based on evidence-based clinical practice.And, judging from the inflammatory reaction, it's safe to say that we're quite a ways from medical decisions based on the best available data.In a recent editorial, the New York Times touched upon the issue. One of the Senate's ...

What women should know about the new mammogram guidelines

by | in Conditions | no responses

Whenever I order a mammogram for a woman in her 40’s, I also give her a warning: “Don’t get scared if it’s abnormal.” I tell her this because research shows that a woman who undergoes 10 routine screening mammograms has a 50-50 chance of having something unusual that requires her to go for more tests. The vast majority of these mammographic abnormalities aren’t cancer, but she still needs to get ...

Explaining basic radiation therapy terms to cancer patients

in Conditions | 2 responses

Originally posted in HCPLive.comby Colleen O’Leary, RN, MSN, AOCNSI have always been very intrigued by the various forms of radiation therapy and used to relish the day that I would take my basic oncology class to the radiation oncology department for a tour. I learned something every time. But now, with the advent of new technology and the trend for facilities to advertise that they have the biggest and ...

How an iPod Touch can make you a better doctor

by | in Physician | 3 responses

There has been a great deal of commentary profiling medical applications that are useful for healthcare providers. However, there hasn't been much talk about how mobile medical applications can enhance the doctor-patient experience and in turn help optimize your practice’s overall experience. In future posts, we’ll focus more on applications for medical providers, but this post will discuss applications centered around the physician-patient relationship.How an iPod Touch can make you a better doctor

Physician burnout in the operating room and emergency department

in Physician | one response

It's no secret that burnout is prevalent among primary care doctors, with 30 percent wanting the leave the field within five years.It gets no better in other specialties.I recently read that, frighteningly, almost 9 percent of surgeons admitted to a lapse in medical judgment within the past 3 months, in part due to the fact that nearly 40 percent admitted to burnout.The author of that post, an emergency physician, ...

12 most important medical advances of the decade

by | in Physician | 2 responses

As the first decade of the 21st century comes to an end, it is interesting to look back and reflect on the most significant medical advances we’ve seen. I’d like to present 12 medical advances that I consider to have been the most important over the past decade, and I’d like to ask you, the wider world, to contribute in two ways:

- Add your nomination in the comment field regarding ...

Health reform needs more than money to save primary care

in Policy | 9 responses

My recent op-ed, co-written with pediatrician Rahul Parikh, was published today on CNN.com.Entitled, "Family doctor is key to reform," we discuss how it takes more than money to revitalize primary care:

Many solutions propose to rectify the economic factors, such as lower salaries, that discourage medical students from pursuing careers in primary care medicine. But there is scant discussion of rebuilding our health care system around the primary care ...

The limits of using Medicare patient data for quality outcomes

in Policy | one response

Originally published in MedPage Todayby Todd Neale, MedPage Today Staff WriterMost primary care physicians don't see enough Medicare patients to determine statistically significant differences in cost and performance between practices, researchers found.The limits of using Medicare patient data for quality outcomes In fact, nearly two-thirds (65.7%) of primary care doctors worked in practices that saw too few Medicare patients to provide reliable comparisons with national benchmarks for cost and ...

Patients using internet health information without physician guidance

in Patient | 6 responses

The advent of the internet, combined with social media, has made everyone experts and has increased the disdain for authority.No where is that more apparent than the firestorm that surrounds vaccines and its detractors.The Los Angeles Times' James Rainey writes a column on the phenomenon, observing the backlash against a well-written, nuanced piece debunking the link between vaccines and autism.But as we know, those who already believe there is ...

Page 2 of 512345

Kevin Pho, MD

See all in: Pho

Physician

See all in: Physician

Patient

See all in: Patient

Policy

See all in: Policy

Tech

See all in: Tech

Social Media

See all in: Social media

Meds

See all in: Meds

Conditions

See all in: Conditions

Education

See all in: Education