by Graham Walker, MD
In The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the Babel Fish was a fish you stuck in your ear that allowed you to understand any language spoken to you. We’re not far off.Google recently released a new version of their (free!) Google Translate app for Android phones, featuring conversation mode, which allows you to have a back ...
April 2011
All Stories
How the medical profession advanced women’s rights
by Ted Bacharach, MDThe physicians as a group have been accused of many things. We have been blamed for the high cost of medical care, the depersonalization of physicians and the discontinuity of medical care.If there was any situation in which we have performed exceptionally well but not been realized by the public, it ...
Family medicine is the kind of revolution we want to join
by Christina PalmerIt never surprised me when my medical school classmates said they would "never do family medicine."I knew exactly how they felt: why would we choose to go into a field where physicians are undervalued, underpaid, buried under administrative paperwork, and where patients do not get the time or attention that they need?Despite the warnings against it, I am pursuing family medicine as ...
Myths about the HPV vaccine for boys
A vaccination policy statement released by the American Academy of Pediatrics has already drawn fire from a number of anti-vaccine groups, specifically for its endorsement of vaccination against HPV infection in boys.First, let’s examine exactly what the AAP added to its guidelines regarding the HPV4 and HPV2 vaccines: “HPV4 may be administered in a ...
Isolated gay people and support from the LGBT community
An excerpt from Finally Out: Letting Go of Living Straight, A Psychiatrist's Own Story.by Loren A. Olson, MDI once cared for an aging lesbian who began to have memory problems.She went to a neurologist who said bluntly, “Get your affairs in order. You have Alzheimer’s disease.” My patient was confused, devastated, and depressed. She asked a companion to accompany her on her return visit. This time ...
Doctor reprimanded after patient privacy breached on Facebook, my take
Patient privacy and social media use in health care often go together when reported in mainstream media.When physician blogs were a relatively new phenomenon several years ago, the majority of the media coverage focused on edge cases, where doctors inadvertently revealed patient information.Only a minority of the headlines focused on the positive aspects, such as how ...
When quality of care becomes customer satisfaction demands
The new healthcare reform law appears to be using the idea of improved quality to justify the enormous expense of changing the way care is delivered in the United States.As a justification for the need for change is the reporting currently being touted as a great measure of quality. This information is gathered in many different ways and ...
How obesity is a voluntary epidemic, and why we shouldn’t give up
As America comes to grips with the disastrous effects of a national obesity epidemic, there’s a new feeling in the air: defeatism.Former Carter Administration advisor Amitai Etzioni seemed to succumb to it when he wrote an article entitled “dieting gets you nowhere” for CNN recently.In it, the liberal sociologist citied a recent nutritional study ...
Smart patients need to establish a relationship with a primary care doctor
Good primary care physicians are becoming harder and harder to find.You may not have noticed it yet, but I predict that a year from now we’ll find it almost impossible to find primary care doctors who are willing to take on new patients – at least any primary care doctor worth seeing won’t be ...
Top IT implications of healthcare reform
I'm often asked how healthcare reform will impact IT planning and implementation over the next few years.First, some background. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (HR 3590) and Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (HR 4872) were passed to to address several problems with healthcare in the US. We're spending 17% of ...
Can the Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC) be defended?
Recently, 47 American medical specialty societies sent Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) a letter, with copies to all members of Congress, containing a detailed defense of the American Medical Association’s (AMA’s) Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC).For 20 years, the RUC has exclusively advised the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on physician procedure valuation ...
Does being a disadvantaged applicant affect my medical school application?
When applying to medical school, the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) asks aspiring physicians if they would like to be considered "disadvantaged" applicants or not.Many premedical students find themselves troubled by this question and wonder, what does it mean to be disadvantaged? How does being a disadvantaged applicant affect my medical school application? According to ...
Should the HPV vaccine be given to boys?
Beth wrote, “I plan on having my daughter vaccinated against HPV when she’s the right age (which is what by the way?). Recently, some friends were saying they were planning to have their sons receive the vaccine as well because although males obviously don’t get cervical cancer, they can spread HPV and put their future partners ...
Personalized health records and genomic tests for patients
Two articles recently highlighted two very different areas of medicine that are quickly colliding and pointing to a new direction for health delivery.The first, published in the Wall Street Journal, discusses the steady rise of personalized health records through companies like Google, Microsoft, and WebMD. The second, published in USA Today, examines genetic tests and the disconnect between what is available and what physicians understand about ...
Patient centered care and the family physician’s brain
Paul Grundy is IBM’s Director of Healthcare, Technology and Strategic Initiatives for IBM’s Global Well Being Services and Health Benefits.He has led the development of the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative, which is leading the way to create a more efficient and responsive healthcare system. Before I go any further, let me be very clear by saying that his work is hugely important and I agree with 90% of what this ...
If American physicians were to speak with one voice, what would they say?
Who speaks for American physicians? I really don't know? Do you?I used to think and say that the American Medical Association (AMA) spoke for American physicians. Of course, that was when I was an employee of the AMA.I disclose that I remain a more than four decade-long member of the AMA, and I believe that it should speak for American physicians. But physicians speak with many voices; most are fiercely ...
Your child is a picky eater, and what to do about it
Having a picky eater seems to be the norm these days. I'd almost dare to say that children between the ages of 2-7 more often than not wind up in the picky eater category.Why the sharp jump in membership of The Picky Eaters Club during this time? Researchers believe it could be evolutionary. That way young "cave toddlers" wouldn't walk around tasting every potentially dangerous thing in sight. Can you imagine?Still, there ...
To sell your practice or not: The decision facing most physicians today
I took my eye off the ball for just a little while, and guess what happened? When I looked again, I discovered that familiar solo practitioner or small group physician medical practices are on the verge of disappearing. Going the way of the dinosaur.At least, that's what the pundits are saying.In a recently published nifty newsletter, STAT Monthly, I read:
Primary care physicians and other specialists will ...
Data overload and the pace of genomic science
by W. Gregory Feero, MD, PhDArticles in several major journals (Nature, Science, etc.) have noted that genomics research has entered an era of data measured in petabytes.For readers who are not used to thinking on the scale of Avogadro’s number, peta refers to a number with 15 zeros tagging along. A petabyte is a lot of data—think 250,000 four-gigabyte thumb drives. Now, are you ready ...
KevinMD posts of the week, ending April 17, 2011
Here are the top posts from this past week, based on the number of times they were viewed.1. If you want good pediatric care, stay away from retail clinics. They’re everywhere, all of a sudden: little medical kiosks tucked into the back of drug stores, grocery stores, and big box outlets.2. Why do medical students find primary care so boring?. This is the real news about primary care ...
Kevin Pho, MD
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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...
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Doctors: Don’t be ashamed about going bankrupt
Are doctors really going broke? According to this piece from CNN Money, some are: "Doctors list shrinking insurance reimbursements, changing regulations, rising...
Physician
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Physicians have a natural role as advocates
As physicians, we are often called upon to be advocates for our patients. Sometimes they have no other person to turn to....
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Our society expends huge sums on futile care
Mike was a runner, outdoors-man, and fitness nut. This was not so much as for health reasons as for "feeling good", but...
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I learned the value of listening to the patient
William Osler famously said (among other things): “Listen to the patient. He is telling you the diagnosis.” I was doing my obstetrical...
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Repeated experiences of shaming are not good for a young child
The little boy, who looked to be about two, darted away in a fit of giggles. His young mother, who seemed thoroughly...
Patient
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Patient engagement is the holy grail of health care
For health care professionals, patient engagement is the holy grail of health care. It is the key to patient adherence – a...
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Why do doctors delay hospice referrals?
This is a response to Deb Discenza's article requesting a one page informational sheet informing a patient about hospice or palliative care. This would...
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How touch can calm patients
So, Megen at Not Nurse Ratched wrote post recently about therapeutic presence. The following passage really caught my attention: "Question is: are...
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How I became a hospice volunteer
People often ask me how I became a hospice volunteer. For the record, nobody is more surprised than I am. You know...
Policy
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A lack of incentive for medical schools to train primary care doctors
A social media movement is happening before our eyes with action starting to take shape. The #occupyhealthcare movement has begun within to...
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What should be the stated aim of health care in America?
The triple aim of health care, as defined by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is: improving the experience of care, bettering...
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How Moneyball applies to healthcare
The storyline is familiar. An organization is challenged to achieve better results without spending more money. An executive is committed to obtaining...
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The problem of insurance gaps in cancer patients
Why are cancer organizations waiting until it starts to rain before they suggest buying an umbrella? “Join my Medicare Advantage plan and...
Tech
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Why the prognosis of patients is difficult
Many clinical decisions in older persons are dependent on life expectancy. For example, as life expectancy declines, cancer screening is likely to...
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Innovative technologies can markedly enhance safety
“To Err Is Human” is the title of the now famous book from the Institute of Medicine on patient safety published about...
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Google knows more about certain diseases than physicians ever will
Professor Gunter Dueck, is a calm and eloquent german mathematician who’s also the CTO of IBM Germany. He studied mathematics and philosophy...
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Robotics can revolutionize the delivery of medical care
Robotics has the potential to revolutionize the delivery of healthcare. It can help extend the delivery of information, expertise and clinical care...
Social Media
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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...
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Twitter Is my third office location
The physician’s decision to first dive into social media can be stress-inducing. Issues of time management, maintaining professionalism, and determining a return...
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The impact of social media on a physician assistant
The impact of social media on medicine could arguably be compared to the impact of the industrial revolution on the human condition....
