MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'doctors,'. Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:53:50 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2886410&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FJLuA9TG3PBI%2F In the push to get Americans vaccinated against both the seasonal flu and the swine flu, infectious disease experts and public health officials are also sounding the alarm about continuing low rates of adult vaccination for a host of other preventable diseases, as I write in my latest column. Despite evidence that vaccines are among the most cost-effective ways to prevent disease, studies show a pretty high level of ignorance on the part of patients — and a failure by many physicians to discuss vaccines with their patients, let alone administer the ones recommended by the CDC. “Often adults aren’t aware of vaccines, and if you ask them why they haven’t received a vaccine, they will say their doctor didn’t recommend it, so they didn’t ask for it,” Carol Freidman, associate ... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2886410 Tue, 13 Oct 2009 01:11:40 +0100 2886410 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2879480&cid=t_292907_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorandpatient.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F10%2F10-reasons-why-indian-doctors-say-no-to.html I am an angel investor in a startup, Plus91, which makes web-based electronic medical record software for doctors in India.There is no doubt that medical record keeping leaves a lot to be desired in Indian clinics. Most doctors are very poorly organised, and don't even bother to keep records of their patients . They often do not remember anything about the patient ; and forget even his name ( as many patients have learned the hard way). This is hardly surprising, given that most Indian doctors are so busy. If the patient is not well organised and does not keep his own records, then his care suffers enormously. This is especially true for patients with chronic illnesses, who may need to see many different specialists ( most of whom don't have a clue what the other doctor is doing).I actuall... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2879480 Sat, 10 Oct 2009 05:13:00 +0100 2879480 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2879387&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F9GV5LzGBeX0%2F The Senate Finance Committee’s health-overhaul bill leaves in place a planned 25% cut in Medicare payments to doctors in 2011. Congress probably won’t allow this to happen; lawmakers will likely swoop in, as they’ve done repeatedly in recent years, and block the planned cuts. But when CBO does its projections, it doesn’t take into account what Congress is likely to do — it looks only at the laws as written. That means that the much-discussed CBO estimates for the Senate Finance bill will only hold true if Congress allows the cuts in Medicare payments to doctors to go through. CBO said as much in its estimate this week, writing: The … mechanism governing Medicare’s payments to physicians has frequently been modified (either through legislation or adminis... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2879387 Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:07:28 +0100 2879387 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2879849&cid=t_292907_177_f&fid=38133&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FTubalReversalBlog%2F%7E3%2FLyjCUg4PVxg%2Ffirst-successful-reversal-of-adiana-sterilization.html The first successful reversal of tubal sterilization by the Adiana method was reported today by Dr. Gary Berger, Medical Director of Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center. The Adiana sterilization method uses radio frequency energy to cause tubal blockage and was approved for use in the US in July 2009. (Source: Tubal Reversal Blog) Tubal Reversal Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2879849 Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:59:49 +0100 2879849 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2876262&cid=t_292907_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FWmoE45eEMWg%2F New genes and genomic regions that might be associated with autism have been identified by an international research team. The researchers identified a single-letter change on chromosome 5 near a gene called semaphorin 5A, which is believed to help guide the growth of neurons and their long progressions, called axons. The activity of this gene appears to be reduced in the brains of people with autism. More is here. Photo courtesy of D Sharon Pruitt (flickr.com) * * * Today I helped give a presentation in a Queens hospital to young doctors and the subject of how to deliver bad news about a child’s special needs to parents. The illumination factor in these events usually runs one way – to the docs, who are grateful to have parents reveal these feelings — but today the s... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2876262 Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:28:29 +0100 2876262 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2876007&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FR_JezMth9Sw%2F A few years back, the DOJ accused orthopedic implant makers of paying kickbacks to surgeons; as part of a deferred-prosecution agreement, several companies agreed to disclose their payments to doctors. It was big money — more than $270 million in 2007. Some researchers used those reports in a paper published in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine to look at how often docs disclosed payments from the companies. Here’s the WSJ story on the findings. The industry completed its monitoring and deferred-prosecution agreements with the feds at the end of March of this year, which means the companies don’t have to keep publishing their payments online. We were curious to see whether they’re still posting. Here’s what we found: Biomet has a list of consul... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2876007 Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:31:30 +0100 2876007 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2872092&cid=t_292907_177_f&fid=38133&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FTubalReversalBlog%2F%7E3%2FVSuIHQ-8LfI%2Fnew-tubal-reversal-videos.html The newest and most informative videos about tubal ligation reversal on YouTube.com come from the staff and patients of Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center. They have created over 40 videos about all aspects of tubal reversal surgery and the journeys of the couples who travel to Chapel Hill from all over the world in their quest to have children even after a tubal sterilization. (Source: Tubal Reversal Blog) Tubal Reversal Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2872092 Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:22:10 +0100 2872092 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2871587&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F10%2Fhealth-care-reform-continuing-the-conversation.html Our new survey on the continuing woes of our health care system has drawn considerable comment from people with passionate views both for and against the reform legislation being debated in Congress. We’re guessing that some of those who have come here are new to Consumer Reports and may not be aware of the work we’ve been doing for years on the U.S. health system, such as the visitor who wrote: Give us reviews of the insurance companies so that we the consumers can make informed decisions. As longtime readers know, we’ve been reporting on health insurance for the past several years. Subscribers can access our Ratings of PPOs and Ratings of HMOs, and all visitors can learn how to select good health plans, avoid bad ones, and make the most of the coverage they h... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2871587 Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:40:27 +0100 2871587 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2871588&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F10%2Fcatch-flu-influenza-mask-contamination-sneeze-cough-h1n1.html Hate it when somebody coughs right into your face and eyes? You're not just germ-phobic, that may be the most likely way to transmit influenza, according to a newly published study. Researchers from UC-Berkley’s School of Public Health and the University of Illinois at Chicago’s School of Public Health concluded that close contact spraying of respiratory droplets with the influenza virus carried the greatest risk of infection, followed by hand contact with contaminated surfaces, and inhaling particles carrying the virus. The study was published in Risk Analysis: An International Journal published by the nonprofit Society for Risk Analysis, and used mathematical modeling to examine the theoretical risk of catching an influenza A virus—a type of influenza virus that includes the n... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2871588 Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:39:41 +0100 2871588 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2871559&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2Fu9Plf5-7rYM%2F A broad trend in technology and health: Taking data from patients, wherever they are, and getting it to doctors and nurses, wherever they are. As we’ve noted before, lots of big tech companies like Intel, Google and IBM are trying to figure out how to gather data from patients when they’re at home, so that doctors and nurses can intervene to reduce the risk of hospitalizations and complications. At the same time, the companies that make smart phones are trying to figure out how to make patient data mobile for doctors and nurses. That push is perhaps inevitable, given the growth of smart phones, the tech industry’s push into health care and doctors’ and nurses’ longstanding use of Palms and other PDAs as medical reference tools. A story in this morning’... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2871559 Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:20:21 +0100 2871559 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2871789&cid=t_292907_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorandpatient.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F10%2Fmedical-malpractise-flourishes-because.html My friend underwent an angioplasty today for treatment of his ischemic heart disease. His interventional cardiologist , Dr Kirit Punamiya, is an extremely talented doctor. He has a team of competent technicians; and has single-handedly performed a number of extremely complex and technically challenging procedures such as atherectomics with a rotablator; and clot aspirations in patients with acute myocardial infarction. Cardiologists from all over the world recognize his technical expertise and invite him to demonstrate advanced procedures and teach them .The tragedy is that very few patients know about his skills. Most patients simply do not have the ability to judge a doctor’s technical expertise. They feel that all interventional cardiologists are equally good - and often end up select... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2871789 Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:55:00 +0100 2871789 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2865696&cid=t_292907_105_f&fid=38964&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrwes.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F10%2Fpresidential-photo-ops-and-those-pesky.html After the botched Presidential photo-op yesterday to promote the government's unprecedented intrusion into the doctor-patient relationship, I wonder if the President is aware of the latest thinking on white coats and that England has proceeded to ban them.Ah, but no matter. It's better living through bureaucracy and politics...-WesMusings of a cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist. (Source: Dr. Wes) Dr. Wes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2865696 Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:35:00 +0100 2865696 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2862461&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FIEZnfztJ_Kk%2F The story so far in Massachusetts: State implements near-universal health insurance coverage; costs rise sharply; state panel calls for replacing fee-for-service payments with fixed, per-patient payments. The latest development: Doctors’ and hospital groups have been warning state officials that ending fee for service within five years, as the panel recommended, could cause havoc in the state health-care system, the Boston Globe reports. “It can’t be forced on everyone,” the president of the Massachusetts Medical Society told the Globe. “You’ll force [doctors] out of business.” The CEO of the Massachusetts Hospital Association, who was on the panel that proposed the new payment system, called for certain protections for doctors and hospitals. She also s... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2862461 Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:06:50 +0100 2862461 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2862768&cid=t_292907_177_f&fid=38133&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FTubalReversalBlog%2F%7E3%2FUa2JTlA6qRo%2Fadiana-sterilization-and-adiana-reversal.html The tubal reversal experts of Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center describe the reversal of an experimental form of tubal ligation - the Adriana procedure. They share the story of Tina who underwent Adiana sterilization and then experienced the unexpected and tragic death of her 14 year old son. Tina then chose to have an out-patient surgical procedure (tubal implantation) performed by Dr. Berger and Dr. Monteith to reverse her Adiana sterilization. (Source: Tubal Reversal Blog) Tubal Reversal Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2862768 Sun, 04 Oct 2009 21:10:22 +0100 2862768 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2857393&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2Fd1OqI9Mj-PU%2F Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: As jobs continued to disappear around the country last month, the number of health-care jobs kept growing. As usual, the month-to-month gain wasn’t huge — about 19,000 new health-care jobs were added during September, bringing the total to 13.67 million, according to the seasonally adjusted estimate out today from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But over the past year, with consistent gains, the sector has added about 300,000 jobs. During the same period, the total number of nonfarm jobs nationwide fell by about 6 million, to 131 million. Every subcategory within health care showed job growth in September. The biggies: Doctors’ offices added 5,300 jobs, hospitals added 4,600 slots, home health-care services added 3,400 jobs ... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2857393 Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:16:31 +0100 2857393 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2855535&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FOzqeYkEOrYo%2F “The Match” is high-stakes, months-long process that’s supposed to put fourth-year medical students on an equal footing with the medical residency programs where they want to work. But it doesn’t always work out that way. In the latest JAMA, a young doc in his first year of residency at Columbia recounts his own experiences during the Match and describes what he calls “unambiguous violations” of the rules. Medical residencies are the intensive clinical-training programs where newly minted doctors get their real-world experience. Decades ago, before the Match was created, it was common for programs to play hardball with students. “Applicants were often offered positions and … were told if you don’t say yes within 24 to 48 hours, this off... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2855535 Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:45:16 +0100 2855535 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2855537&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2Fy8iCO5SOJEs%2F Paying doctors and hospitals for high-quality care, rather than for volume of care, is central to slowing the growth of health costs, lots of health wonks say. But figuring out how to do that is really tough. Latest example: A provision in the health-care bill being endlessly kicked around the Senate Finance Committee would reduce Medicare payments to doctors who order the most tests and treatments for their patients. Not a popular provision among doctors! The provision does adjust for severity — that is, it recognizes that doctors with sicker patients will order more tests and treatments. But docs are skeptical of such adjustments. “Those things are very imperfect, imprecise and they depend on data that often doesn’t really reflect what’s going on,” one doc t... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2855537 Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:24:28 +0100 2855537 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2842535&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F09%2Fcant-afford-health-insurance-uninsured-facts-families.html Health care reform isn’t just about covering the uninsured. It’s also about making sure that those who do have insurance can rely on it to pay the bills if they get sick, without leaving them with unmanageable debt. Sadly, that’s often not the case today, as Kaiser Health News documents in a series of reports done in partnership with National Public Radio. The struggles of Jim and Martha Martin and their teenage daughters Sara and Rebekah, profiled in one of the articles, show how inadequate insurance can be. The parents, who live in Maine, hold down five part-time jobs between them yet have only limited coverage, mainly Martha’s plan (which only covers her) from her part-time supermarket deli job, and Sara’s through a student policy offered by her college. It’s nowhe... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2842535 Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:26:13 +0100 2842535 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2838899&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2Ff29VddOTdkw%2F In the push to get doctors to digitize their patient records, one New York hospital system is going to dangle a $400 million carrot. The North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System is planning to offer doctors who establish electronic medical records up to $40,000 annually for five years, according to the New York Times. The subsidy would come on top of the $44,000 that doctors could get as part of the federal stimulus package to further decrease the expense of digitizing records, whose costs can be substantial. The system, which has 13 hospitals and more than 7,000 doctors, wants to set up a system to share data between doctors’ offices, labs and hospitals in order to better coordinate treatments, while cutting unneeded testing and reducing errors. The plan is to offer more money t... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2838899 Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:01:38 +0100 2838899 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2836197&cid=t_292907_105_f&fid=38964&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrwes.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F09%2Ffinal-opus.html It was midnight and the Emergency Room door opened like a curtain on a Broadway. A lone man sat in blue at the countertop, writing. Behind him, the chorus, working feverishly on the protagonist - the script rehearsed a thousand times before.Clothes off, Story?, facemask, C-collar, endotracheal tube, breath sounds, telemetry, IV’s, blood work, pulse ox, Stop.Resume, Pulse?, patches, register, call the lab, Allergies?, epi, atropine, Pressure?, twitching, NG, x-ray, Stop. Pulse?Resume, pacing wire, max output, capture?, not quite, “potassium?”, not ready, blood gas, foley, Capture! Stop.Resume, blood gas, no capture, damn, tweak, better, pulse?, yes. Lab?, no, Which meds?, cardiologist, Go.Vent, hoist, prep, stick, contrast, open, shock, balloon pump, a-line, movement, labs, blood gas,... Dr. Wes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2836197 Sun, 27 Sep 2009 11:54:00 +0100 2836197 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2834309&cid=t_292907_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2FDO-CoqWSxOw%2F Doctors get stressed out at their jobs as much as any of us do. That’s why a new study says that doctors can get some relief from this stress by using mindful “meditation and communication.” Training of this sort in the study included weekly sessions of at least two and a half hours long, as well as an all-day session in an eight week period. Study leaders found that doctors not only reduced their stress levels, but also increased their ability to respond to patients. In short, by learning to deal with their own stress, they became more empathetic and better able to deal with their patients. Image: sxc.hu. Post from: Blisstree Meditation Can Help Doctors (Source: A Hearty Life) A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2834309 Fri, 25 Sep 2009 22:33:10 +0100 2834309 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2832295&cid=t_292907_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fpolitical-correctness-is-gone-in-a-life-with-chronic-pain%2F In case you haven’t noticed, our world has become heavily laden with political correctness. Sometimes, it’s almost paralytic. With each administration in Washington DC, the issues of the day are assigned new names. The war on terror is no longer called the war on terror. It reminds me of a trip to one of the local coffee dispensers which are on every corner here in the Northwest. If you walk in and order a cup of coffee, and don’t know the politically correct adjectives involved, you can leave there with your plain cup of coffee and feel like an idiot. It’s bad enough if you don’t know the difference between grande and large, cappuccino or latte’s, foam and dry, etc. The worse part is the look you get from the youngster wearing the cap and apron who is working behind the counte... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2832295 Thu, 24 Sep 2009 20:28:45 +0100 2832295 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2820188&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2Fg98wP0WcpBM%2F Two stories in this morning’s WSJ remind us of a fact that’s always useful to keep in mind: The body is astonishingly good at taking care of itself. Don’t monkey with it — by, say, filling it with unneeded drugs or second-hand smoke — and it will generally plug away just fine. As Melinda Beck notes in her column today, Americans spend billions of dollars a year to treat things that would go away on their own. Sometimes, the treatments do provide relief from symptoms. Other times the treatment is useless and can even cause problems — like taking antibiotics for a cold, which does nothing to treat the disease and contributes to antibiotic resistance. Of course, sick patients don’t want to hear that there’s nothing the doctor can do. “Some... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2820188 Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:32:34 +0100 2820188 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2814561&cid=t_292907_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FqsGYQ0uSV5g%2F In the midst of much healthcare reform talk, not enough attention seems focused on ensuring healthcare systems' preparedness to deal with cognitive health issues -with Alzheimer's Disease as the most dramatic example- which are predicted to grow given aging population trends. Today is World Alzheimer's Day, and the USA Today comments on a new report that makes stark predictions: Global Alzheimer's cases expected to rise sharply (USA Today) - "The 2009 World Alzheimer's Report, released today, estimates 35 million people worldwide are living with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. The figure is a 10% increase over 2005 numbers." - "The number of people affected by Alzheimer's is growing at a rapid rate, and the increasing personal costs will have significant impact on t... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2814561 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:48:39 +0100 2814561 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2812546&cid=t_292907_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2009%2F09%2Fmerger-northwest-hospital-and-uwmc.html I just found out that Northwest Hospital, where I go for my cancer care, will be merging with UW Medicine, more commonly known as UWMC or the U-Dub (that's the University of Washington Medical Center, for those of you out of state).Here's the story in The Seattle Times: Merger According to that story, Northwest lost something like $13 million last year. But that wasn't the reason for the merger, oh no. My biggest concern, of course, is the impact on the oncology practice. I don't want that to change. I like it small and funky, at least I do now. When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer, 11 years ago this month, I sought out what I considered to be the best doctors, and I found them at the UW. I got my treatment there until SCCA (a partnership among the UW, the Hutch, and Children's... The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2812546 Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:06:14 +0100 2812546 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2803874&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FDXbETzTwzOw%2F In addition to everything else, the Baucus bill wants to make drug and other medical companies to report payments to doctors and hospitals when they pass certain levels. How much triggers a report, you ask? Any individual payment over $10 or total payments to a recipient of more than $100 a year. Under the bill unveiled by Sen. Max Baucus today, drug, device and medical-supply makers would be required to provide a slew of details to Health and Human Services going beyond the names and addresses of those receiving money. The reports would have to include whether the payment was for marketing, education or research purposes, the specific name of the drug, device or medical supplies and “any other category of information that the Secretary determines appropriate,” according to the... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2803874 Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:36:47 +0100 2803874 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2803910&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F09%2Fget-vaccinated-doc-.html One statistic jumped out at me as I was gathering material for our coverage of the swine (H1N1) and seasonal flu vaccines:  Less than half of health-care professionals get the flu shot each year.  Such a low vaccination rate has led to flu outbreaks in hospitals and nursing homes, research suggests. Plus, sick doctors and nurses can’t—or at least shouldn’t—go to work, and their absence could be especially critical this coming "two-flu" season. Indeed, the CDC puts health-care professionals at the top of the flu vaccine list in part because they are so vital. But the surveys suggest that this message isn’t getting through. We know that breaking the chain of infection—preventing transmission of the flu from caregivers and household members to people at high... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2803910 Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:13:00 +0100 2803910 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2793115&cid=t_292907_86_f&fid=38272&url=http%3A%2F%2Flaikaspoetnik.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F09%2F14%2Fthe-trouble-with-wikipedia-as-a-source-for-medical-information%2F Image via Wikipedia Do you ever use Wikipedia? I do and so do many other people. It is for free, easy to use, and covers many subjects. But do you ever use Wikipedia to look up scientific or medical information? Probably everyone does so once in a while. Dave Munger (Researchblogging) concluded a discussion on Twitter as [...] (Source: Laika's MedLibLog) Laika's MedLibLog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2793115 Mon, 14 Sep 2009 07:38:14 +0100 2793115 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2786275&cid=t_292907_150_f&fid=38374&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FePharmaSummit%2F%7E3%2FhF8f3wyI_Rw%2Fnew-widget-helps-ny-doctors-treat-aids.html (Source: ePharma Summit) ePharma Summit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2786275 Thu, 10 Sep 2009 20:12:00 +0100 2786275 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2782020&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F09%2Fhand-washing-for-flu-season-swine-flu-prevention-hygiene-tips-for-flu-prevention.html As flu season approaches, everyone is talking about hand washing, especially health-care professionals. But will more talking mean more doing? A couple of public humiliations helped make me become a better hand washer. The first occurred when, as a relatively new certified nurse midwife, I was training to assist on cesarean sections. I scrubbed in with the doctor, chatting as we completed the ritualized five minutes of hand washing. We were off to a good start—or so I thought. But when we were gloved and gowned and ready to go the doctor said, "So, who trained you to scrub anyway? Start over, and this time keep your hands up, so the dirty water doesn’t run back over them." As the assembled operating room team watched and waited, I shamefacedly washed my hands again. Suffice... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2782020 Wed, 09 Sep 2009 19:53:54 +0100 2782020 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2774607&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FsQnzXQxW7fE%2F President Obama continues to portray the debate over health care reform as a choice between his plan for a massive government-takeover of the US healthcare system and “doing nothing.”  Those who oppose his plan are said to be “obstructionist” or in favor of the status-quo.  Yesterday, the President again said, “I’ve got a question for all those folks [who oppose his plan]: What are you going to do? What’s your answer? What’s your solution?” Well, I can’t speak for all his critics, but the Cato Institute has a long record of supporting health care reform based on free-markets and competition.  If the President wanted to know more he might have read my recent op-ed in the Los Angeles Times or Michael Cannon’s piece in Investors Business Daily.  H... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2774607 Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:15:10 +0100 2774607 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2765952&cid=t_292907_85_f&fid=34924&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.baggas.com%2Fposts%2F2009%2F09%2F04%2Fmedical-script%2F Here’s a cool passage we discovered the other night in our small group. How I wish this one had’ve made it into the canon 1Honour physicians for their services, for the Lord created them; 2for their gift of healing comes from the Most High, and they are rewarded by the king. 3The skill of physicians makes them distinguished, and in the presence of the great they are admired. 4The Lord created medicines out of the earth, and the sensible will not despise them. 5Was not water made sweet with a tree in order that its power might be known? 6And he gave skill to human beings that he might be glorified in his marvellous works. 7By them the physician heals and takes away pain; 8   the pharmacist makes a mixture from them. God’s works will never be finished; and from him health  ... Baggas' Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2765952 Fri, 04 Sep 2009 02:36:05 +0100 2765952 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2765992&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F7p0hBlZlqjs%2F Four out of five doctors are “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with their career, according to a survey out today. We’ll admit to being somewhat surprised by that rather high figure, given the stories we hear (and the comments we read) from doctors who are dismayed by the state of the profession. Still, that does leave 15% who are somewhat or very dissatisfied, and another 4% who are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied. Pediatrics, apparently, is a particularly fulfilling field: 88% of pediatricians came down on the satisfied side of the ledger, and only 9% said they were dissatisfied. That made them the most satisfied and least dissatisfied doctors among all of the specialties listed by the survey. Perhaps not surprisingly, the 30% of docs who said they... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2765992 Thu, 03 Sep 2009 20:19:12 +0100 2765992 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2757721&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F9XMpeh_qGZ0%2F Whether a trauma surgeon is a novice or experienced makes no difference on patients’ likelihood of survival, according to a recent study published in the Archives of Surgery. Instead, it appears that the overall system of care is more important. We caught up with Elliott Haut, first author of the study and an assistant professor of surgery at Johns Hopkins, to discuss his findings. Here is an edited excerpt of the conversation. Surgeons’ years of experience didn’t have an impact on patient mortality. Why is that? I think there probably are very specific cases where very experienced surgeons do make a difference. But when you look at it as a whole — thousands and thousands of patients treated by different kinds of surgeons — it’s the system that makes the... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2757721 Tue, 01 Sep 2009 20:39:01 +0100 2757721 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2757722&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FEyn90rCbTOQ%2F Boston Scientific showed that its $30,000 devices that slow heart deterioration, called cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators, produced clinical benefit in a 1,820-patient clinical trial, according to results published in today’s New England Journal of Medicine. The company announced in June that the study, known as MADIT-CRT, demonstrated that the resynchronizers reduced hospitalizations, but these complete results showed the devices were even more effective than earlier reported, according to the WSJ. But an accompanying editorial in today’s NEJM asks whether expanded CRT use in patients with heart failure is cost effective. Mariell Jessup of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, points out that despite evidence that patients with certain types of hear... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2757722 Tue, 01 Sep 2009 19:21:42 +0100 2757722 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2751903&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=34935&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicine.com.my%2Fwp%2F%3Fp%3D7807 I think there are mixed signals about testing coming out from the MOH especially when there were earlier media reports about the Health Minister encouraging doctors to use the “rapid test”. The Star reported As the death toll from Influenza A (H1N1) rose to 38, the Government green-lighted the use of rapid test kits for private clinics and hospitals to conduct flu checks on the public. Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said private healthcare providers can use these kits to help cope with the large number of patients wanting to be checked, and for faster detection and containment of the pandemic. “Use of rapid test kits was discouraged in the private sector earlier when the H1N1 outbreak was still small and mostly imported. “Now that it has reached the community lev... Malaysian Medical Resources blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2751903 Sun, 30 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2751903 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2744058&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FRbJxW9Z-O08%2F Deep into Congress’s August recess, here is some of the latest on health care reform: Claims that health reform will be disastrous for businesses and government are wrong, writes Gary Locke, the U.S. secretary of commerce in an op-ed in the WSJ. Making his case for reform, Locke says that climbing health care costs already cost American businesses jobs and revenue, as well as entrepreneurship, and that isn’t sustainable. “In the short term, health-care costs pose a major problem for companies and their employees,” writes Locke. “In the medium and long-term, these costs pose serious challenges to our economy.” Health insurers wonder how they’ve become the villains in the reform debate, according to the New York Times. Some reasons that employees at ... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2744058 Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:26:50 +0100 2744058 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2737944&cid=t_292907_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fhealthy-lifestyle-changes-and-multiple-sclerosis%2F Sometimes it seems that Multiple Sclerosis is going to be MS no matter what we do!  We take our prescribed disease-modifying therapy, we down our “other” meds that are devised to reduce symptomatic issues; we work with our docs to live the best life we can. I’m wondering today, what else you do to live a better life with Multiple Sclerosis?  What changes have you made to the way you live your life (they may or may not have changed your MS) that have made you feel more in control of your life and your disease? I’ve read from you in these pages over the past 3-odd years about diet changes (some drastic, some subtle); exercise regimes including yoga, stretching, swimming, etc.; changes in careers, hobbies; just about everything.  I thought it might be nice to have a place w... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2737944 Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:15:43 +0100 2737944 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2734136&cid=t_292907_117_f&fid=38158&url=http%3A%2F%2Famericanacupuncture.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Fwho-speaks-for-your-doctor.html As a medical physician for over 50 years, I strive to give you the best medical information on controversial medical subjects and let you, the reader, come to your own conclusions. I have no ties to any organization, pharmaceutical, or lobby group. As an practicing medical acupuncturist since 1982, I find western medicine and medical acupuncture are very complimentary that results in astounding healing in pain management, addictions to cigarettes and food, and a host of other maladies. Let me know how we are doing. Your constructive comments are always appreciated. Click the RSS post button on the upper right hand corner if you would like to receive by email our future medical blogs. Visit http://www.americanacupuncture.com/ for more detailed information on healing. WHO SPEAKS FOR YOUR DO... Dr. Needles Medical Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2734136 Wed, 26 Aug 2009 01:18:00 +0100 2734136 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2730053&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FPNo4WlHnSX0%2F Is it time to roll back the clock? House calls by primary care physicians may be a money saver in some cases, according to the Los Angeles Times. One main benefit of this strategy, which we’ve written about before here and here, is that closely monitoring these patients can reduce expensive hospital admissions. The LA Times details the experience of a team of docs in Richmond, Va., who visit about 275 patients — most with multiple medical conditions — once a month. Visits to these home-bound patients can turn up everything from a typical urinary tract infection to an emergency situation that requires an ambulance. But even if it may save money in the long-run, the up-front costs are expensive: Medicare pays for about half the program’s $1 million price tag, and the... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2730053 Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:40:35 +0100 2730053 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2730282&cid=t_292907_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fwould-you-recommend-your-neurologist-for-multiple-sclerosis%2F Multiple sclerosis is not a particularly easy disease to diagnose.  Multiple sclerosis has no formulaic treatment.  There is no cure. We rely, heavily, on the knowledge and experience of a well rounded medical care team (along with a strong dose of knowledge of our own bodies) to find a treatment path that works for us.  It’s a lot to ask of ourselves and we cannot do it alone. In a comment the other day Judy asked if anyone knew of a good neurologist in her area (Alabama), and that got me wondering… I’m asked quite oft, here in Seattle, who my neurologist is and if I would recommend him. (BIG “yes” is always my answer to that question).  How about you? Are you happy with the care you get from your neurologist? Do you have a “general” neurologist or do you see an MS speci... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2730282 Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:46:49 +0100 2730282 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2719686&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=35049&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nakedmedicine.com%2Fwhich-side-are-you-really-on-jane-chin I received what is probably the most passionate email from a reader of this blog that I’ve ever gotten since creating NakedMedicine.com in 2006. The email concludes with this: I can’t figure out what your agenda is Ms Chin. Are siding with the poor hard working physicians who are fighting a losing battle with their idiot patient’s lifestyles? Are you siding with the tirelessly industrious pharmaceutical scientists who are selflessly dedicating their efforts to cure our ills? Are you siding with the poor neglected suffering individuals who are bravely pushing onward in their lives, struggling with disease, possible disease, possible pandemics, or just plain plainness requiring cosmetic medicine? Doctors, business, persons, for whom are you advocating? I was shocked by the ... NAKEDMEDICINE.COM blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2719686 Fri, 21 Aug 2009 04:42:29 +0100 2719686 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2712083&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FPcFOLCmbK0U%2F You’re in your doctor’s office and you want to know how whether he or she has any financial ties with drug or device makers. How do you ask that question? That’s the sensitive situation the Washington Post presents this morning. It can be awkward because patients don’t want to offend or alienate their docs. Be inquisitive, not accusatory. Daniel Carlat, a psychiatrist who has written about his own experience getting paid by the drug industry and also publishes the Carlat Psychiatry Report, suggests saying to your doctor that you’ve heard a lot about ties between doctors and the drug industry, and asking whether it happens. Of course, it’s becoming a little easier to get the information other ways as well. If your doc is part of an academic medical center... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2712083 Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:43:36 +0100 2712083 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2709161&cid=t_292907_97_f&fid=35606&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theangriestpharmacist.com%2F2009%2F08%2F17%2Fexpounding-on-courtesy%2F Some may remember a post I wrote some time ago titled, “Common Courtesy.” Well, apparently, not everyone in the world has read that post yet. I know challenge all of you to read it again and ensure that every person you know reads it as well. I’m currently working on a collaborative practice agreement between myself and a group of local physicians that prescribe about 30% of my business that would allow me to change and edit prescriptions per protocol to fit insurance/payment needs. Meaning — if one of them writes Lipitor and it’s for a cash-pay patient, I can immediately change it to an equivalent dose of Simvastatin. Each of these changes had to be hand written, researched and decided by me. Then, I had to talk it over with 1 of the doctor’s to make su... The Angriest Pharmacist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2709161 Tue, 18 Aug 2009 00:44:33 +0100 2709161 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2705363&cid=t_292907_177_f&fid=38133&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FTubalReversalBlog%2F%7E3%2F9qPxs-KpiSI%2Frobotic-tubal-reversal-surgery.html Robotic tubal reversal is the most current topic discussed by the tubal reversal specialist of Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center. The advantages and disadvantages of robotic tubal reversal surgery will be highlighted in this three part blog. This first article discusses the basic concepts behind robotic tubal reversal. (Source: Tubal Reversal Blog) Tubal Reversal Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2705363 Sun, 16 Aug 2009 14:05:14 +0100 2705363 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2699580&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=34935&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicine.com.my%2Fwp%2F%3Fp%3D7667 The Star reported today Anyone with flu-like symptoms and with high fever that persists for more than 48 hours should now be treated with anti-viral drugs, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said. The Health Minister said this was a change from the previous policy of prescribing the drugs only when patients showed symptoms and were suspected to have contracted the A (H1N1) virus. He said the ministry had directed all public and private hospitals to administer immediate treatment to these patients. Liow said there were three groups involved — those with influenza-like symptoms and suffering from underlying medical conditions; with symptoms and high fever that persist for more than two days; and those who tested positive for In-fluenza A (H1N1). To reduce congestion at public hospitals, he said pr... Malaysian Medical Resources blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2699580 Wed, 12 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2699580 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2691437&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F08%2Fyou-never-know-whats-coming-for-ya.html I finally saw the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button this weekend and woke to a bright morning thinking the movie’s refrain “You never know what’s coming for ya.” So I was primed for the unexpected as I read the troubling content on Dead By Mistake, a site that features the results of a Hearst investigative report on medical errors. The site’s most compelling feature is the set of 30 profiles and heart wrenching photos of lives lost unexpectedly under circumstances that certainly seemed preventable. This new content echoes the report we released in May as part of our Safe Patient Project.  Our report, To Err is Human—To Delay is Deadly, looks at specific infection-preventing practices state by state and the status of legislation to make hospital ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2691437 Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:21:19 +0100 2691437 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2691461&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FChjmwphly8I%2F In his town-hall meeting today, President Obama hit on the familiar theme that there is a “severe shortage” of primary care physicians. “Primary care physicians, they make a lot less money than specialists,” he said. “[O]ne of the things we can do is to reimburse doctors who are providing preventive care and not just the surgeon who provides care after somebody is sick.” He also called for “helping pay for medical education for those who are willing to go into primary care.” Of course, we’ve all heard this sort of thing before. What do the two big health-care bills introduced so far this year in Congress actually do to address these issues? Deep in the 1,018-page House bill (p. 879) is a description of a “primary care training an... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2691461 Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:53:47 +0100 2691461 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2691438&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F08%2Ffinding-a-good-nursing-home-nursing-home-care-nonprofit-nursing-homes-not-for-profit-nursing-homes-.html The decision to move my grandmother to a nursing home was very difficult for my parents. After all, when my grandmother was a girl in "the old country" (her native Germany), families would care for their elders in their home. And my parents did in fact do this for several years. But eventually my grandmother's worsening dementia and health meant that she required more care than my parents could safely provide, and they decided a nursing home was the best option. But then they were faced with another difficult decision: Which nursing home would provide the best-quality care, and how might they determine this? These are common questions, and not just among concerned family members. Researchers and policy makers are also keen to learn which nursing homes provide the best care—... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2691438 Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:54:04 +0100 2691438 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2688745&cid=t_292907_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2FUFpjr-NLzJw%2F With obesity a problem running rampant these days, it should come as no surprise that there is a new certification program especially for the subject. Doctors will now be able to become specialists in weight management. Ten professional medical groups, such as the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics, are joining forces to highlight the area of obesity. In doing this, doctors will be able to become certified on the subject of “nutrition, exercise, psychology and medicine.” Since the program is beginning now, the first official certifications will not take place until next year. With obesity such a huge problem today, I think this is a smart move by the medical world. Rather than just berating patients who are overweight, specialists will ... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2688745 Tue, 11 Aug 2009 00:00:11 +0100 2688745 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2681879&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FXWUFd_AlCRU%2F It’s a dog-bites-man story at this point, but we’re going to keep covering it anyway: As the U.S. continued to shed jobs in July, the number of health care jobs kept growing. For the nation as a whole, the number of nonfarm payroll jobs fell by 247,000 during the month. The number of jobs in health care rose by 20,000. There are about 13.6 million health care jobs in the country, so that’s a small percentage gain. Still, the consistent trend through the recession has been quite striking: Month after month, the number of jobs has decreased nationwide while the number of health care jobs has risen. That adds up — over the past year, as the total number of nonfarm payroll jobs fell from 137.2 million to 131.4 million, the number of health care jobs rose from 13.3 mill... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2681879 Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:48:10 +0100 2681879 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2670783&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FjyiYfYSF038%2F What shortage of primary care physicians? Miami has plenty of primary care docs who have defected from Cuba, according to the New York Times, which estimates that 6,000 medical professionals have left Cuba in the last six years. More generally, foreign-trained physicians have been filling the shortage of primary care physicians in the U.S. in recent years (see here for residency match data from this year). One out of every four doctors in the U.S. is now trained overseas, according to the NYT. Like foreign-trained docs from other countries, Cuban physicians may face the perception that their training isn’t as rigorous as medical schools in the U.S. In addition, Cuban docs tend to be older when they come to the U.S., which makes it even harder for them to nab residencies, the intensiv... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2670783 Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:28:24 +0100 2670783 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2667407&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2Fy5uAw_UuYoM%2F When patients understand their choices and share in the decision making process with their doctors, they tend to choose less invasive and less expensive treatments than they would have otherwise received. (For more on shared decision making, see my WSJ column.) So it’s not surprising that in Washington and state legislatures around the country, lawmakers are looking at expanding shared-decision making programs, both as a possible cost-cutting measure and as a way to ensure that patients get their legal right to informed consent before medical procedures. Here’s a rundown of state and federal initiatives: The Empowering Patient Choices Act, sponsored by Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, would create a pilot project to study the use of shared decision-maki... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2667407 Tue, 04 Aug 2009 01:47:11 +0100 2667407 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2667408&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FfFCVzx5MUPM%2F Sidney Zion, moved by the death of his daughter to fight for work limits on young doctors, died Sunday. He was 75. Here’s the obituary from the New York Times. Zion’s daughter Libby was 18 years old in 1984 when she was admitted to New York Hospital with fever, chills and agitation. She was treated by a busy first-year resident, never seen by the attending physician, and was not checked on over the course of several hours. She died eight hours after she was admitted. A jury later found that Libby Zion was partly to blame, for failing to tell doctors that she had taken cocaine and prescription drugs; a judge set aside this finding, according to the Times. But the publicity around the her death led the state of New York to create a commission and, ultimately, to impose new rules ... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2667408 Mon, 03 Aug 2009 17:11:32 +0100 2667408 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2667411&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F5xvhsK8iK-k%2F This morning’s WSJ notes that drug makers and energy companies spent big on lobbying in the second quarter of this year. That’s logical, given the big push on energy and health-care legislation. We were interested to learn more, so we took a look at the list of 20 top spenders on lobbying for the first half of 2009, compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan group that tracks this sort of thing. The top spender wasn’t a health-care group, but it’s one that’s been involved in the debate over health reform: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which has spent $26.2 million on lobbying so far this year. Third on the list was PhRMA, the drug industry trade group, which spent $13.1 million. Pfizer was sixth at $11.7 million and Blue Cross/Blue Shield wa... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2667411 Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:09:13 +0100 2667411 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2663914&cid=t_292907_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F08%2F03%2Fbmj-2009-vol-339-no-7715%2F content page Fade Fave: Judges overturn ruling that doctors in NHS disciplinary hearings cannot have lawyer Fade Skinny: The Court of Appeal has overturned rules introduced four years ago denying doctors access to legal representation in disciplinary proceedings by NHS employers in England. The wording of the rules, agreed in 2005 after negotiations between the Department of Health and the BMA, was widely thought to have deprived doctors of the longstanding right to have a lawyer act for them at a disciplinary hearing. (NHS Athens is required to access this article online) Posted in Athens Password, Current Awareness, E-Journals Tagged: Athens Password, Current Awareness, Doctors, E-Journals (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2663914 Mon, 03 Aug 2009 09:21:49 +0100 2663914 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2662554&cid=t_292907_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorandpatient.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Flearning-how-to-learn-guide-for-indian.html Learning How To Learn A Guide For Indian DoctorsView more presentations from malpani. (Source: The Patient's Doctor) The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2662554 Sat, 01 Aug 2009 14:52:00 +0100 2662554 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2660725&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Fdangers-of-young-surgeons.html The effects of the Eurpoean working time directive and been creeping in for some years. I wrote about it in 2006Ten to fifteen years ago, the average orthopaedic surgeon would have had approximately 36,000 hours hands-on experience before he was appointed to a consultancy. Dr Andrew O’Brien, a specialist registrar in orthopaedics will have had approximately 8000 hours experience when he becomes a consultant.In a nutshell (nutcase you might prefer) the new consultant will have three hundred per cent less experience than his older colleagues. So the next time you go into hospital make sure your consultant is aged at least fifty.Surgical training crisisSo, the next time you are in the anaesthetic room, awaiting surgery, make sure that the surgeon doing the operatoin is not young. If he is, ... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2660725 Sat, 01 Aug 2009 12:04:00 +0100 2660725 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2660711&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FFkE_B4crieY%2F Which docs are getting paid by Eli Lilly? To find out, check out the company’s new “faculty registry”. It’s a list of payments to all the doctors who served as consultants in the first quarter of this year. In just the first three months of the year, Lilly paid out $22 million to these doctors, according to our colleagues at Dow Jones Market Talk who did the math. The list, released for the first time today, is part of the company’s efforts to increase transparency, according to Lilly. Like other drug makers, Lilly has made attempts to be more transparent as ties between pharmaceutical companies and doctors have faced increasing scrutiny from Congress, states and medical institutions. Pfizer, Merck and GlaxoSmithKline have also said they are going to disclose... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2660711 Fri, 31 Jul 2009 18:09:41 +0100 2660711 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2660714&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FovFsKxmUPgE%2F It’s all well and good to talk about reducing unnecessary hospital admissions to help control health costs. But the definition of “unnecessary” gets a lot more complicated when you’re the one doing the admitting, ER doc Jesse Pines writes in a column on WSJ.com. He describes the case of a woman with a probable case of lung cancer who needed a comprehensive evaluation. She was on Medicaid, the government health insurance for the poor, which meant she’d have a hard time finding specialists to treat her as an outpatient. So Pines admitted her to the hospital, even though she wasn’t acutely ill. In the hospital, she got a biopsy, a formal diagnosis of lung cancer and a plan for outpatient treatment. She met with a psychiatrist and a social worker. Pines argu... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2660714 Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:15:56 +0100 2660714 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2653677&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FK_1HX_rkgZM%2F For more than a year, the American Medical Association has been drafting a new ethics policy aiming to limit industry influence on continuing education for doctors. Apparently that’s not enough time. Early this month, Sen. Herb Kohl sent a letter to the AMA for a status report. The AMA wrote back saying it is still at work. The organization’s House of Delegates has rejected two proposals, and its ethics committee will take up the issue again in late August, the group said. “There is often more than one round of revisions,” AMA Executive Vice President Michael D. Maves wrote. An AMA spokeswoman said the organization didn’t have “anything else to add.” The first proposal from the AMA’s ethics committee recommended that doctors and others &#822... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2653677 Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:05:31 +0100 2653677 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2653680&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FPautPNdMPsk%2F Concern over Medicare is one theme of this morning’s health-reform coverage. Here are a few highlights: Seniors are worried about cuts to their Medicare benefits as a result of calls for reduced Medicare spending, reports the New York Times and WSJ. Members of AARP met with the president last night to discuss their concerns about seniors’ ability to continue to get costly services, like hip replacements. Obama tried to reassure them that the goal of cuts — the House bill proposes to reduce Medicare spending by $246 billion over the next decade — is to reduce wasteful Medicare spending, not benefits, notes the WSJ. Doctors’ groups don’t like the idea of an independent commission that would set the size of Medicare payments to health-care professionals, re... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2653680 Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:58:37 +0100 2653680 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2645600&cid=t_292907_177_f&fid=38133&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FTubalReversalBlog%2F%7E3%2FWDhOi1BvD-g%2Ftubes-reversed-tubes-untied-lisa-age-41.html After an unsuccessful cycle of in vitro fertilization (IVF), Lisa and her husband Marshall came to Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center to have her tubes reversed. Lisa had a successful outpatient screening laparoscopy and had her tubes untied at the age of 41. Readers are invited to read her story and about the tubal reversal sisters she met the day of her surgery. (Source: Tubal Reversal Blog) Tubal Reversal Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2645600 Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:19:02 +0100 2645600 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2639585&cid=t_292907_97_f&fid=35606&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theangriestpharmacist.com%2F2009%2F07%2F26%2Fnew-site-for-us-to-enjoy%2F Hello all….a long time e-friend of mine has revamped his site to something similar to NotAlwaysRight.com — tales of the retail world on the wrong side of the counter — the side getting yelled at by some fat, ugly, chimney. Only at DumbMedicine.com, the tales relate to conversations and the absurdness between patient and practictioner (or nurse, or pharmacist, or even another patient). You can post anonymously if you choose and a rating system will help determine the Quotation PROS from the Quotation HOES. So, I want everyone to go there and share at least one story with DM. I’m going to post a few short things on there, and they have been given permission to manually put any of my anecdotes into their database. But, as an upstart site of this type, they need help br... The Angriest Pharmacist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2639585 Sun, 26 Jul 2009 08:41:44 +0100 2639585 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2639698&cid=t_292907_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fnot-quite-ready-to-talk-about-it.html Quite a few of my friends and probably many of my loyal readers know that I have some treatment decisions to make. It has become apparent that because of cumulative chemo toxicity, I can no longer tolerate normal doses of conventional chemo drugs. (See: Running Out of Options)A good part of my spring and summer were given up to tests and scans to find out why I am so short of breath, and the answer, when it finally came, was disappointing. The most likely reason is simply the tumor load from my cancer. And then just before I left for Germany, I got the results of a PET/CT scan that showed significant disease progression. In addition to the tumor in my right lung, which has grown slightly, I now have cancer in two places in my lymph nodes. There are also lots of new spots ... The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2639698 Sat, 25 Jul 2009 15:51:56 +0100 2639698 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2637788&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FIURf75moqOM%2F Everybody’s got something to say about health reform, but nobody’s speaking up for the art of medicine, Abraham Verghese argues today in a Wsj.com column. Many doctors’ groups and academic medical centers are too deeply entrenched in the business of medicine to speak up for the field’s noblest intentions, writes Verghese, a novelist, Stanford prof and practicing physician. And he makes a case that a payment system that encourages doctors to practice the kind of medicine that leads to real relationships with patients could be more efficient in the long run: A physician who gets to know the patient can discuss difficult subjects such as end-of-life care while the patient is still relatively healthy — often sparing them the pain and huge expense of spending thei... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2637788 Fri, 24 Jul 2009 19:14:09 +0100 2637788 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2634464&cid=t_292907_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2FBEO9fZ8gqJE%2F There’s a new article on CNN that talks about doctors (consciously or not) treating black patients different than white patients. The story begins with the story of a diabetic black man who immediately went in because he had an infection on his toe. As any diabetic knows, it’s imperative to take care of your feet because problems can grow very quickly. When he went in to the emergency room, however, the first doctor that saw him wanted to amputate. Since this was obviously in an early stage of disease, it was a very drastic measure. The man insisted on talking to someone else, who prescribed a more costly and lengthy method that did, in fact, save his toe. His thought was that the first doctor who saw him treated him with such disregard because he was black. The funny part is,... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2634464 Thu, 23 Jul 2009 21:17:21 +0100 2634464 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2630097&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FXKhF_i09d1g%2F A nonprofit called Consumers’ Checkbook is launching the latest effort to let patients rate their doctors. It’s hardly the first entrant in the space. Among others, WellPoint is working with the restaurant-raters Zagat. And various efforts by health plans to rate doctors have run into a lot of static, resulting last year in an agreement on a framework for such quality rankings. But the nonprofit group’s president, Robert Krughoff, argues his effort’s got some special ingredients that should set it apart — and disarm the objections that many doctors have to such programs. Consumers’ Checkbook got names of members from Aetna, Cigna and UnitedHealth, as well as some Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, then surveyed them about their doctors. The rankings will only be used if th... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2630097 Wed, 22 Jul 2009 14:09:48 +0100 2630097 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2613906&cid=t_292907_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2F57AmOT1QZWw%2F Michael Jackson’s death reminded me a bit of Anna Nicole Smith’s in the fact that talk of his misuse of drugs came to light. I wondered why his doctors would allow him to use something to sleep that wasn’t even met for sleep, but rather for surgery. A new article on CNN talks about doctors and inability at times to say no to a patient. I don’t know who these doctors are. I mean, I’ve never encountered one personally. I always like to work with my doctors as much as I can to discuss the best plan for me. But perhaps that’s the problem. Perhaps some patients just want what they want and the doctor backs down and doesn’t care enough to say no. But when the Hippocratic oath starts out with “First, do no harm,” you have to wonder how these ... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2613906 Sat, 18 Jul 2009 11:19:24 +0100 2613906 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2613920&cid=t_292907_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FE7jPxepsXMo%2F At my EHR/ARRA presentation in Austin the speaker before me, Jill Lewis, CEO of Urology Austin (who did an excellent job), was trying to describe some of the doctors who were having a harder time adopting and learning to use their EMR software. You knew that she wanted to say “older doctors” but didn’t want to possibly offend some of the possibly older doctors in the room. Smart move. As she was struggling for the right description of the doctors who were having a harder time learning or adopting their EMR, a nice GYN in the front shouted out “traditional doctors.” I thought the description was perfect. So, from now on I’ll be using the term “traditional doctors” when describing those that are averse to adopting an EMR. I think this is actual... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2613920 Fri, 17 Jul 2009 22:38:11 +0100 2613920 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2613842&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FHOZzueOMhDc%2F One of the much-discussed drivers of the high cost of health care in the U.S. is that doctors are paid for every procedure and test, which gives a financial incentive to provide more and more treatments, even if they aren’t strictly necessary. That system could change drastically in Massachusetts, as the state struggles to pay for its universal health insurance plan. A Massachusetts commission yesterday recommended that the state shift its payment method from the ubiquitous “fee for service” formula to one where health-care providers would be grouped into networks and paid a flat monthly or annual fee. Here’s the WSJ story. The goal is to improve care while reducing costs by forcing health-care providers to work within a budget and coordinate care between providers,... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2613842 Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:22:22 +0100 2613842 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2610897&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FyjoZaxyPIg0%2F Tucked into the depths of the 1,018 pages of the House health care bill is $125 million to fund a program that looks at the medical home. In a medical home, a primary care provider (such as a family doctor, internist, pediatrician or nurse practitioner) gets paid to serve as the main point of contact for a patient and coordinate care among specialists and other community resources. That kind of thing often doesn’t get paid for in the current reimbursement system. And better coordination might improve patients’ quality of care and save money, for instance, by reducing redundant lab tests. (Though some efforts to improve coordination have failed to save money.) But medical home pilot projects have been around for a while now. And in the context of a bill expected to cost $1 tril... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2610897 Thu, 16 Jul 2009 19:03:18 +0100 2610897 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2605954&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FzKn-8CEDUWM%2F Some of the bevy of news coming out of the International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease has focused on identifying individuals with the disease earlier and more accurately, something researchers have been trying to do for years. But experts debate the value of screening or early detection of a disease for which there is currently no treatment that slows progression, and which could cause needless distress. A small study in today’s New England Journal of Medicine examines the notion that learning about your genetic risk of Alzheimer’s could lead to anxiety and distress, and finds that disclosure doesn’t appear to cause an undue amount of psychological distress for those who test positive for a well-known risk factor. Researchers studied 162 people who had a parent... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2605954 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 21:02:06 +0100 2605954 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2601977&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=35049&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nakedmedicine.com%2Fpharma-offering-lifestyle-drugs-power-will-shift-to-patient-customers You’ve probably seen it coming – smelled hints of it on TV – pharmaceutical companies are getting into what we call “lifestyle drugs”; products that focus on “enhancing” your life rather than “extending” it. Yes, there is a big difference, and you may think that “extending” life pays big, “enhancing” life may pay even BIGGER. (just ask the Botox people.) It’s only a matter of time before pharmaceutical companies shift their focus from “therapeutic intervention” to “lifestyle / recreation” because they now deal with a ready-and-willing customer base who are willing to pay. This also creates a more dramatic shift: one of bargaining power from the physicians to the patients. Eventually,... NAKEDMEDICINE.COM blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2601977 Tue, 14 Jul 2009 21:20:51 +0100 2601977 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2602261&cid=t_292907_177_f&fid=38133&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FTubalReversalBlog%2F%7E3%2FrX7lcSDmJ8o%2Ftubal-ligation-reversal-at-age-47-pat.html Pat is a 47 year-old breast cancer survivor who has defied the odds and now travels to Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center to pursue her dreams of having a tubal reversal and giving herself the possibility of conceiving again. (Source: Tubal Reversal Blog) Tubal Reversal Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2602261 Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:54:02 +0100 2602261 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2601969&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FuRR0MH6YdAU%2F We didn’t have to read the new jobs report from Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers to know that health care’s going to add a lot of jobs over the next several years. But we were interested in the report’s finding that the biggest job growth of any category in the economy would come not for doctors, nurses, or nursing home workers, but for a broadly defined group called “other medical services and dentists.” The report defines that group as “a broad category including the ever-expanding home health care, outpatient care, and medical and diagnostic laboratories subsectors,” and projects more than 2 million new jobs per year for the group, on average, between 2008 and 2016. A separate projection looks at the growth of health-related jobs vers... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2601969 Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:12:32 +0100 2601969 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2598234&cid=t_292907_88_f&fid=34729&url=http%3A%2F%2Fallscrubbedup.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fepisode-of-house.html From GraphJam. Hilarious. All they forgot was the seizures. Why is it that there is at least ONE seizure per episode of House. SA Doc tells me it's a lot more exciting than real life. Even the Baragwanath pit. (Source: All Scrubbed Up) All Scrubbed Up blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2598234 Tue, 14 Jul 2009 06:30:00 +0100 2598234 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2593092&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=34935&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicine.com.my%2Fwp%2F%3Fp%3D7430 Do we even need a study to show this? Well, research in Wisconsin published in the Annals of Internal Medicine suggests that Poor Working Conditions for Docs May Affect Quality of Care Adverse working conditions for primary care doctors, including time pressures and an unfavourable organizational culture, may lead to stress, burnout, and ultimately to lower quality patient care, a new study found. A survey found that 53.1% of primary care physicians reported time pressure during physical examinations, while 48.1% reported chaotic working environments. Only 23.7% felt that quality was strongly emphasized in their practices, according to Mark Linzer, MD, of the University of Wisconsin in Madison, and colleagues. Chaotic working environments. Time pressure. Unfavourable organisational cultu... Malaysian Medical Resources blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2593092 Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2593092 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2588478&cid=t_292907_177_f&fid=38133&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FTubalReversalBlog%2F%7E3%2FUAl5lgmW1yg%2Ftubal-reversal-journey-dr-berger-3.html "I don't know what the future will bring, and I know that there are no guarantees in this life, but I still have a chance that I did not have only a little over a month ago. My life has been impacted immensely by everyone at Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center." Lisa R. (Source: Tubal Reversal Blog) Tubal Reversal Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2588478 Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:42:21 +0100 2588478 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2580194&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FHj-Mze4JLds%2F Some familiar subjects are worth revisiting — like the fact that paying doctors for every test and procedure they do provides an incentive to do more tests and procedures. Sandeep Jauhar, a cardiologist, reflects on the subject in an essay in this morning’s New York Times. Jauhar’s main job, at academic medical center, gives him a bit of a buffer against the financial pressures faced by docs in private practice. But he recently began moonlighting on Saturday mornings at a private practice, and the new gig is a stark reminder of the way medicine is a business — and the business does better when doctors do more tests. He writes: A patient comes in with chest pains. It is hard not to order a heart-stress test when the nuclear camera is in the next room. Palpitations? ... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2580194 Tue, 07 Jul 2009 12:35:02 +0100 2580194 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2573128&cid=t_292907_177_f&fid=38133&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FTubalReversalBlog%2F%7E3%2F4PbKVei1W1o%2Ftubal-reversal-journey-dr-berger-2.html In Part 2 of My Journey to Tubal Reversal With Dr. Berger, posted on the Tubal Reversal Blog, Lisa R. writes, "On the day of my consult at Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center, I felt like I was in a whole new world. I have NEVER in my life felt so important or so special. When I met with Dr. Berger that day, I just knew I was in the best hands possible." (Source: Tubal Reversal Blog) Tubal Reversal Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2573128 Sun, 05 Jul 2009 22:32:23 +0100 2573128 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2570395&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FSumS-lOfIjY%2F We mentioned yesterday that the feds are proposing their annual tweaks to the way Medicare pays doctors. But we were so busy geeking out on a proposed accounting change that we neglected to mention a few other details likely to be of interest: Namely, the feds want to increase Medicare payments to primary-care docs, and decrease payments to some specialists. This is something that’s been bandied about for awhile, and there have been some small shifts in this direction. Still, specialists argue that they often have to train years longer than primary care doctors, and deserve higher pay. (They will still be paid more if the new Medicare payments take effect, but the gap between specialists and primary care docs might shrink a bit.) CMS, the agency that runs medicare, is proposing a set... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2570395 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:53:52 +0100 2570395 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2570399&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2Fr9o3ZacEwMI%2F The agency that runs Medicare today suggested making an obscure accounting change that could make it easier for Congress to change how Medicare pays doctors. The issue goes back to a law passed in the 1990s that was supposed to ensure that the amount Medicare paid doctors for each beneficiary grew no faster than the overall economy. That didn’t happen. (The law created something known as the “sustainable growth rate,” or SGR, in Washington jargon). So now there are two different worlds. There’s the official world, in which doctors are scheduled to get a 21.5% pay cut from Medicare next year under SGR. And then there’s the real world, where Congress will intervene at the last minute to block the pay cut, as it’s done time and again in recent years. There... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2570399 Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:17:33 +0100 2570399 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2561218&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FHwLSs5ScCpQ%2F It’s been a while since we asked about a topic that often seems to get readers riled up: Drug-industry gifts to doctors. We like the subject because it draws comments from all sides. “Getting free meals and all-expense-paid trips to conferences creates a subtle sense of obligation on the part of the doctor,” some will say. “What kind of doctor would be influenced by such petty things?” others will respond. We bring up the subject because, as the WSJ reminds us, new laws go into effect today in Massachusetts and Vermont to radically limit the gifts drug and device makers can give to doctors. Things have been moving in this direction for a while now, and the drug industry itself has moved away from giving docs the branded trinkets that have traditionally littere... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2561218 Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:25:17 +0100 2561218 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2561198&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F06%2Fshattering-the-myths-about-health-reform.html In a USA Today editorial today, Steven Findlay, senior health policy analyst at Consumers Union, sheds some light on the myths about health-care reform, many of which have frightened Americans. In it he debunks the notion that our system is headed toward socialized, government-run medicine with a side of rationed care: "Cookbook and rationed care? This fear stems from concerns that the government aims to dictate what doctors do and cut costs by limiting access to care. These notions are wrong. Rather, what [President] Obama and both Democratic and Republican leaders want to do is aggressively measure the quality of care that doctors and hospitals deliver and change the way those providers get paid so quality of care—rather than quantity—is rewarded. That's hardly a sociali... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2561198 Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:30:00 +0100 2561198 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2556102&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=34935&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicine.com.my%2Fwp%2F%3Fp%3D7329 CONCLUSION: We conclude that Live blood analysis may have no clinical significance. 2. Complementary and alternative allergy tests : review article. Morris, Adrian 2006 This article reviews the common tests employed by complementary and alternative medical practitioners to diagnose allergies and intolerances. These tests include VEGA, applied kinesiology, hair analysis, auriculocardiac test, stool and live blood analysis, leucocytotoxic tests and IgG ELISA tests. None of these tests has proven to be as accurate as specific IgE measurement in allergy diagnosis and they cannot be recommended. 3. eMJA 2004; 180 (12): 647-648: Good medicine and bad medicine: science to promote the convergence of “alternative” and orthodox medicine - poses a question which those in charge of ethics should p... Malaysian Medical Resources blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2556102 Sun, 28 Jun 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2556102 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2550211&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=35049&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nakedmedicine.com%2Fpharma-industrys-job-is-not-disease-prevention-thats-your-job I’ve heard the argument, so have you. “Those evil pharma companies aren’t interested in prevention! They want people to get sick and stay sick because that’s how they make their money! On the drugs!” Recently I had railed against the pharma companies that are capitalizing on increasing trends of people using certain prescription drugs as “lifestyle drugs” – not to mention appearing on the Wall Street Journal this past Friday to rail against pharma companies that abuse the role of medical science liaisons, so I have my own pet peeves and criticisms with pharma. What irks me is when a criticism about any industry is not based on a fundamental flaw in that industry, but is simply born of politicking sensationalizing this-is-how-I-get-more-reader... NAKEDMEDICINE.COM blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2550211 Sun, 28 Jun 2009 04:12:57 +0100 2550211 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2517201&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F06%2Frating-the-house-health-reform-proposal-bill-vaughn-house-tricommittee-draft-proposal-for-health-car.html In testimony before the House Education and Labor Committee yesterday, Consumers Union’s senior policy analyst, Bill Vaughan rated the House Tri-Committee Draft Proposal for Health Care Reform on how well it met our criteria for meaningful reform for consumers. As explained in a seven-page editorial in the August Consumer Reports, we’re looking for health reform that: covers everyone, makes insurance simple, provides information on quality of care, helps employers to offer protection for workers, rewards good care—not just more procedures, frees doctors to practice medicine, and gives you the freedom to choose your plan. So how does the house proposal rate? Here’s some of what Vaughn told the house committee, including suggestions for what can be improved. The ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2517201 Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:23:18 +0100 2517201 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2513149&cid=t_292907_150_f&fid=38374&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEPharmaSummit%2F%7E3%2FNA3r1Vbq5G0%2Fhealthdatarights-looks-to-help-patients.html (Source: ePharma Summit) ePharma Summit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2513149 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:13:00 +0100 2513149 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2512889&cid=t_292907_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2009%2F06%2Fhow-to-drive-your-doctor-nuts-or-not-.html The link to this article arrived in my mailbox this morning, and I thought I'd pass it on. Please note that No. 2 on the list of ways to drive your doctor nuts is to NOT TELL him or her about the herbal supplements you may be taking. I've had any number of cancer patients tell me over the years that they are taking some herbal concoction without telling their oncologist about it. Their excuses are usually "it's natural"--meaning it can't hurt them--or, "He'll be angry"--meaning the doctor. So, Excuse No. 1: If the supplement is powerful enough to have any benefit, it is powerful enough to do harm. Excuse No. 2: Not telling your doctor about something you are taking takes passive-aggressive behavior to a whole new level. Be eno... The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2512889 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:57:07 +0100 2512889 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2510280&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FXWMkm4hYBVI%2F Last week, Cato hosted an all-day conference on health care reform, which included expert opinions from across the political spectrum.  Cato Founder and President Ed Crane started the event with a talk about a libertarian approach to reforming health care, which would reduce federal involvement, increase competition, decouple health care from employment and increase the amount of doctors available. You can find all of Cato’s reasearch on health care reform at Healthcare.Cato.org. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2510280 Tue, 23 Jun 2009 18:57:04 +0100 2510280 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2510219&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F06%2Ffollowing-up-with-your-doctor-on-test-results-tips-for-handling-your-medical-information-archives-of.html One thing I really like about my doctor is I don’t have to chase her to get the results of my tests. Each time, she calls me herself to let me know that my mammograms, lipid profile, and, once, a gall bladder scan, were no cause for concern. Her prompt calls help assure me that I’ll be informed in the future, and alerted to take needed action, in the event that a test result turns out abnormal. Not all doctors are so reliable all of the time, according to a study out today in the June 22 Archives of Internal Medicine. Researchers reviewed the records of 5,434 randomly selected patients aged 50 to 69 from 23 primary care practices in various cities. Among the over 1,800 abnormal results recorded, researcher found apparent failures to inform patients (or to note that they had been infor... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2510219 Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:13:37 +0100 2510219 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2510220&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F06%2Fhigh-health-costs-unnecessary-treatment-too-much-treatment-health-reform-what-consumers-are-up-again.html Here’s a powerful, patient’s-eye view of our healthcare system from the husband of a colleague at Consumers Union. His experience illuminates the painful consequences of a system that tolerates and even rewards piecemeal, uncoordinated, and often unnecessary treatment. See here, here, and here for examples. (I’ve changed the name of his relative out of consideration for surviving family members): My cousin and I were responsible for managing the affairs of our uncle and aunt because they didn’t have children of their own. I live closer, so a lot of the day-to-day decision-making fell to me. Andrew was about 80 when the couple moved to an assisted living facility nearby. My aunt’s health and memory weren’t what they used to be and she couldn’t keep house any more. After And... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2510220 Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:14:06 +0100 2510220 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2510454&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2006%2F06%2Flunchtime-phone-call-from-godson.html A lunchtime phone call from a godson.He qualified as a doctor last year. He has just coming to the end of his F1 year. He wants to be a surgeon. A properly trained surgeon. There are a total of 41 F1s in the region in which he works. Twenty of them (he knows for certain, there may be more) are applying for jobs in Australia. He is one of them.Doctors in AustraliaAustralia is enthusiastically welcoming our newly qualified doctors. In fact, it is actively recruiting them. It will not pay them as much as they will get paid here, but it will treat them decently, train them properly, and offer them a stimulating career. Many are going. Doctors.net is full of adverts such as this.Why is it happening? What is to be done?++++++++++This brilliant take on NHS bureaucracy gives some of the answers : ... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2510454 Sat, 20 Jun 2009 17:15:00 +0100 2510454 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2660805&cid=t_292907_114_f&fid=34901&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdocadvocate.com%2F%3Fp%3D1012 I’ve been a critical care nurse for 12 years. I rarely find out about the costs my patients incur as they get care in my unit, though occasionally I hear figures. One gentleman, who had open heart surgery to fix one of his heart valves had to come back 3 months later for a re-do. His wife told me that they had just received the bills that added up to almost $200,000. That was about 8 years ago. Not long ago I learned that the charge per day in intensive care units like mine was now $11,000. Not unrelated to that fact, just the other day, one of our patients who was a ’self pay’ (read ‘no insurance’) was quickly and quietly packed up and transferred to the county hospital for the remainder of her critical care stay which was going to be several days. ludlow&#82... Doc Advocate blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2660805 Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:48:18 +0100 2660805 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2513213&cid=t_292907_151_f&fid=36896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsuboxonetalkzone.com%2F%3Ffeed%3Drss I have been wrapping up the book I have referred to– I have decided to self-publish under the name ‘Terminally Unique Publishing’, so watch for it in the future.  The name will be ‘Dying to be Cleaner: a Psychiatrist tells the truth about addiction, recovery, and the controversial medication that COULD save lives’.  I might change the last part of the name… I will have to see what the focus groups say (focus groups?  WHAT focus groups?!). The other thing I have been doing is practicing psychiatry, including treating addiction with and without Suboxone.  I have had a frustrating stretch of time, the last month or so;  I have about 5 openings right now for Suboxone patients, and have had a heck of  a time with the appointments.  I have no shortage o... Suboxone Talk Zone blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2513213 Fri, 19 Jun 2009 05:07:31 +0100 2513213 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2660806&cid=t_292907_114_f&fid=34901&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdocadvocate.com%2F%3Fp%3D1009 It is spring in McAllen, Texas. The morning sun is warm. The streets are lined with palm trees and pickup trucks. McAllen is in Hidalgo County, which has the lowest household income in the country, but it’s a border town, and a thriving foreign-trade zone has kept the unemployment rate below ten per cent. McAllen calls itself the Square Dance Capital of the World. “Lonesome Dove” was set around here. McAllen has another distinction, too: it is one of the most expensive health-care markets in the country. Only Miami—which has much higher labor and living costs—spends more per person on health care. In 2006, Medicare spent fifteen thousand dollars per enrollee here, almost twice the national average. The income per capita is twelve thousand dollars. In other words, Medicare spends ... Doc Advocate blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2660806 Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:49:35 +0100 2660806 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2522968&cid=t_292907_93_f&fid=35707&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fhemodynamics%2F%7E3%2F7HIfOf4ysX4%2Fdoctors-nurses-and-medical-students-in.html Above: a video from YouTube, with the title 16 JUNE 2009 - Doctors and nurses are protesting in a major hospital in Tehran - Iranwith the following caption:At 1:41 one of nurses is shouting "8 people died in this hospital last night". of them1 died by a headshot...which said that poor brave man shoted by sniper. at 1:35 you can see on that board which writen in persian "28 wounded...8 died"Morning of 16 June...Rasoul Akram Hospital's doctors and nurses are protesting about what happened in the last night gunshots by Goverment's militia (basij) and police. 36 people shots By Gun 8 dies and 28 injured .And...From Nico Pitney at the Huffington Post, an email from an Iranian medical student:Hello,It's painful to watch what's happening.I don't want anything to do with what has been said this fa... hemodynamics blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2522968 Wed, 17 Jun 2009 01:37:00 +0100 2522968 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2477551&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FLQQG1eVmbPs%2F In a speech before the American Medical Association today, President Obama pushed his health-reform agenda, defending his push for a public health-insurance option and speaking in favor of a payment system that rewards doctors for the quality of care they provide rather than the quantity. And in what drew the biggest round of applause from the audience, he gave a nod to the idea that the medical-malpractice system needs to be changed — though he also said he wasn’t for capping malpractice awards. Obama acknowledged that doctors had “legitimate concerns” that a public health-insurance plan would mean they would be paid Medicare rates, which they feel are too low. But he said those concerns could be “overcome,” and that reform would mean docs are paid &#82... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2477551 Mon, 15 Jun 2009 17:42:44 +0100 2477551 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2477542&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fcy8wOcJPGRw%2F Columnist Robert J. Samuelson, writing in this morning’s Washington Post: It’s hard to know whether President Obama’s health-care “reform” is naive, hypocritical or simply dishonest. Probably all three. The president keeps saying it’s imperative to control runaway health spending. He’s right. The trouble is that what’s being promoted as health-care “reform” almost certainly won’t suppress spending and, quite probably, will do the opposite… The president summoned the heads of major health-care groups representing doctors, hospitals, drug companies and medical device firms to the White House. All pledged to bend the curve. This is mostly public relations. Does anyone believe the American Medical Association can control t... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2477542 Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:02:54 +0100 2477542 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2477555&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F0WTbrUSM_i8%2F President Obama speaks before the American Medical Association today, the nation’s biggest doctors’ group that has already come out against aspects of Democrats’ ideas for a government-run health-plan option, but which is less of a political force than it has been in the past. The AMA now represents only a third of doctors in the U.S., reports NPR’s Morning Edition. Many doctors turn to their specialty physicians groups for representation instead. The change is due in part to some past AMA missteps. The group removed most of its leadership in 1990 after an ill-advised endorsement of some consumer-health products and its failure to win change in the medical malpractice system, NPR notes. Moreover, medicine is no longer “monolithic” and there is internal struggle among the medica... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2477555 Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:16:47 +0100 2477555 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2473438&cid=t_292907_97_f&fid=35606&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theangriestpharmacist.com%2F2009%2F06%2F12%2Fthis-is-more-for-the-readers%2F I got this from a reader recently. Let’s have a little bit of discussion on the double standard which applies to pharmacy (hereafter known as ‘gimme gimme gimme!’) Friday night, a guy comes in. Wants a refill on omeprazole 40mg. Naturally, he didn’t call ahead or even have his bottle with him. He’s obnoxious and rude, balks that it will take TEN MINUTES to fill, and proceeds to stare at me thru the glass like I’m some sort of animal. The claim comes back prior auth, with the reject that the insurance will pay for X number capsules in 90 days, then they require prior auth. I explain this to said jerk, who naturally flips out and calls me incompetent. Then he’s going to sue me because I won’t fill his medication and he NEEDS it. Riggggggght. I ... The Angriest Pharmacist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2473438 Fri, 12 Jun 2009 20:00:48 +0100 2473438 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2473215&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F0d3MpfDRYpg%2F The American Medical Association may be getting ready to make a fashion statement. One of the policy questions that AMA delegates will consider at their annual conference next week is whether doctors should forgo their iconic white coats for something a little more casual — and a little less dangerous for patients. The measure would urge hospitals to adopt dress codes of “bare below the elbows,” to avoid carrying bacteria between patients via coat sleeves. According to the CDC, nearly 100,000 U.S. patients died in 2002 from infections contracted in hospitals. There has been no conclusive evidence linking infected cuffs to any of these deaths — studies have been done showing that bacteria like MRSA and C. difficile exist on sleeves, but there’s no proof that those germs... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2473215 Fri, 12 Jun 2009 16:51:58 +0100 2473215 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2473257&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F06%2Fjunior-hospital-doctors-are-incompetent.html Junior hospital doctorThose GPs who wake up in the morning listening to the Today programme on Radio 4 are used to the medical stories that always start, or contain, some criticism of GPs. We don’t know this, we don’t know that, we need more training, we are overpaid, we are lazy and so on. It is deeply depressing and saps morale.The medical story this morning was different. It was precise and to the point. British junior hospital doctors are incompetent, inexperienced, negligent fools who are allowing patients to die of acute renal failure, an illness that is eminently treatable if only it is promptly diagnosed. “It can be diagnosed at the bedside with a simple blood test” suggested the egregious twat of an academic who was clearly enjoying his two minutes of perceived fame on the... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2473257 Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:51:00 +0100 2473257 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2469415&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F06%2Fvermont-passes-sunshine-law-limiting-drug-company-gifts-to-doctors-conflict-of-interest-new-england-.html Vermont, my home state and a bellwether for transparency reform in health care, just passed a law that goes further than any other in the nation. It limits drug company gifts to physicians and requires transparency for payments made to them by the pharmaceutical industry. These are important reforms. In 2008 the pharmaceutical industry reported spending nearly $3 million on payments to the state’s doctors, hospitals, universities, among others, according to Vermont’s attorney general. And such expenditures have been shown to have an influence on the drugs you’re prescribed. A recent report from the Institute of Medicine found that the drug company practice of giving doctors gifts and meals, along with other financial incentives, may influence physicians to prescribe a specific drug... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2469415 Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:03:57 +0100 2469415 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2469454&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F1Ij8-g_Tj38%2F Working with professional athletes seems like it could be a dream job for a team doctor, many of whom used to be athletes themselves. But under the weight of public scrutiny as fans judge the care their favorite players are receiving, the pressure on these doctors is intense. Some surgeons do practice intensely, doing mock surgeries on cadavers, before procedures on multi-million-dollar players, according to the Boston Globe. The payoff for a successful performance — on the surgeon’s part — can be a flock of new, everyday Joe patients who need the same procedure. The pitfall is that a doctor’s judgment can be questioned publicly — such as with Tom Brady’s staph infection following knee surgery or a temporarily patched-up loose tendon that allowed Curt Sc... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2469454 Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:53:18 +0100 2469454 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2469634&cid=t_292907_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2FkChqu_R0_7Y%2F If you’re looking for a doctor, where do you go? Many people today are finding information on the Internet. “More than 40 Internet sites allow patients to rate their doctors based on their personal experiences, both good and bad, including RateMDs.com, DrScore.com and now, Angie’s List, at www.angieslist.com.” I was able to find out about a doctor that I felt was treating me rather poorly. She ignored the symptoms I had after switching medications, she was short with me, and she refused to get back to me in a timely manner. It turned out my instincts were not wrong. When I looked her up on the Internet, I’d found that she had a history of poor behavior with patients, and had even been sued several times. Oh, if I’d only looked her up before I went to he... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2469634 Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:11:58 +0100 2469634 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2464105&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FKn8q2r4yO5g%2F It’s well known that communications foulups of various types pose serious problems in caring for patients, but how often could something like a hospital paging the appropriate doctor go wrong? Often enough to worry about, a new study in the Archives of Internal Medicine says. A review at two Canadian teaching hospitals reveals that in a two-month period, 14% of all pages were sent to the wrong physician—meaning to a resident who was scheduled to be off-duty or out of the hospital—and 47% of those were urgent messages. Extrapolating, that’s about 2,000 misdirected pages per year per hospital that require an immediate response, but don’t get one, the study found. Brian Wong, a physician at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto and one of the study’s authors, says the review... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2464105 Mon, 08 Jun 2009 21:02:16 +0100 2464105 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2462981&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FRBXYhtX_iXg%2F Sometimes, young doctors can learn their craft by degrees. After the basics of book-learning and observation, they can assist on a complex procedure for a while, gradually assuming more responsibility and doing more of the hands-on work. But other procedures demand a more binary approach: Sometimes, after the books and the observation, you just have to jump in and do something yourself. That can be especially daunting when the procedure carries risks and the patient is pregnant, writes Adam Wolfberg, M.D., in a guest column on WSJ.com. Chorionic villus sampling allows doctors to determine, early in the course of pregnancy, whether the fetus has Down syndrome. CVS carries a small risk of causing miscarriage. The more experienced the doctor, the lower the risk. That poses a dilemma for docto... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2462981 Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:45:37 +0100 2462981 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2458028&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F06%2Fconsumercentered-care-health-reform-hospital-gown.html There is an interesting Q&A in the New York Times with Donald M. Berwick, M.D., a pediatrician and president of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, on Patient-Centered medical care. The exchange illustrates that some of the health care reforms we need will never come from policy initiatives, but will only come when we change the health care culture to truly focus on patients.In the piece, Dr. Berwick describes some basic problems with the system:"Patients keep having to repeat their name because the system has no memory. We dress them in silly-looking gowns. We give them the food we make instead of the food they want… What is said is, ‘This is how we do things here,’ not ‘How would you like things done?’”Good points. Smart health policy can help to a point. We fa... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2458028 Fri, 05 Jun 2009 21:37:57 +0100 2458028 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2458029&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F06%2Fhealth-care-bankruptcy-on-rise-medical-debt-medical-bills-how-to-avoid-bankruptcy.html Americans are increasingly at risk of financial ruin due to illness and medical expenses, according to a new study released yesterday by the American Journal of Medicine. The researchers found that illness or medical bills contributed to nearly two thirds, or 62 percent, of all bankruptcies in 2007—before the major impact of the housing collapse and current economic downturn. That’s a 50 percent increase over a similar survey in 2001 by the same researchers. Most of the debtors are middle aged, middle class and have a college level education, and each of them has their own story. Take Donna, from Chicago (right) who told us her bankruptcy story during our Cover America Tour. Donna’s husband had already been diagnosed with a heart condition, and when she found out she had uterin... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2458029 Fri, 05 Jun 2009 17:58:22 +0100 2458029 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2458050&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F8nGWcJsMf2k%2F Atul Gawande’s commencement address yesterday at the Harvard School of Public health had some pretty dark moments. Gawande, a doctor and journalist, told the story of a woman who hadn’t seen a doctor in 15 years. She showed up at his hospital with severe abdominal pain from a bowel obstruction that ruptured her colon. She arrived in shock and with renal failure, then she had a heart attack. To try to save her, Gawande, a cardiologist, an intensivist and a vascular surgeon combined forces to treat her. But after the acute crisis, Gawande asked in his speech, what happens? Someone asked, who’s going to be her doctor? Who’s going to take care of her? The silence was deafening. Her care was too complex for a lone primary physician, but in our current, fragmented health ... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2458050 Fri, 05 Jun 2009 16:28:55 +0100 2458050 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2458051&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FQbcmRfk7sF8%2F As job losses continued nationwide last month, health care kept growing. Nonfarm payrolls shrank by 345,000 in May, but the number of payroll jobs in health care grew by more than 23,000, according to new jobs numbers out from the feds this morning. Over the past year, as the nation has lost about 6 million nonfarm payroll jobs, health care has added more than 300,000. The sector now employs nearly 13.6 million people, according to the new numbers. All of the categories included in the sector — doctors offices, home health-care services, hospitals, etc. — added jobs last month, though some of the gains were slight. While a few hospitals here and there are laying off staff and citing higher numbers of indigent patients and fewer elective procedures, the total number of hospital... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2458051 Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:30:23 +0100 2458051 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2458055&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FuJWvgohcAt4%2F Pharmacy chains Walgreens and CVS are expanding the services offered in their retail clinics, moving beyond colds and common infections to treat chronic health conditions like asthma. After deciding not to expand the number of retail clinics, the pharmacies are instead trying to “create a health corner — a real center that looks like you are walking into the doctor’s office,” Walgreens CEO Gregory Wasson told the Chicago Tribune. Nurses are being trained up to give injections for asthma or osteoporesis. At other clinics, wart removal and treatment for sprains are being offered. Some are also piloting the administration of injection biologic drugs, according to the Tribune. It’s also not clear how successful these programs will be in luring consumers to the c... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2458055 Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:31:40 +0100 2458055 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2452396&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FuJWvgohcAt4%2F Pharmacy chains Walgreens and CVS are expanding the services offered in their retail clinics, moving beyond colds and common infections to treat chronic health conditions like asthma. After deciding not to expand the number of retail clinics, the pharmacies are instead trying to “create a health corner — a real center that looks like you are walking into the doctor’s office,” Walgreens CEO Gregory Wasson told the Chicago Tribune. Nurses are being trained up to give injections for asthma or osteoporesis. At other clinics, wart removal and treatment for sprains are being offered. Some are also piloting the administration of injection biologic drugs, according to the Tribune. It’s also not clear how successful these programs will be in luring consumers to the c... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2452396 Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:31:40 +0100 2452396 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2452401&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FSpCfnAJ_d1w%2F When there are too many medical specialists in one region, Medicare costs go up — but patient satisfaction, quality of care and convenience remain the same, according to Peter Bach, a pulmonary specialist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, in an op-ed in the New York Times. For example, New York City has twice as many specialists per 100,000 residents as Albany in update New York. Medicare spends $12,114 a year per patient in New York City but only $5,950 in Albany. A simple solution to the overpayment problem would be to use a bidding system, he says. Here’s how: Start by offering doctors a reimbursement rate per patient lower than the current rate and see how many sign up. If enough do, Medicare has saved itself and taxpayers a lot of money. If not enough do, up the b... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2452401 Thu, 04 Jun 2009 15:22:52 +0100 2452401 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2452342&cid=t_292907_86_f&fid=34445&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwomenshealthnews.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F06%2F03%2Fsilence-is-the-enemy%2F A couple of bloggers are spearheading an effort to raise awareness of the use of mass rape as a weapon as well as funds for Doctors Without Borders, which works with many of the victims of these crimes. Sheril at Discover’s The Intersection and Dr. Isis at ScienceBlogs’s On Becoming a Domestic and Laboratory Goddess are apparently coordinating the campaign, inspired by Nicholas Kristoff’s recent piece in the New York Times, After Wars, Mass Rapes Persist – a piece which focuses largely on mass rape in Liberia, where “An International Rescue Committee survey in 2007 found that about 12 percent of girls aged 17 and under acknowledged having been sexually abused in some way in the previous 18 months…Of the 275 new sexual violence cases treated between Janu... Women's Health News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2452342 Thu, 04 Jun 2009 00:45:42 +0100 2452342 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2452354&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F06%2Fdoctors-fight-pharma-promotions-with-new-tool-drug-promotions-drug-manufacturers-.html With billions of dollars spent every year to try to influence our physician’s prescribing pens, consumers might be rightfully wondering if our doctors are learning how to cut through the pharmaceutical spin machine. In fact, during their four-years in college pharmacy or medical students spend, on average, about two hours learning about drug promotion, according to a recent world survey of medical and pharmacy schools. This state of affairs has catalyzed a group of researchers and world experts on pharma advertising to develop what is likely the world's first de-bamboozlement guide for health professionals—a primer that can help immunize health professionals from the shadowy side of pharmaceutical marketing. Last month, it was released at the World Health Assembly in Geneva. Last ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2452354 Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:02:53 +0100 2452354 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2447462&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FDD9lSsmo2kk%2F Many doctors attending ASCO, the big annual cancer conference, are leaving empty-handed this year. Sure, there have been plenty of scientific presentations, lots of data to mull. But where are the pens?! Tchotchkes are normally a mainstay of these confabs. But now that the drug industry pledged to stop giving away logo-laden pens, mugs, flash drives and the like to doctors, they’ve been much harder to come by at this year’s conference held in Orlando, Fla. Here’s how Thomas Gryta of Dow Jones Newswires describes the somber scene: “According to booth workers, traffic is drastically lower, and they blame the lack of giveaways. In years past, rows of doctors with bags would run from booth to booth, lined up like kids on Halloween.” That said, it’s not a l... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2447462 Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:39:03 +0100 2447462 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2447464&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F0vY4yPGuAos%2F Today we get a follow-up to last month’s rather vague promise from a kitchen sink of health-care players to slow the rise of costs in the coming decade. Here’s today’s letter from (deep breath) AHIP, the AMA, the American Hospital Association, AdvaMed, PhRMA and SEIU. It’s the latest sign that, in public at least, everybody’s still on board with this whole health-reform thing. The letter starts out with an overview of the familiar stuff they all agree on — better management of chronic diseases, streamlining insurance claims, that sort of thing — then gets into specific proposals from each group. A sampling: AHIP, the health insurance trade group, calls for standardizing and automating a bunch of basic insurance functions, including “claims s... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2447464 Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:43:29 +0100 2447464 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2447572&cid=t_292907_97_f&fid=35606&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theangriestpharmacist.com%2F2009%2F05%2F31%2Fmedical-assistant-stupid-pharmacist-not%2F Quick post today. Answered the phone today and it was a “nurse for Dr. Sayed.” “Oh really?” [Knowing she wasn't a nurse] “What’s your name?” [Linda] “And are you an RN or LPN?” “Welll, I guess I’m just an M.A. - I’m in nursing school though” “Guess? … Okay then - on your way. What do we need today?” [I didn't go for the kill and say, 'So you're NOT a nurse then are you?' -- She knew she was beaten] “Jeff Gordon, birthday is 8/4/1971, needs his Cozaar 20mg refilled. Directions are 1 po daily. And give him 2 additional refills.” [Most of you already see the problem. I wrote it exactly like this. My brain was shut off momentarily as I enjoyed my flawless victory from moments earlier.] ... The Angriest Pharmacist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2447572 Sun, 31 May 2009 22:10:05 +0100 2447572 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2447485&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=34935&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicine.com.my%2Fwp%2F%3Fp%3D7111 It started with this funny cartoon posted by Dr. Val (via KevinMD) Makes me think - if you could play a TV doctor, who would you be? I’d love to be Hawkeye Pierce in MASH (played by Alan Alda) for his quick wit, humour and charm. Pity MASH is no more but for a more contemporary TV series, I guess it’d be ER, and Dr. Mark Greene. You younger ones I’m sure will identify with someone in Grey's Anatomy. I think the high stress environment makes doctors want to let their hair down ever so often. So why not act in a TV Drama? Just to get you back down from McDreamy-land, just to remind you of a post by Dr. Vagus which tells us Why Medical Dramas are Fake Related MMR post Ampang Medikal - doubt if anyone wants to be like the doctors in THAT show lol. from the Malaysian Medical ... Malaysian Medical Resources blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2447485 Sun, 31 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2447485 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441451&cid=t_292907_97_f&fid=35606&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theangriestpharmacist.com%2F2009%2F05%2F30%2Ftheres-a-kick-me-sign-on-pharmacys-back%2F I guess we’re the flavor of the month as the douchbags and assholes are coming out of the woodwork to take a cheap shot at our lovely profession. A loyal reader, known only as Bond, sent me the link to an article titled, “The Great Drug Switcheroo.” This piece of shit article published by “Prevention Magazine” (which has been around since the 50’s). The tagline is, “Your pharmacist may be changing your medication without your knowledge–and what you don’t know could hurt you. Here’s how to stay safe.” Once again, the man behind the counter in the white coat is trying to KILL you — not trying to help you achieve optimal results from your drug therapy. It begins with a story of a lady diagnosed with epilepsy who had troub... The Angriest Pharmacist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441451 Sat, 30 May 2009 05:46:57 +0100 2441451 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441106&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F05%2Fovertreatment-the-lesson-of-mcallen-texas-dr-atul-gawande-new-yorker-compare-hospitals-tool-.html McAllen, Texas, in the impoverished Mexican border region of Hidalgo County, is an unlikely place to find the nation’s most expensive health care. But that’s exactly what Dr. Atul Gawande did, and wrote about in a fascinating article in the current issue of New Yorker magazine. In McAllen, he found doctors and hospitals who had discovered a guaranteed path to riches: give unsuspecting patients many expensive and profitable tests and treatments, whether they need them or not. Here’s a quote from the article that highlights the issue: I gave the doctors around the table a scenario. A forty-year-old woman comes in with chest pain after a fight with her husband. An EKG is normal. The chest pain goes away. She has no family history of heart disease. What did McAllen doctors do fifteen ye... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441106 Fri, 29 May 2009 18:11:43 +0100 2441106 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441825&cid=t_292907_111_f&fid=34716&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FNurseRatchedsPlace%2F%7E3%2FenkoWyibHds%2F I wrote this post a long time ago when I first started blogging. I’m recycling the post because this information bears repeating. I’ve been seeing some behavior lately that is inappropriate, and I’m telling you this stuff for your own good. Please, never roll your eyes at a nurse who is old enough to be your mother. She may be going through menopause, and it could be the last thing that you ever do. Just sayin.’ Don’t make waves at the nurses station. I worked as a neurosurgical nurse many years ago at a teaching hospital in the Midwest, and twice a year a new crop of interns descended upon our unit. It was the best show in town. The spectacle began with the chief of neurosurgery, Dr. Holier Than Thou, strutting on to the unit with his entourage marching behind him. ... Nurse Ratched's Place blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441825 Thu, 28 May 2009 12:00:40 +0100 2441825 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2442596&cid=t_292907_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fmore-about-the-red-flag-rule.html Here's more about medical identity theft and the Red Flag Rule, from the Naples (Florida) Daily News. The story says that one survey found that 4.5 percent of the 8.3 million victims of identity theft experienced what it calls "medical identity theft," meaning that someone used their identities to receive medical care.The story also talks about the theft of patient information by employees, and gives this example:The problem of internal theft hit home in Southwest Florida in September 2006, when a front desk clerk of Cleveland Clinic in Weston was indicted and accused of stealing personal information, including Medicare and Social Security numbers, of more than 1,100 patients of the then- Cleveland Clinic in North Naples off Pine Ridge Road. The employee, a 22-year-old ... The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2442596 Wed, 27 May 2009 02:20:27 +0100 2442596 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2442748&cid=t_292907_150_f&fid=38374&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FePharmaSummit%2F%7E3%2F_iL18XUN9MQ%2Fwashington-and-oregon-looking-to-online.html (Source: ePharma Summit) ePharma Summit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2442748 Tue, 26 May 2009 20:54:00 +0100 2442748 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441113&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F05%2Fanswers-about-the-risks-benefits-of-medical-care-lower-back-pain-survey-informed-medical-decision-sh.html Patients who come to my office for lower-back pain are often seeking a second opinion because they’ve been told they need surgery. And as it turns out, many get better by waiting it out, which may explain why 35 percent of our Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center survey of more than 14,000 people with lower-back pain said they never consulted a professional at all. Others improve with a variety of treatments, especially hands-on therapies. Patient preference plays a big role in healing, regardless of the treatment chosen. If a person is not keen on taking medications, the drugs are not likely to be effective (and prescriptions may not even be filled), and likewise, if someone doesn’t want to make the time for regular physical therapy, its benefits are bound to be limited. The decisio... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441113 Tue, 26 May 2009 20:39:08 +0100 2441113 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2442597&cid=t_292907_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fdont-lie-to-me.html Last week I had an appointment with a gastroenterologist who was new to me. So I had all the usual new patient paperwork to fill out, including those requests for an "emergency contact" and my social security number, which I have learned to leave blank in order to keep this info from falling into the hands of the bill collectors, including outside collection agencies, not to mention identity thieves.   (Not that I don't intend to pay my bill, let me hasten to add, but I've become sensitized to the whole patient privacy/identity theft issue recently.)The woman at the front desk asked to see my driver's license when I checked in for my appointment. Now, the same thing had happened to me a week before at my appointment with my lung specialist, so I was ... The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2442597 Tue, 26 May 2009 18:58:25 +0100 2442597 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2442599&cid=t_292907_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fcatching-up-with-myself.html Well, I finished my two-week marathon of doctor's appointments and tests, and I really can't recommend that strategy to anyone--it was tough. By the end, I simply wasn't able to absorb any more information, which is why I haven't blogged about Thursday's and Friday's events yet. And I think I'm going to skip over most of those events here, and just say that Dr. Lee and I agreed on a new treatment plan on Friday subject to Medicare's paying for it. The new plan, I'm calling "chemo light," is only targeted therapies, no conventional chemo. So the drugs I will be getting:Avastin, every three weeks, by IVHerceptin, every three weeks, by IVZometa, every six weeks, by IVAnd Tykerb, three 250 mg. tablets daily. Dr. Lee wants to do so... The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2442599 Tue, 26 May 2009 18:00:09 +0100 2442599 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441452&cid=t_292907_97_f&fid=35606&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theangriestpharmacist.com%2F2009%2F05%2F22%2Fwho-let-the-quacks-loose%2F I’ve done nothing but battle with crazy ass QUACKS this last two weeks. From the battle with SmartMoney.com to my letters to the editor, I’ve been a busy little bee! Pharmagirl10 brought this crap to my attention: One Doctor’s Quest to Cut Unneeded Treatments (Behold These Six Common Medical Procedures That Do No Patient Any Good) What happened to responsible journalism? What happened to not scaring the shit out of uneducated, not-all-of-them-are-f.ing-doctor Americans? You simply CANNOT tell patients this kind of stuff and expect them to not go jumping off a cliff. There is no such thing as a grain of salt. If it’s on ABC news, it’s fact. The average American is naive and actually believes in responsible journalism. They believe that articles like this have b... The Angriest Pharmacist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441452 Fri, 22 May 2009 23:35:54 +0100 2441452 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441699&cid=t_292907_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F05%2F22%2Fhow-do-you-cure-mental-illness%2F One of the challenges faced by people who have a mental illness — such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or ADHD or the like — is that not too many people will talk to you about “curing” the condition. (Except snake-oil salesmen, who will claim they can cure your bipolar disorder with their amazing technique or CD.) In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find a professional who talks openly about “cures” for mental illness. For instance, Pete Quily (twitter: petequily) drives the point home with a recent set of twitters: If someone on twitter saying he/she can “Cure #ADHD” with their snake oil/brain machine, donkey ride, miracle ebook etc. Realize 2 things: 1. They’re spammers. 2.They’re ignorant, liars or both. You... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441699 Fri, 22 May 2009 13:50:28 +0100 2441699 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2442600&cid=t_292907_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2009%2F05%2Ftwo-and-three-down-.html I'm more than halfway through my two-week marathon of doctor's appointments, tests, and scans, and yesterday I had a two-fer: an appointment with my therapist followed by a repeat visit with my new lung specialist. Since the brain MRI has ruled out brain mets, and the cardiologist told me on Tuesday that my heart was fine, I figured we were getting close and the lung doctor would be able to tell me what is causing my shortness of breath. But no, that would be too easy. My lung doctor, Dr. Lynn Keenan, said she doesn't know what is causing my shortness of breath. Still. Yet. So that means more tests, and she recommended a test that she called "the Lance Armstrong," because you ride a stationary bike while hooked up to wires and a breathing mask ... The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2442600 Thu, 21 May 2009 19:31:02 +0100 2442600 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2424222&cid=t_292907_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2FCwEHJ0MPenw%2F Navigating the healthcare system can seem confusing when you realize that you may have to see Dr. A for one problem, Dr. B for another and yet you still need to see Dr. Z for something else. Aside from making you wonder who takes care of what, sometimes, care can fall between the cracks because Dr. A isn’t aware of Dr. Z’s treatments and Dr. B may not even be aware that you’re seeing either Dr. A or Dr. Z. So, what can you do to ensure you’re getting the best of care and that everyone knows about everyone else? Keep track of everything. Write everything down and take this as seriously as you would a job for which you’re getting paid. Journals: A journal is a great way to keep track of what is going on. Write in the journal all your doctors’ names and - e... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2424222 Wed, 20 May 2009 20:34:05 +0100 2424222 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2424005&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F05%2Fsafe-patient-project-report-costly-medical-errors-hospital-infections-prevail-in-health-care-system.html Ten years ago, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) reported that as many as 98,000 Americans die every year from preventable medical errors. The startling number prompted a rush of congressional hearings and promises of reform. In a report released this week, Consumers Union’s Safe Patient Project highlights the lack of progress made since the IOM’s 1999 report and criticized the lack of progress in implementing measures to eliminate medical errors. In the new report, Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, says that reducing medical errors and hospital infections would not only improve patient care and outcomes, but would also save significant health-care costs. "There is little evidence to suggest that the number of people dying from medical harm has dropped si... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2424005 Wed, 20 May 2009 14:14:43 +0100 2424005 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2424044&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2Fjp5fWiqF7fY%2F Burlington, Vermont Vermont’s governor is on the verge of signing into law a bill requiring drug and device makers to make public all of the money they give to doctors and others in health care, “naming names and listing dollar amounts,” as the New York Times describes it. The state has already been out front when it comes to disclosure of drug-company pay to doctors, publishing an annual report on compensation such as consulting and speaker fees, travel expenses, gifts and food. We recently noted that Eli Lilly topped the list of contributors in the 2008 fiscal year. But that disclosure law has holes in it, in particular allowing companies wide latitude to declare their contributions trade secrets, NYT says. The new law closes that loophole, includes device makers too,... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2424044 Wed, 20 May 2009 13:17:32 +0100 2424044 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2424426&cid=t_292907_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fone-down-.html Good news today. I actually almost started dancing during my appointment, I was so happy to hear that my heart is fine! Absolutely, perfectly, wonderfully FINE.Once the cardiologist had said that, there was very little more to discuss. I felt like jumping up and dancing my way out of the office, but I sat there and asked a few good questions, so now I have more info for the future. For example, she doesn't recommend repeating the ECHO exam routinely, just if I have symptoms. And, if I do have heart damage down the road, I asked if I would have to discontinue the Herceptin and Tykerb, and she said it would depend on what my other treatment options were. But it might be possible to treat the heart problem without stopping the Herceptin and etc. That's good new... The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2424426 Tue, 19 May 2009 21:43:30 +0100 2424426 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2424427&cid=t_292907_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fknockin-em-down-like-nine-pins.html That headline--Knockin' 'em down like nine pins--is the mental image I've created for myself to get through this week of nonstop medical appointments. I see myself just taking them one at a time, and knocking them down. It's a good image, strong, and I think it's going to work for me. Today is the cardiologist, so I'll get the results of the ECHO exam I had Monday a week ago. This is another new doctor, so a tiny bit of stress about that, but not too bad. Tomorrow is my therapist. I'll be talking about Deb, and losing her, and how vulnerable that makes me feel. Thursday--another new doctor, a gastroenterologist, and then a repeat visit with my new lung specialist. [Oops, just checked my calendar, and the appt. with the lung doctor is tomo... The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2424427 Tue, 19 May 2009 16:33:55 +0100 2424427 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2474546&cid=t_292907_177_f&fid=38133&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FTubalReversalBlog%2F%7E3%2FRJcdwoDzmUo%2Ftubal-reversal-pregnancies-age-and-genetic-abnormalities.html Trisomy – Most Common Chromosome Abnormality There are many different types of genetic abnormalities. The most common is chromosomal (DNA) trisomy. Trisomy means there are three copies of any one of our 23 chromosomes. Normally, we have two copies of each. Humans have  23 different chromosomes and each chromosome has a duplicate, or back up  copy, giving [...] (Source: Tubal Reversal Blog) Tubal Reversal Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2474546 Mon, 18 May 2009 17:23:21 +0100 2474546 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2417102&cid=t_292907_114_f&fid=34901&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdocadvocate.com%2F%3Fp%3D1002 A message to all physicians from AMA President Nancy H. Nielsen, MD, PhD. As our country hurtles toward health system reform, Medicine has been at the table during the discussions. The American Medical Association and the specialty and state society leaders have had access to and have been engaged with the White House and the key committees in Congress. We have been working closely with top Obama administration officials and key staff members of both parties. We have given our best advice, and we have taken the time and effort to carefully consider all views. In truth, we’re not just at the table; we’re helping set the stage for our nation’s future. But as Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D, W.V.) said recently, “There’s too much happy talk. It’s time to start t... Doc Advocate blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2417102 Mon, 18 May 2009 14:29:08 +0100 2417102 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2414935&cid=t_292907_114_f&fid=34901&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdocadvocate.com%2F%3Fp%3D1001 Physicians can receive up to $44,000 over a five-year period for the use of HIT CHICAGO – As part of its continuing efforts to help physicians learn about and adopt new technology, the American Medical Association (AMA) today announced a new, free webinar series that will help physicians understand the health information technology (HIT) provisions laid out in the recently passed economic stimulus bill. The three-part series will lay out what these provisions mean for physicians and how they can take advantage of the $19 billion in funds allocated for the purchase and use of HIT. The first webinar is Thursday, May 21. “The stimulus bill marks the first significant federal investment in HIT and offers both financial benefits for physicians and the promise of national standards that w... Doc Advocate blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2414935 Fri, 15 May 2009 15:51:04 +0100 2414935 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2414755&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F0NyOvWHPWuU%2F When we saw a story this morning about longer waits to see dermatologists, ob-gyns and orthopedic surgeons for non-urgent appointments in Boston, the first question that came to mind was whether Massachusetts’ universal health-coverage program had anything to do with it. It’s a likely factor, the Boston Globe reports. Expanded access to health insurance means more people have the financial means to heading to specialists to get care. Waits have gotten longer to see primary-care physicians as well. But the answer also isn’t that simple. Long waits to see doctors have been an issue for years in Boston, the Globe notes. Many specialists in the city work for large academic medical centers and don’t see patients full time. “We have an enormous emphasis on research... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2414755 Fri, 15 May 2009 14:02:35 +0100 2414755 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2404987&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F05%2Fdont-pay-for-mistakes-check-your-medical-bills-carefully.html Mistake happen, but now more than ever you can’t afford to pay for errors on your medical bills. And overcharging is more common than you might think. According to the Medical Billing Advocates of America, 80 percent of medical bills from hospitals and providers contain errors. Spotting medical mistakes can save you a bundle, so make sure to check your bill for unexpected fees or any services you didn’t get. Ask for an itemized bill and check it for accuracy. If you have insurance, compare the bill to your plan's explanation of benefits (EOB) or Medicare summary notice before you respond to any hospital or doctor bills. Determine what care was covered by insurance and what your insurer claims you owe. If you spot an error, don’t ignore it—dispute it as soon as possible. And be... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2404987 Thu, 14 May 2009 13:36:44 +0100 2404987 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2405128&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F05%2Femail-from-young-doctor.html Not all doctors agree with Dr Crippen. That's to be expected. And fair enough too. A young F1 writes directly too me, an F1 who feels that, unlike me, he is clearly a "modern man" and is thus able to put me on the right track about one or two issues. Welcome to his world of dumpy middle aged Practice Nurses, pushy, bossy, overpaid, underworked, pill-counting, BNF monkeys and gormless chavettes from the local ex-polytechnics.Er...is he trying to criticise me?Dr Crippen,I am an F1 doctor in England. You are a (late) middle-aged GP somewhere in the UK. Right?When was the last time you spent any time with a large group of nurses? Sure, your practice may have a typical dumpy middle-aged Practice Nurse, whom you and your GP Partners foist all the boring asthma clinics onto, letting her measure P... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2405128 Wed, 13 May 2009 22:55:00 +0100 2405128 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2405616&cid=t_292907_114_f&fid=34901&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdocadvocate.com%2F%3Fp%3D999 Last month, the Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) testified before the legislature’s Joint Committee on Health Care Financing and urged adoption of major reforms in medical liability, saying that the current system to resolve medical liability claims doesn’t work for either patients or providers, takes too long, doesn’t appropriately compensate negligently injured patients in a timely manner and encourages the practice of costly defensive medicine. Alan Woodward, MD, vice chair of the MMS’ Committee on Professional Liability and a past president of the organization, recently testified in support of Senate Bill 561, “An Act to Establish an Adverse Event Disclosure and Compensation Grant Program for Hospitals.” The legislation would establish a program at the Betsy Lehman C... Doc Advocate blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2405616 Wed, 13 May 2009 16:34:09 +0100 2405616 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2405130&cid=t_292907_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fungrateful-bastards.html Find a burglar in your house in the middle of the night and you have to be careful. For your own safety of course, but also for his. You owe him a duty of care not to use unreasonable force. If you hit him over the head with your old cricket bat, and kill him, you could be in trouble.We live in a strange world.Doctors, of course, owe a duty of care to their patients. And quite right too. But sometimes you do your best and even, occasionally (yes, it does happen), save a life. Dr Grumble saved a life recently but he is still being sued.It’s enough to make us all want to retire. (Source: NHS Blog Doctor) NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2405130 Wed, 13 May 2009 08:00:00 +0100 2405130 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2406196&cid=t_292907_151_f&fid=36896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsuboxonetalkzone.com%2F%3Ffeed%3Drss An e-mail: I’m stuck in methadone-land, no one will write long term for Suboxone.  I feel trapped and utterly helpless. I’ve been on methadone for a year and a half, and just see no real end in sight.  I am tired all the time, and my friend said that he got on Suboxone and it changed his life.  I’ve been reading about it and trying to find someone in my city to do it but they all only do 90 day detox programs.  What if anything can I do?  I’m out of options short of driving several hours to doctors in other big cities.  I’m in Wichita Ks and the next closest is OKC or KC. My reply: I assume you have tried the physician-finder web sites;  in case you haven’t, one is here at Suboxone.com, and the other here at naabt.com.  If you haven’t inves... Suboxone Talk Zone blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2406196 Wed, 13 May 2009 01:25:33 +0100 2406196 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2406038&cid=t_292907_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fi-hate-this.html I saw Dr. Lee last Friday, as scheduled. The plan was for us to discuss an alternative to the gemcitabine, which was a terrible drug for me and which I am no longer taking.  But Dr. Lee had also referred me to a lung specialist, so I have two strings of appointments going here. When I saw him on Friday, he agreed that we need to know whether I have a heart problem or a lung problem before we make a decision about my next treatment regimen. Plus, I told him I was not willing to do another convention chemo drug right now--just too hard on me. My suggestion was to do a combo of Avastin, Herceptin, and Tykerb--all targeted therapies, all drugs I've had, but I've never had all three at once, only any two of the three, if that makes sense. I also want to have a go... The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2406038 Tue, 12 May 2009 17:56:59 +0100 2406038 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2405247&cid=t_292907_97_f&fid=35606&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theangriestpharmacist.com%2F2009%2F05%2F12%2F1-to-6-of-10-things-your-pharmacist-wont-tell-you%2F BlueTech shared this article with me. I’m going to respond to each point, and I might even add a few at the end. Update (5/14/09@0055): Yahoo! must have seen the amount of hits pouring from my site to the above link and removed the article. (Or perhaps I think too highly of myself and there’s just an error). Fortunately, Google allows nothing to disappear permanently. http://www.smartmoney.com/spending/deals/ten-things-your-pharmacist-wont-tell-you-3937/ (I believe this to be the site of origin anyway. There are some comments on this page that hints at original publication in the Wall Street Journal. I HIGHLY doubt that it ran in the print version, but the website, SmartMoney.com is a part of the WSJ.com “Digital Network.” Wow…. 1. “I’m overworked ... The Angriest Pharmacist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2405247 Tue, 12 May 2009 06:24:17 +0100 2405247 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2398913&cid=t_292907_114_f&fid=34901&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdocadvocate.com%2F%3Fp%3D998 The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), along with several other health organizations, filed an amici curiae (friends of the court) brief with the U.S. Supreme Court asking that it overturn a recent decision by the Georgia Supreme Court that would allow cases alleging injury from childhood vaccines to be decided by state juries, threatening the no-fault system enacted by Congress in the mid-1980s. Congress enacted the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Compensation Act of 1986 to protect the small number of children injured by vaccines and to safeguard the nation’s vaccine supply. Leading up to passage of the legislation, vaccine-related lawsuits against vaccine manufacturers had spiked, and the rising litigation threatened to halt necessary production of life-saving vaccines. Accordin... Doc Advocate blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2398913 Fri, 08 May 2009 16:52:21 +0100 2398913