A version of this column was published on October 24th, 2012 in USA Today.
As the cost of prescription drugs soar, more patients are turning to online coupons or discount cards from drug companies or promotional offers in magazines. In the past year, it is estimated that 19 million Americans whom took prescription drugs used such incentives to save money. The healthcare industry …
Why you should avoid the temptation of drug coupons
The following column was published on August 5th, 2012 in USA Today.
A patient once blamed me for causing him considerable anxiety because he had to wait several weeks before receiving the results of a lab test, which I had ordered. Many patients commonly have to wait days, if not weeks, before getting lab results from their doctor. The delay can affect patients’ health negatively.
For instance, one study looked at women who underwent …
Test results without physician guidance will cause patient anxiety
Prostate cancer is in the news again, thanks to a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The study looked at surgery versus observation for localized prostate cancer. According to MedPage Today, “Neither overall mortality nor cancer-specific mortality differed significantly between men who had surgery and those who were prospectively followed. The absolute difference was less than 3% …
Localized prostate cancer treatment: Is surgery no longer an option?
Is this the endgame for the medical malpractice crisis?
A recent cover story in the New York Times describes how some financially struggling hospitals are “going bare,” meaning they are partially or completely forgoing malpractice coverage.
From an economic standpoint, it’s a rational thing to do. Malpractice insurance costs are skyrocketing, forcing these hospitals into uncomfortable choices.
As one administrator bluntly puts …
The New York medical malpractice crisis: Who’s to blame?
The Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act.
I’ll leave the detailed legal analysis to other commentators that you’ll no doubt find elsewhere.
Although some may not feel this way, this is an outcome everybody should be happy with.
Most important, patients should be happy. As I wrote in the New York Times Room for Debate recently, the ACA has already …
The Supreme Court on health reform: Everybody wins!
The following column was published on June 5th, 2012 in USA Today.
I recently had the opportunity to try out a surgical robot, a medical device that has excited doctors, patients and hospital marketing departments. During the demonstration, I was able to precisely manipulate the robotic arms using joysticks. The experience felt right out of a Hollywood movie, as I was able …
Robots for surgery aren’t ready for widespread use in hospitals
Who has the potential to be the most influential physician of our generation?
It’s Priscilla Chan, who not only recently graduated from medical school, but also married Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.
When I brought this up on Twitter, someone responded that it was “disappointing at the same time. I’m certain her own merits and studies would have made waves alone.”
But her influence …
Why Priscilla Chan may become the country’s most influential doctor
In a widely anticipated move, the USPSTF officially recommended against prostate cancer screening in healthy men.
Case closed, right?
Hardly.
The prostate cancer screening debate has been raging for the past decade. Increasing amounts of evidence show that screening does not save lives, and increase the risk of complications like impotence and urinary incontinence that stem from invasive diagnostic tests and treatments.
Regular …
Confused about prostate cancer screening? Make a shared decision
When it comes to medicine and social media, much of the attention is negative.
Doctors losing their hospital privileges because of Facebook.
Or other health care workers taking pictures of patients and posting them on the web.
It’s no wonder that many hospitals are taking a heavy handed approach when it comes to their doctors and social media.
Consider this story, Doctors warned …
When it comes to doctors and social media, hospitals fail miserably
A version of this column was published on April 24, 2012 in USA Today.
There has been a recent uptick of elderly men in my primary care clinic asking about prostate cancer, perhaps because they heard of Warren Buffett’s recent prostate cancer diagnosis and his proposed treatment.
Patients are wondering if they should also be screened. Other patients who already have been diagnosed …
Warren Buffett’s prostate cancer choices aren’t right for every man
The following column was published on April 1, 2012 in USA Today.
I recently saw a middle-age man in my primary care clinic who asked whether he should continue his cholesterol medication. He was reacting to new Food and Drug Administration warnings on statins, a class of drugs taken by more than 20 million Americans to lower their cholesterol. Though generally safe, …
Many medical decisions require shared decision making
The following column was published on March 25, 2012 in the Nashua Telegraph.
Medical malpractice historically has been a contentious issue. Doctors have argued that the system is broken, promotes multi-million dollar awards disproportionate to the injuries suffered, and encourages the ordering of unnecessary tests to avoid being sued, a practice known as defensive medicine. Trial attorneys, on the other hand, …
Patients deserve a medical malpractice early offer
The following column was published on April 11, 2012 in CNN.
When you visit the doctor, chances are you are given a prescription for a drug or an order for an X-ray or lab test. Before you leave, it’s important to ask whether your doctor’s recommendations are truly necessary.
Even though much of what physicians do is meant to help patients, sometimes it’s not always the case. Drugs may have harmful side …
Discussing whether tests actually help patients or cause more harm
ADVERTISEMENT
And progressives should want health reform to fail.
No, you read that right.
Counter-intuitive? Let me explain. As the fate of the Affordable Care Act hangs in the balance in the Supreme Court, both progressive and conservative pundits have been working overtime to discern the future of health reform.
The traditional thinking is that progressives direly want health reform to move forward, and …
Conservatives should love the Affordable Care Act
The following column was published on March 26, 2012 in CNN.
With the Supreme Court set to hear oral arguments about the constitutionality of the President Obama’s health care law, more patients than ever have been asking for my thoughts about health reform.
I practice primary care in southern New Hampshire near the Massachusetts border, which gives me a firsthand look at how health reform has impacted my neighboring state. Despite flaws …
The Affordable Care Act needs primary care to be effective
In a bid to save money, health insurers are coming out with what’s known as “focused networks,” which typically exclude the highest cost hospitals.
In the Boston area, one such plan comes from health insurer Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, whose plan excludes Partner’s Health Care institutions. That’s significant, since Partners includes the famed Massachusetts General Hospital as well as Brigham and …
Will patients accept focused networks in today’s economy?
The Patient Centered Medical Home is supposed to be the solution to our primary care woes.
Endorsed by both the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Physicians, this new model of primary care creates a team-based approach to patient care, with a cadre of care managers and nurses assisting physicians to manage patients with chronic disease. If …
Should doctors be forbidden to complain about money?
A version of this op-ed was published on January 17, 2012 in USA Today.
Ask doctors about what concerns them the most, and chances are they’ll say, “medical malpractice.” Indeed, most physicians will be sued sometime during their careers. A recent New England Journal of Medicine study found that 75% of doctors who practice psychiatry, pediatrics or family medicine will be …
Reducing the emotional impact of medical malpractice
Patient satisfaction is all the rage.
Medicare is beginning to tie patient satisfaction scores with hospital reimbursement, and doctors across the country are under pressure from administrative executives to raise patient satisfaction scores.
High scores are even used by hospitals as a powerful marketing tool.
But, in the end, are patient satisfaction scores hurting patients?
I wrote about the issue previously, saying that patient …
How patient satisfaction can kill
Ovarian cancer screening clearly touches a nerve.
No one doubts that ovarian cancer is a devastating diagnosis, often found when the disease is at an advanced stage. Tests to look for the disease, such as the transvaginal ultrasound or the CA-125 blood test, are not specific enough. That leads to false positive tests that necessitate more studies that may not be …
How I approach ovarian cancer screening with patients
Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.
