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10 ways patients can save on health care costs

Patient

December 22, 2009

It’s beginning to look like health care consumers are going to have to take lowering health care into their own hands since no answers are coming down from above.

Here are ten tips for lowering your costs.

One, encourage your employer to offer a health savings account with a high deductible. Encourage the employer to pay half the deductible. Your premiums will be much lower, and your employer will save up to …

How doctors can afford to have a vacation

Kevin

Physician

December 22, 2009

Originally published in HCPLive.com

by Jeff Brown, MD

Now this is a fun topic. I’ve always liked writing, “For a vacation” on a script pad for those stressed out patients who need to go on one. Even a weekend away, or in this economy, a “staycation.” It’s good for the soul. And it’s a good use of medical authority to help your patients.

…

How medication mistakes happen in the hospital

Kevin

Medications

December 22, 2009

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Katrina Woznicki, MedPage Today Contributing Writer

Hospitalized patients were often clueless when asked about their medications, with almost all of them unable to name all their medications and many leaving out as many as a half-dozen drugs they have been prescribed, according to a small survey of patients in a Colorado hospital.

Ninety-six percent of the …

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

Kevin

Health Policy

December 21, 2009

Now that the Senate health care bill is nearing its home stretch, some are wondering if I continue to support reform.

As a reminder, I wrote back in July that doctors should support Congress’ health care reform efforts, because, “some reform is better than none, and doctors advocating for a free market-based system shouldn’t hold out, hoping for the perfect package.”

There were deuling columns in last Friday’s New York Times, …

Is the end of pandemic H1N1 flu near?

Kevin

Conditions and Diseases

December 20, 2009

Originally posted in MedPage Today

by Crystal Phend, MedPage Today Senior Staff Writer

The end of the so-called second wave of pandemic H1N1 influenza may be in sight as testing rates — and the number of positive tests for the virus — show evidence of decline across the country, a report affirmed.

From their peak in late October, diagnostic H1N1 testing rates …

Read more…

Is the end of pandemic H1N1 flu near?

How only lawyers can determine medical standard of care

Michael Kirsch, MD

Physician

December 20, 2009

by Michael Kirsch, MD

A medical malpractice case was recently filed against me.

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

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

Kevin

Health Policy

December 19, 2009

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Kristina Fiore, MedPage Today Staff Writer

Encouraging “medical homes” to deliver care outside the emergency room should be a key aspect of healthcare reform, according to researchers, policymakers, and business leaders.

“It’s not rocket science to put a nurse practitioner near a public housing project,” said Jeffrey Brenner, MD, a physician in private practice in Camden, …

How doctors can show respect to patients

Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD

Patient

December 18, 2009

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

Nevertheless it feels horrible to me, so demeaning, like …

Best ways to get more patients for your medical practice

Kevin

Physician

December 18, 2009

Originally published in HCPLive.com

by Ed Rabinowitz

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

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

Kevin

Conditions and Diseases

December 18, 2009

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Chris Emery, MedPage Today Contributing Writer

Asthmatic smokers who quit the habit can reverse lung damage that exacerbates their breathing difficulties, regardless of how long and how often they smoked in the past, a Dutch study found.

The lungs of asthmatics who stopped smoking were in similar condition to those of asthmatics who never smoked, based …

What women should know about the new mammogram guidelines

Erin Marcus, MD

Conditions and Diseases

December 17, 2009

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

Explaining basic radiation therapy terms to cancer patients

Kevin

Conditions and Diseases

December 17, 2009

Originally posted in HCPLive.com

by Colleen O’Leary, RN, MSN, AOCNS

I have always been very intrigued by the various forms of radiation therapy and used to relish the day that I would take my basic oncology class to the radiation oncology department for a tour. I learned something every time. But now, with the advent of new technology and the trend for facilities to advertise that they have the biggest and best …

How an iPod Touch can make you a better doctor

Iltifat Husain, MD

Physician

December 17, 2009

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

12 most important medical advances of the decade

Dr. Charles

Physician

December 16, 2009

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

– Add your nomination in the comment field regarding …

Read more…

12 most important medical advances of the decade

The limits of using Medicare patient data for quality outcomes

Kevin

Health Policy

December 16, 2009

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Todd Neale, MedPage Today Staff Writer

Most primary care physicians don’t see enough Medicare patients to determine statistically significant differences in cost and performance between practices, researchers found.

In fact, nearly two-thirds (65.7%) of primary care doctors worked in practices that saw too few Medicare patients to provide reliable comparisons with national benchmarks for cost and …

What the H1N1 vaccine recall means for kids

Kevin

Medications

December 15, 2009

Originally posted in MedPage Today

by Todd Neale, MedPage Today Staff Writer

Sanofi Pasteur has recalled about 800,000 pediatric doses of its vaccine against pandemic H1N1 influenza because of low potency, the CDC announced, but the agency is not calling for revaccinations.

The recalled doses come from four lots of 0.25-mL prefilled syringes for pediatric use in both 10-packs (lot numbers UT023DA, …

AMA weighs in on the Senate health reform bill

Kevin

Health Policy

December 15, 2009

The following is part of a series of original guest columns by the American Medical Association.

by J. James Rohack, M.D.

As the year winds down, health system reform continues to move forward. The Senate bill currently under debate includes a number of provisions that are consistent with the AMA’s reform priorities, some provisions we oppose and others that need to be improved to better benefit patients and physicians. As part …

Why doctors and hospitals oppose expanding Medicare

Kevin

Health Policy

December 15, 2009

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Emily P. Walker, MedPage Today Washington Correspondent

The notion of a public health insurance plan appears to be evaporating from the Senate’s healthcare reform bill, replaced in part with an expansion of Medicare — an idea that’s meeting resistance from doctor and hospital associations.

A proposal to scrap the public plan to allow people as young …

What’s a typical day of a primary care doctor like?

Edward J. Volpintesta, MD

Physician

December 14, 2009

It’s common knowledge that fewer medical students are entering primary care and that patients are having a hard time finding a primary care doctor. Part of the reason is that insurance companies place little value on much of the work that primary care doctors do.

Even though physicians’ complaints are seen in the medical and lay media, it is rare to see descriptions of a primary care physician’s “typical day” in …

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