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How hospitals should deal with disruptive physician behavior

Kevin

Physician

September 20, 2009

by Mark N. Simon, MD

What can hospital medical staff leaders learn from University of Oregon football coach Chip Kelly? In the morning of September 4th, Kelly had an opportunity to review video tape from the conclusion of his team’s game with Boise State University the night before. What he saw was his senior running back LeGarrette Blount punch an opponent and then lose his cool with the fans …

What does bias when analyzing data have to do with slow lines?

Paul Levy

Medical Education

September 20, 2009

Here’s an excerpt from a lovely little book by John D. Barrow called One Hundred Essential Things You Didn’t Know You Didn’t Know; Math Explains the World. This selection has a great lesson about statistical inference. The chapter is entitled, “Why does the other queue always move faster?”

You will have noticed that when you join a queue at the airport or the post office, the other queues always seem to …

Medical malpractice reform by President Obama and the White House

Emily P. Walker

Physician

September 19, 2009

by Emily P. Walker, Washington Correspondent, MedPage Today

The White House today announced details of a $25 million grant program to test alternatives to the tort system for medical liability cases.

In his Sept. 9 speech before Congress, the president announced he would direct Kathleen Sebelius, Health and Human Services secretary, to launch pilot programs meant to cut down on physicians …

Is an efficient physician necessarily a good doctor?

Amy Tuteur, MD

Patient

September 19, 2009

What makes a good doctor?

There are two important characteristics. The first is clinical skill: the ability to find a pattern in the patient’s signs and symptoms, the ability to identify the pattern, and the judicious use of medical tests to fill in the blanks of the pattern. The second characteristic is compassion: the ability to care about the patient and empathize with his or her situation.

Many doctors have one or …

Is the obesity epidemic caused by too much exercise?

Kevin

Patient

September 18, 2009

by Monte Ladner, MD

The August 17, 2009 issue of TIME magazine ran a cover story entitled “The Myth About Exercise” with a subtitle claiming it won’t make you lose weight. The author of the article cherry picked bits of data from several scientific studies to make the case that exercise won’t help with weight loss, and might even lead to weight gain by causing people to eat more.

The TIME …

Is the public plan option supported by doctors?

Emily P. Walker

Health Policy

September 18, 2009

by Emily P. Walker, Washington Correspondent, MedPage Today

A solid majority of physicians favor creating a new public insurance option that would operate alongside existing private plans, according to a survey published online in the New England Journal of Medicine.

About 63% of doctors, across a smattering of specialties and in various geographic regions, support a public insurance option. That …

Data entry in EMRs, and why doctors are slow to adopt information technology

Winslow W. Murdoch, MD

Health Technology

September 17, 2009

The Obama healthcare plan hinges on savings achieved through the implementation of electronic medical records (EMRs) and pays doctors $44,000 over 5 years for hardware and software to embrace this evolving technology. Let us not forget however, that garbage in produces garbage out, for instance, information not suitable for medical decision making.

In reality, data entry is daunting and by far the most expensive aspect of converting to electronic records. Huge …

The Patients’ Bill of Responsibilities

Kevin

Patient

September 17, 2009

by Susan H

1. I acknowledge and believe that I will die someday. Everyone I love will also die. That inevitable outcome will be factored into all my personal health care decisions.

2. I acknowledge that just because a paid professional might be found to assert that he would have performed differently under similar circumstances, doesn’t mean a doctor or nurse committed malpractice. Judges who are overturned on appeal ought to …

Read more…

The Patients’ Bill of Responsibilities

Analysis of the Max Baucus health care reform plan

MedPage Today

Health Policy

September 17, 2009

by Peggy Peck, Executive Editor, MedPage Today

In an important step toward moving healthcare reform legislation through Congress, Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) introduced his much-awaited bill today after months of working to gain bipartisan support.

The chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee released a summary of legislation that would not create a public insurance option and would cost $856 …

A personal health record and using the PHR on a mobile smartphone

Kevin

Health Technology

September 16, 2009

by Jeff Brandt

There is much confusion about Personal Health Record (PHR) in the market today.

PHRs are divided into three groups; Mobile SmartPhone (mPHR), Cloud Apps, and other devices such as USB and Smartcards. Each type of PHR serves a different purpose and provides a useful and needed service. I will speak to the strengths and weaknesses of each of them.

Web Apps/Cloud PHR

These are browser based systems that need to be …

Citizens, not lobbyists, must reform health care in the United States

Kevin

Health Policy

September 16, 2009

by Gary R. Gibson, MD, FACP

We can deliver better health care to every U.S. citizen at less than one-half of 2.1 trillion dollars per year with constructive reform, a system wherein people receiving and providing care would feel greater satisfaction and dignity. Through courage and perseverance, we must identify and minimize waste, eliminate corruption and modernize our system. In a competitive world economy, we must reform health care …

How long are you contagious after being infected with H1N1 influenza?

MedPage Today

Conditions and Diseases

September 16, 2009

by Michael Smith, North American Correspondent, MedPage Today

People infected with the H1N1 pandemic flu strain continue to shed virus after the point where current recommendations say they can go back to work or school, two studies here suggested.

The question, experts said, is whether those people are still contagious and whether a longer stay-at-home period would prevent enough additional …

Cutting health care costs means reducing utilization

Kevin

Health Policy

September 15, 2009

by Mark Coyne

The core of the health care debate revolves around the perceived spiraling cost of health care in America. There are many quotes in the media, and from politicians, that health care costs are increasing by more than 10 percent a year, and consistently increasing by more than wage growth – which is unsustainable in the long term. The basic point being made is correct, the overall …

Why price transparency won’t affect health care costs

Kevin

Health Policy

September 15, 2009

by Kumud B. Jindal, MD, MPH

Many patients and self-appointed health care experts view medical services as commodities, and openly express frustration with seemingly opaque pricing for a visit to the doctor’s office. “Doctors should publish their fees so we know what we’re paying!” The idea that this matters significantly with regard to health care costs is a terrible myth, one that deserves much closer scrutiny.

The health insurance industry and …

Don’t wait for the H1N1 vaccine before you get your flu shot

MedPage Today

Conditions and Diseases

September 15, 2009

by Cole Petrochko, Staff Writer, MedPage Today

Don’t wait for the pandemic H1N1 vaccine to become available before getting an inoculation for seasonal flu, the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases warned.

Putting off routine flu shots in hopes of one-stop-shopping would defeat the primary line of defense against a proven threat, according to a panel representing some of the nation’s …

Dean Ornish injects himself in the health reform debate

Rahul K. Parikh, MD

Health Policy

September 14, 2009

It looks like The Huffington Post’s honorary Medical Editor, Dr. Dean Ornish, walked into the same trap that Whole Foods CEO John Mackey did.

Mackey got a lot of flack when he wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal on health care reform, one in which he emphasized the need for personal responsibility for our health.

Ornish, in an effort to inject himself into the current debate, blogged, Don’t Tread on …

What does Tiger Woods have to do with medical futility and end-of-life care?

Michael Kirsch, MD

Conditions and Diseases

September 14, 2009

by Michael Kirsch, MD

Consider this hypothetical vignette. Tiger Woods accepts my challenge to play 18 holes. Obviously, the gallery would be packed with golf enthusiasts who would cancel job interviews, vacations and even worship services in order to witness this historic competition. Spectators would be permitted to place bets at even money. Perhaps, my mother would bet on me, but no other sane person would. They would properly conclude that …

How comfortable are compression stockings for post-surgical thromboprophylaxis?

Crystal Phend

Patient

September 14, 2009

by Crystal Phend, MedPage Today

“Every 10 years a doctor should be the patient,” said my doctor, squeezing me into pair of compression stockings that would make a sausage casing seem spacious by comparison.

“Seems like a good idea,” I thought, as I lay there on the table feeling optimistic about the opportunity for first-hand experience.

It was my first minor …

Violence in the emergency department and how to promote ER safety

Kevin

Physician

September 12, 2009

by Patricia B. Allen, MBA, RN

What would you differently tomorrow if you had a violent episode in your emergency department today?

Violence in the ED is a growing and alarming phenomenon. A recent survey conducted by the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) revealed that 25 percent of the RN respondents report experiencing physical violence more than 20 times in the past three years and 20 percent of the respondents revealed encountering …

Op-ed: Why the doctor won’t see you now

Kevin

Health Policy

September 12, 2009

The following op-ed was published on August 20th, 2009 in CNN.com.

When President Obama recently cited the number of Americans without health insurance, he declared that, “We are not a nation that accepts nearly 46 million uninsured men, women, and children.”

Uninsured patients often delay preventive care, waiting to seek medical attention only when their conditions worsen. This leads to more intensive treatment, often in the emergency department or hospital where …

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Op-ed: Why the doctor won’t see you now

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