The following is part of a series of original guest columns by the American Medical Association.
by J. James Rohack, M.D.
As members of Congress return to their districts this month, it should be a time for thoughtful dialogue on health system reform so that when lawmakers return to Washington they can complete their work. Physicians nationwide are …
AMA: A look at the facts on health reform
Robert Ricketson is a spine surgeon who was involved in a high profile 2003 medical malpractice case in Hawaii where a surgical screwdriver was implanted into a patient’s back. This is his account of the ordeal.
by Robert Ricketson
I am writing today out of frustration and anger, as I am frankly quite tired of passively going along as my name appears year after year in malicious “medical blogs” and …
The following op-ed was published on July 15th, 2009 in the USA Today.
“I researched my condition on Wikipedia.” That’s what more doctors, myself included, are hearing from patients every day.
Wikipedia is the Web’s most popular online encyclopedia. Its more than 13 million articles cover almost every topic imaginable. It is among the most visited sites primarily because its articles routinely show up near the top of search engine results, like …
Op-ed: Wikipedia isn’t really the patient’s friend
The following is part of a series of original guest columns by the American College of Physicians.
by Steven Weinberger, MD, FACP
“Effectiveness” has become a buzzword these days in discussions about healthcare reform. It is often accompanied by different preceding modifiers, such as “cost” or “comparative,” each conjuring up different images in the minds of physicians, patients, insurers, and the pharmaceutical industry. Some say that cost effectiveness and comparative …
ACP: Putting effectiveness into the health care equation: Rational or rationing?
The following is part of a series of original guest columns by the American Medical Association.
by J. James Rohack, MD
Physicians know first-hand the frustrations of caring for patients in our broken system and also the joys of patient care that get us out of bed before the sun rises. The AMA is committed to getting health reform this year – so that the joys can again outnumber the …
AMA working for reform that benefits patients and physicians
It appears that one source of agreement among health reformers is that there isn’t enough primary care doctors.
The New York Times wrote a front-page piece on this issue last month, which I had commented on. Now, an article in the Washington Post re-iterates the same theme:
As the debate on overhauling the nation’s health-care system exploded into partisan squabbling this week, virtually everyone still agreed on one point: There are …
Will the lack of primary care doctors make universal coverage useless?
The American Medical Association recently gave unqualified support to the House health reform bill, H.R. 3200, and that is drawing the ire of some of their supporters.
To be sure, H.R. 3200 is the most left-leaning of the proposals, and there is clear ideological opposition to the so-called “public plan,” which expands the government’s role in our health care system. It’s a tremendously sensitive topic, with some expressing their outrage …
Should doctors support Congress’ health reform efforts?
Well, that was fun.
This past Friday, I participated in Health Care Reform: Putting Patients First, an event put together by Better Health’s Dr. Val Jones. It was an impeccably organized gathering, and provided medical bloggers a valuable opportunity to discuss health care reform. Great timing too, given the fact that two major reform bills were introduced earlier …
Health Care Reform: Putting Patients First, medical bloggers at Washington, DC
The following are my prepared remarks at Health Care Reform: Putting Patients First, held at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, on July 17th, 2009.
President Obama recently declared that, “We are not a nation that accepts nearly 46 million uninsured men, women, and children.” And indeed, finding a way to provide universal health coverage to every American is one of the focal points in today’s health care debate. …
And should you assume that no news is good news?
The answer is no. According to a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine, 7 percent of abnormal test results from primary care offices were never reported to the patient. And in a large, unnamed, academic medical center, that number ballooned to 23 percent.
That’s almost a quarter of abnormal test results from that center that patients were never …
How soon should patients receive their test results?
The following is a guest post from the American College of Radiology.
by James H. Thrall, M.D.
Health care reform cannot be approached with a “one size fits all” cost-cutting mentality. Reducing costs in the long term often requires an investment in the short term — particularly, in regard to medical imaging.
Medical imaging saves lives. Imaging also saves dollars through earlier disease diagnosis, less invasive medical procedures, shorter hospital stays, and …
ACR: Reducing medical imaging costs requires a short term investment
Here are some of the more interesting comments readers have left recently.
1. Rogue Medic on how Oprah should be handling medical issues:
If she is going to give medical advice, and she is giving medical advice, and she is going to focus on giving advice contrary to the guidelines of reputable medical organizations, maybe some of her viewers need to start suing her for the bad medical advice.
I am guessing …
5 top medical comments, July 5th, 2009
When the online physician discussion site, Sermo, and the American Medical Association joined forces in 2007, it was heralded as a promising partnership for both entities.
In fact, as Sermo’s CEO Daniel Palestrant said back then, “As a company, we had to take a very rational perspective on that by saying we’re a small software company, not an advocacy organization. Who is the best entity to turn voice into action? …
The AMA and Sermo break up, and how it’s getting ugly
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The FDA has declared war on acetaminophen, with Vicodin and Percocet being collateral damage. You can bet Dr. Gregory House is sweatin’ pretty hard over this news.
In the last few days, acetaminophen, otherwise known as the brand name Tylenol, has been squarely in the FDA advisory panel’s crosshairs. In general, it’s a very safe medication, but there is …
Vicodin and Percocet banned and taken off the market, or is a black box warning more likely?
The following is a reader take by an anonymous medical student.
One of the ideas that comes up in the search for explanations of high healthcare costs is the so-called “Moral Hazard”—the idea that insured patients are more likely to agree to unnecessary procedures because they don’t pay for them directly. Not everyone thinks it is real—does a patient have the medical knowledge to make an informed decision? …
Reader take: Moral hazard, and whether patients should consider cost in their health care decisions
The repercussions after Obama’s speech to the AMA’s delegates continue to be felt.
Not least of which are the murmurings of the other professional physician groups, who say that the AMA does not represent a majority of physicians. In this piece from pediatrician Rahul Parikh, he notes that about 30 percent of physicians are AMA members. Remaining doctors belong to groups with more liberal political leanings, including the American …
Can the American Medical Association still be an influential voice in health reform?
Michael Jackson’s death continues to consume the news cycle.
There is currently no clear explanation. Some have speculated that it may be related to the narcotic pain drug, Demerol. According to this report from the UK’s The Sun, “An Emergency Room source at UCLA hospital said Jackson aides told medics he had collapsed after an injection of potent Demerol …
Did Demerol cause Michael Jackson’s cardiac arrest and death?
Michael Jackson is dead at age 50.
I’ve received several e-mails to comment on this story, but there’s really too few details to go on. I’m sure more will emerge in the near future.
According to news reports, emergency medical services were called to his home in Los Angeles, where he was found in presumed cardiac arrest. CPR …
How did Michael Jackson die, and the medicine behind sudden cardiac death
The following is part of a series of original guest columns by the American College of Physicians.
by Steven Weinberger, MD, FACP
In his column in the June 1 issue of The New Yorker, Dr. Atul Gawande used the example of McAllen, Texas, to illustrate the widely disparate spending on health care around the country. This oft cited article captured the attention of President Obama, who reportedly has made it required …
ACP: Embracing a culture of cost-effective health care
Orac, a general surgeon who blogs at Respectful Insolence, writes the most comprehensive entry I’ve seen thus far on Apple’s Steve Jobs’ liver transplant.
For those interested in the medicine behind the transplant, go and read his post in its entirety. I’d like to highlight some of the potentially questionable ethics surrounding the case.
For one, there is the question why Mr. …
Steve Jobs received a new liver, and the ethics surrounding his transplant
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