Shotgun medicine: An arrow is often better

Education
February 5, 2014

During my internal medicine rotation, the medical students had the opportunity to attend intern morning report, an interactive teaching session where attending physicians walk the interns through a patient’s story, starting from the moment they hit the door of the emergency room to the final stages of diagnosis and treatment.

After discussing the patient’s symptoms, complaints and past medical history, the attendings always ask the group to think carefully about the …

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4 reasons why hospitals can be very dangerous places to be

Physician
February 3, 2014

Hospitals are commonly thought of as the safest place to be for sick people.

Patients have around-the-clock access to skilled care teams. Their vital signs are continuously monitored. A physician stops by every morning to check on them.

While it all sounds safe, a hospital can be a very dangerous place to be. Here are four frightening risks hospitals pose, along with their causes and some easy-to-implement solutions that could save hundreds …

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5 ways to improve the adoption of medical apps

Tech
February 3, 2014

Before the adoption of new technologies which will undoubtedly improve health care (as it has the retail and finance sectors), it must be introduced in ways which are digestible, scalable, and subject to rapid iteration.

Is mobile technology different from the adoption of any other change in health care delivery? I think not. The culture of care certainly requires change as care models are changing. The point of care is shifting to the home, professionals …

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Are you a victim of patient profiling?

Physician
February 3, 2014

patient profiling

Ever felt misjudged by a doctor? Or treated unfairly by a clinic or hospital? You may be a victim of patient profiling.

Patient profiling is the practice of regarding particular patients as more likely to have certain behaviors or illnesses based on their appearance, race, gender, financial status, or other observable characteristics. Profiling disproportionately impacts patients with chronic pain, mental illness, the …

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What is a high risk patient?

Physician
February 2, 2014

“What’s a high-risk patient?” asked our newly hired care coordinator.

Interesting question, and, as you would expect, one without an easy answer.

One of our patient-centered medical home certifying agencies was performing an audit for recertification, and requested information on our high-risk patient registry, including how patients were identified and assigned to the registry.

When you ask doctors or any other providers, we all know one when we see …

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Treating post-viral coughs: This too shall pass

Conditions
February 1, 2014

‘Tis the season to be coughing …

It no longer takes an epidemiologist looking at absenteeism rates in schools to predict the start of influenza season.  For several years now there have been sophisticated models using search engine terms to monitor increasing incidence of febrile cough illness in regions of the world.

Or just ask a primary care clinic what its waiting room sounds like these days.   A chorus of coughs, high, low, dry, …

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When patients write to doctors, and what it means

Physician
January 31, 2014

Where I come from, when most people refer to the Good Book, they are referring to the Bible.  This is not true for my father, because to him, the Good Books are something else entirely.

He describes a scene early in his career as a plastic surgeon, when he had taken his doting mother to see his new office. Coincidentally, a lovely thank you note had just arrived from one of …

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Refusing the flu shot: Respecting the patient’s right to choose

Conditions
January 29, 2014

I’ve spent the past four weeks learning about primary care on my family medicine rotation. A significant portion of patient care in this setting is focused on health maintenance or disease prevention. Physicians can provide their patients with evidence-based recommendations for various screening tests and vaccinations, but it is ultimately up to the patient to decide what services he or she will receive.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and …

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Mohs surgery is vilified, physicians again fail to respond effectively

Conditions
January 29, 2014

An article published in the New York Times last weekend has been circulating widely on the Internet, and I feel that more than ever, physician voices are needed to reach the public and counter certain misconceptions put forth by the media.

The article, “Patients’ Costs Skyrocket; Specialists’ Incomes Soar,” charts the growth of specialist incomes in the past decade, using the case of a patient from Arkansas who had a …

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The transition from chief resident to attending

Education
January 28, 2014

During my year as a chief resident, I have the privilege to attend on the general medicine service for 8 weeks. I recently completed 4 weeks and, as expected, found myself in an entirely new realm of patient care and accountability. I would be remiss without recalling a few of the pivotal lessons and poignant moments that stand out.

Transitioning from resident to attending inevitably results in greater scrutiny. Despite my best …

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The toxicity of Medicaid

Physician
January 28, 2014

I have noticed over the years that physicians who write about medicine, particularly for the general public, are limited to very specific discussions.  For instance, it is perfectly acceptable to write about the plight of the poor and uninsured.  It is always reasonable to advocate for a single payer system. It is perfectly acceptable to discuss how one downsized in order to make less and “give back” more.  And it …

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Does your joint replacement have a warranty?

Physician
January 26, 2014

shutterstock_36115612

Should joint replacement manufactures provide a warranty for their products?  It seems pretty logical since most consumer products come with some sort of warranty these days.  Basic warranties are almost universally provided and the market for extended warranties is increasingly popular.

Take for instance my recent upgrade to the new iPhone 5s.  At the time of purchase, the AT&T store suggested their extended …

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Why psychiatrists don’t take insurance

Physician
January 25, 2014

In 2007, I wrote a post called “Why Shrinks Don’t Take Insurance.”  The post is a bit dated, the CPT codes have changed since then, and the reasons to not take insurance have increased.  Many other doctors don’t take insurance now, though psychiatry remains the number one specialty where doctors don’t participate in health insurance plans.  This is an updated version of that same post.

Many psychiatrists in private practice don’t …

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When should you use antibiotics in hospice care?

Physician
January 23, 2014

Case 1: You have a 94-year-old woman with multiple medical problems in hospice who develops a fever (subjectively hot to the touch), shortness of breath, and a cough producing yellow sputum.  Her daughter asks if she can be treated with antibiotics “to make her feel better.”  The patient is not well enough to make decisions, but in earlier conversations had stated a goal of remaining comfortable at home, while also …

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Board certification: Valid indefinitely is no longer rings true

Physician
January 23, 2014

I trained in internal medicine and cardiology at the tail end of the era of lifetime board certification by the American Board of Internal Medicine. In fact, my timing was perfect — I was “boarded” in medicine in 1987, and in cardiovascular disease in 1989, which (I am pretty sure) were, respectively, the last years that the ABIM offered certificates without an expiration date in those disciplines.

Late last year, I …

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Patients sometimes have good reasons to refuse colonoscopies

Conditions
January 22, 2014

Many times over the years, I have witnessed the following scenario in my exam room.

Here’s the set up of this one act play.

Characters:

Elderly patient
Attentive daughter
The doctor

Scene 1

I’m seated at my desktop computer. The patient is seated before me. The patient’s daughter is seated next to her mother.

A patient comes to see me in the office with medical issues that strongly suggest that a colonoscopy should be performed. As an aside, …

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Reflecting on the history of smoking cessation

Conditions
January 16, 2014

In 1950 Ernst Wynder, MD and colleagues began to produce convincing data that cigarette smoking caused lung cancer. Over the ensuing many years evidence has arisen linking cigarette smoking to many different cancers, chronic lung disease and heart attacks.

In 1964 the surgeon general reported that cigarette smoking was the most important risk factor for development of lung cancer and that quitting smoking reduced that risk. Since that time a concerted …

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When doctors disagree: What should you tell patients?

Physician
January 14, 2014

A recent research article in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, and the gap between its findings and the real world, helps point up the usefulness and limitations of research. The article, by Susan H. McDaniel, PhD, and coauthors, set out to determine how often doctors speak about their colleagues in supportive or critical ways.

Their method is one widely used in the field: simulated patients, actors, were prepared with lifelike …

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Lebron James: The king of junk food

Conditions
January 13, 2014

lebronfood

Lebron James makes over $19 million per year playing basketball for the Miami Heat. Not surprisingly, this salary is peanuts compared his endorsement earnings, which in 2012 topped $42 million. Although perhaps peanuts is the wrong word to use when discussing James outside earnings, which to my knowledge have not involved foods anywhere near as healthy as peanuts. Instead, according to …

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