American College of Physicians

September 20, 2010Sep 20, 201029

A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com. by John Tooker, MD, MBA, MACP The Annals of Internal Medicine recently published an article by Mullan and colleagues on the social mission of medical schools. In the…

A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.

by John Tooker, MD, MBA, MACP

The Annals of Internal Medicine recently published an article by Mullan and colleagues on the social mission of medical schools. In the article, medical schools were ranked on their record of educating and training physicians to care for the “population as a whole”. …

ACP: Increasing the attractiveness of general internal medicine

June 21, 2010Jun 21, 20107

A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com. by Steven Weinberger, MD, FACP In this era of health care reform, much has been written and discussed about the shortage of primary care physicians in the United…

A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.

by Steven Weinberger, MD, FACP

In this era of health care reform, much has been written and discussed about the shortage of primary care physicians in the United States, which is projected to get substantially worse over the coming years.

A number of different types of physicians have been lumped together under the term “primary care physicians,” including family …

ACP: Can medical societies interact ethically with commercial entities?

May 18, 2010May 18, 20106

A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com. by Steven Weinberger, MD, FACP The Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS) recently developed its “Code for Interactions with Companies,” which outlined the principles that should guide relationships…

A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.

by Steven Weinberger, MD, FACP

The Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS) recently developed its “Code for Interactions with Companies,” which outlined the principles that should guide relationships between medical societies and commercial entities, including pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers. Although a subsequent editorial in the New York Times praised the fact that CMSS and many of …

ACP: Challenges for a competency-based framework for residency training

April 19, 2010Apr 19, 2010

A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com. by Steven Weinberger, MD, FACP Since the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) instituted its Outcome Project approximately 10 years ago, residency training programs have progressively focused…

A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.

by Steven Weinberger, MD, FACP

Since the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) instituted its Outcome Project approximately 10 years ago, residency training programs have progressively focused on how well their residents have acquired knowledge, skills and attitudes in six broad domains. These “general competencies” include medical knowledge, patient care, professionalism, interpersonal and communication skills, systems-based practice, and …

ACP: To whom are physicians accountable?

March 22, 2010Mar 22, 20105

The following is part of a series of original guest columns by the American College of Physicians. by Steven Weinberger, MD, FACP The New England Journal of Medicine‘s March 11 issue included an interesting “Clinical Decisions” article. Looking at a…

The following is part of a series of original guest columns by the American College of Physicians.

by Steven Weinberger, MD, FACP

The New England Journal of Medicine‘s March 11 issue included an interesting “Clinical Decisions” article. Looking at a hypothetical case of an endocrinologist with time-unlimited board certification, the editors posed the question of whether he should voluntarily enroll in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s Maintenance of …

ACP: Resident work hours – Managing a precarious balance

February 18, 2010Feb 18, 201013

The following is part of a series of original guest columns by the American College of Physicians. by Steven Weinberger, MD, FACP In December 2008 the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released its report entitled “Resident Duty Hours: Enhancing Sleep, Supervision,…

The following is part of a series of original guest columns by the American College of Physicians.

by Steven Weinberger, MD, FACP

In December 2008 the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released its report entitled “Resident Duty Hours: Enhancing Sleep, Supervision, and Safety,” in which it proposed a number of changes to the current regulations developed and enforced by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

Since the time …

ACP: 10 major challenges that confront medical education over the next decade

January 19, 2010Jan 19, 20109

The following is part of a series of original guest columns by the American College of Physicians. by Steven Weinberger, MD, FACP At times of calendar transitions, e.g., at the onset of a new year or a new decade, the…

The following is part of a series of original guest columns by the American College of Physicians.

by Steven Weinberger, MD, FACP

At times of calendar transitions, e.g., at the onset of a new year or a new decade, the popular press often takes a broad view in looking retrospectively at the outstanding or defining events and people of the past year or decade. Since we are now at a …

Conditions and diseases

ACP: Teasing out science, politics, and emotion about the mammography guidelines

December 1, 2009Dec 1, 200921

The following is part of a series of original guest columns by the American College of Physicians. by Steven Weinberger, MD, FACP It is difficult to find a medical guideline that has garnered so much press and controversy as the…

The following is part of a series of original guest columns by the American College of Physicians.

by Steven Weinberger, MD, FACP

It is difficult to find a medical guideline that has garnered so much press and controversy as the recent recommendations about breast cancer screening developed by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Not only have the recommendations about …

Physician voices

ACP: How to fix the primary care problem in health care

October 29, 2009Oct 29, 200915

The following is part of a series of original guest columns by the American College of Physicians. by Steven Weinberger, MD, FACP Many would argue that lack of universal coverage is the primary problem with health care in the United…

The following is part of a series of original guest columns by the American College of Physicians.

by Steven Weinberger, MD, FACP

Many would argue that lack of universal coverage is the primary problem with health care in the United States, accompanied by the logistical and financial difficulties of obtaining coverage for someone with a pre-existing medical condition. Others would argue that the primary problem with health care is financial, …

Conditions and diseases

Flu and H1N1 influenza vaccine recommendations for doctors and health care workers

October 5, 2009Oct 5, 2009

The following is part of a series of original guest columns by the American College of Physicians. by Steven Weinberger, MD, FACP In the Fall of 2009, we physicians should perhaps change the Biblical phrase, “Physician, heal thyself” to “Physician,…

The following is part of a series of original guest columns by the American College of Physicians.

by Steven Weinberger, MD, FACP

In the Fall of 2009, we physicians should perhaps change the Biblical phrase, “Physician, heal thyself” to “Physician, immunize thyself” and then follow the phrase twice – once for seasonal influenza and once for H1N1. To date, physicians and other health care workers have too often been lax …

Health care reform: The uncivil war dividing America

August 31, 2009Aug 31, 200914

The following is part of a series of original guest columns by the American College of Physicians. by Steven Weinberger, MD, FACP The unfettered debate about ideas that characterizes the democratic process in the United States operates best when there…

The following is part of a series of original guest columns by the American College of Physicians.

by Steven Weinberger, MD, FACP

The unfettered debate about ideas that characterizes the democratic process in the United States operates best when there is a truthful presentation of the issues, and when the process is civil and respectful. Unfortunately, the debate about health care reform has evolved to the point that it …

ACP: Putting effectiveness into the health care equation: Rational or rationing?

July 30, 2009Jul 30, 200917

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…

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: Embracing a culture of cost-effective health care

June 25, 2009Jun 25, 200917

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…

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 …

Physician voices

ACP: A practice model for increasing the appeal of General Internal Medicine