Physicians writing on KevinMD about being sued and about making mistakes: the summons, the deposition, and the verdict that does not feel like winning, whether damage caps and safe harbors work, frivolous claims argued from both sides, expert witnesses, nuclear verdicts and premiums, apology laws, and how physicians say errors happen and what it is like to make one. Two maintained records draw on this archive: Medical malpractice: what physicians say, in their own words and Medical errors: what physicians say, in their own words.
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 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 …
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…
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.
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…
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 …
I was seeing patients during the actual speech, so I had to rely on the transcript. The points that interested me the most were any language pertaining to malpractice, addressing the AMA's recent concerns about the public plan option, and…
I was seeing patients during the actual speech, so I had to rely on the transcript.
The points that interested me the most were any language pertaining to malpractice, addressing the AMA’s recent concerns about the public plan option, and reforming the physician payment system.
I think he did pretty well.
Regarding the physician payment system, he again addressed McAllen, Texas, which is fast becoming the symbol of what’s wrong with American …
My kids love to play Monopoly. They delight in acquiring properties, making money and crushing their siblings. They play with passion and savagery. That is, until recently. A couple of weeks ago I walked past the Monopoly board, spread on…
My kids love to play Monopoly. They delight in acquiring properties, making money and crushing their siblings. They play with passion and savagery. That is, until recently. A couple of weeks ago I walked past the Monopoly board, spread on the floor between my children and their dear friend Tyler.
“˜How’s it going guys?’
“˜Great game, but we all ran out of money. So, we just put some more money on the …
Would Natasha Richardson be alive today if she had gone skiing in the United States instead?I don't think it would have made a difference.To recap the tragedy, Ms. Richardson died from an epidural bleed, after she fell while skiing. Her…
Would Natasha Richardson be alive today if she had gone skiing in the United States instead?
I don’t think it would have made a difference.
To recap the tragedy, Ms. Richardson died from an epidural bleed, after she fell while skiing. Her presentation was somewhat classic, with the well-described “lucid” period before she deteriorated.
According to Canada’s Globe and Mail, “ambulance workers were not …
In a surprise, President Obama has signaled a willingness to discuss medical liability as part of the health reform process.Good for him for standing up to the trial lawyers, a core constituency of the left.That's a good sign, as the…
In a surprise, President Obama has signaled a willingness to discuss medical liability as part of the health reform process.
Good for him for standing up to the trial lawyers, a core constituency of the left.
That’s a good sign, as the costs of defensive medicine brought on by the broken malpractice system, should be addressed if there is any hope of reducing health care spending. …
If both patients and doctors don't accept the changes required of their behavior, no amount of comparative effectiveness studies will cut health care spending.Two prominent medical journalists write as much in their respective blogs.First, the NY Times' Tara Parker-Pope notes…
If both patients and doctors don’t accept the changes required of their behavior, no amount of comparative effectiveness studies will cut health care spending.
Two prominent medical journalists write as much in their respective blogs.
First, the NY Times’ Tara Parker-Pope notes that patients have to realize that, yes, they should demand the best care possible. However, that means, “we will have to accept that ‘best’ …
The following op-ed was published on October 1st, 2008 in the USA Today. Despite the fact that we can complete our taxes and perform complex financial transactions digitally over the Internet, medical records have faced an impasse preventing a transition…
The following op-ed was published on October 1st, 2008 in the USA Today.
Despite the fact that we can complete our taxes and perform complex financial transactions digitally over the Internet, medical records have faced an impasse preventing a transition to the digital age. Patient charts are still paper-based in most doctors’ offices across the country.
President Bush’s goal was for every American to have an electronic medical …
The following op-ed was published on April 23rd, 2008 in the USA Today. A recent analysis by PricewaterhouseCoopers concluded that more than half the dollars in our $2.2 trillion health care system are wasted. Medical errors, inefficient use of information…
The following op-ed was published on April 23rd, 2008 in the USA Today.
A recent analysis by PricewaterhouseCoopers concluded that more than half the dollars in our $2.2 trillion health care system are wasted.
Medical errors, inefficient use of information technology and poorly managed chronic diseases were all cited as factors. Dwarfing these reasons is a phenomenon in which doctors order tests to avoid the threat of a …
The following op-ed was published on March 13th, 2008 in the USA Today. Crippling health care bills, long emergency room waits and the inability to find a primary care physician just scratch the surface of the problems that patients face…
The following op-ed was published on March 13th, 2008 in the USA Today.
Crippling health care bills, long emergency room waits and the inability to find a primary care physician just scratch the surface of the problems that patients face daily.
Surveys suggest that health care is a top domestic priority in the presidential election, and there is no lack of ideas on how to fix our system. …
The following op-ed was published on August 6th, 2007 in the New Hampshire Union Leader. Medicare is planning to cut physician payment rates by 10 percent in 2008. These reductions will continue annually, and it is predicted that the total…
The following op-ed was published on August 6th, 2007 in the New Hampshire Union Leader.
Medicare is planning to cut physician payment rates by 10 percent in 2008. These reductions will continue annually, and it is predicted that the total cuts will be about 40 percent by 2016.
The topic of physician compensation generally elicits little public sympathy. After all, the average primary care physician salary in 2006 …
Stunning news. The Boston Globe on Flea, his trial and how his blogging ultimately led from a possible victory to settlement:As Ivy League-educated pediatrician Robert P. Lindeman sat on the stand in Suffolk Superior Court this month, defending himself in…
Stunning news. The Boston Globe on Flea, his trial and how his blogging ultimately led from a possible victory to settlement:
As Ivy League-educated pediatrician Robert P. Lindeman sat on the stand in Suffolk Superior Court this month, defending himself in a malpractice suit involving the death of a 12-year-old patient, the opposing counsel startled him with a question.
What is defensive medicine? Defensive medicine is the deviation from sound medical practice to avoid the threat of malpractice litigation. According to a 2005 study in JAMA, over 90 percent of physicians surveyed admitted to practicing defensive medicine. This can…
What is defensive medicine?
Defensive medicine is the deviation from sound medical practice to avoid the threat of malpractice litigation.
According to a 2005 study in JAMA, over 90 percent of physicians surveyed admitted to practicing defensive medicine. This can range from “positive” defensive medicine, like ordering unnecessary tests, referring to consultants, or performing unneeded procedures; to “negative” defensive medicine, like avoiding high-risk patients or procedures. …
I'm happy that this study is getting some play in the media. Essentially, many of the "routine" tests done on a physical are not recommended (the whole concept of a "routine physical" is controversial - but that's for another discussion).…
I’m happy that this study is getting some play in the media. Essentially, many of the “routine” tests done on a physical are not recommended (the whole concept of a “routine physical” is controversial – but that’s for another discussion). Merenstein concludes:
# 37 percent of checkups included a urinalysis.
# 9 percent of checkups included an electrocardiogram.
I have written before that the physical exam is useless in American medicine:This is why the physical exam is useless in American medicine - it cannot hold up in court. Clinical evaluation and judgment skills now needs to be supported…
This is why the physical exam is useless in American medicine – it cannot hold up in court. Clinical evaluation and judgment skills now needs to be supported with objective, and often expensive, tests. Here we have a case of three separate physicians who, in their clinical opinion, did not feel a CT scan was warranted.
Man sues over "botched" testicular surgery: Another frivolous lawsuit?"A man is suing a hospital and one of its surgeons, claiming one of his testicles was wrongly removed during surgery.Danny Curtis claims the surgeon at Kern Medical Center did not conduct…
Danny Curtis claims the surgeon at Kern Medical Center did not conduct a biopsy before arranging urgent surgery to remove a testicular tumor in July 2004, according to the lawsuit filed in Kern County Superior Court.”
