Medications and prescribing

1,941 articles · Since 2004

Articles, page 56

Tom Daschle withdraws, and how that will impact health care reform

February 4, 2009Feb 4, 20098

There's no shortage of informed opinions on the Tom Daschle debacle, and how this will affect the chances of successful health care reform.I don't pretend to be a political pundit, so instead, here is a collection of selected insights from…

There’s no shortage of informed opinions on the Tom Daschle debacle, and how this will affect the chances of successful health care reform.

I don’t pretend to be a political pundit, so instead, here is a collection of selected insights from news sites and health policy blogs that I regularly read.

First off, the NY Times says it will likely halt the momentum for health reform, and …

Her hands and feet amputated, a Brazilian model dies from Pseudomonas aeruginosa sepsis. What happened?

Kevin Pho, MD

January 25, 2009Jan 25, 200912

Mariana Bridi da Costa, a 20-year old Brazilian model, tragically died early Saturday morning from Pseudomonas aeruginosa urosepsis.How can this happen? Miss Bridi da Costa initially presented on December 30th, and was diagnosed with kidney stones. An ultrasound, plain film,…

Mariana Bridi da Costa, a 20-year old Brazilian model, tragically died early Saturday morning from Pseudomonas aeruginosa urosepsis.

How can this happen?

Miss Bridi da Costa initially presented on December 30th, and was diagnosed with kidney stones. An ultrasound, plain film, or CT scan likely would have been done to confirm the diagnosis. I assume that a urinalysis was also performed, and if …

Health policy

Op-ed: Doctors’ pay cuts save little in health costs

Kevin Pho, MD

August 22, 2008Aug 22, 200823

The following op-ed was published on August 22nd, 2008 in the USA Today. "Why should I care if doctors get a pay cut?" my patient recently asked me. Therein lies the delicate dilemma physicians face today. While the common perception…

The following op-ed was published on August 22nd, 2008 in the USA Today.

“Why should I care if doctors get a pay cut?” my patient recently asked me.

Therein lies the delicate dilemma physicians face today. While the common perception is that the medical profession is well-compensated, there are serious implications in targeting physician pay to control medical spending.

Congress recently passed a bill protecting doctors from a 10.6% …

Real physician voices, twice a week

Free, and one click to unsubscribe.

Drugs and prescribing

What “take 2 tablets twice daily” really means on a label

Kevin Pho, MD

July 31, 2007Jul 31, 2007

What does that mean to you? More patients than you think are confused by drug labels:Did that mean a total of two, or a total of four? A third of patients who were deemed literate got confused. A more clear…

What does that mean to you? More patients than you think are confused by drug labels:

Did that mean a total of two, or a total of four? A third of patients who were deemed literate got confused. A more clear instruction would be: “Take two tablets in the morning and two tablets at night.”

The fix is not complicated. When I write a prescription, I spell out how …

Conditions and diseases

How too much muscle cream caused a fatal overdose

Kevin Pho, MD

June 9, 2007Jun 9, 2007

Overuse of muscle cream led to this teen's death:A medical examiner blamed a 17-year-old track star's death on the use of too much muscle cream, the kind used to soothe aching legs after exercise.Arielle Newman, a cross-country runner at Notre…

Overuse of muscle cream led to this teen’s death:

A medical examiner blamed a 17-year-old track star’s death on the use of too much muscle cream, the kind used to soothe aching legs after exercise.

Arielle Newman, a cross-country runner at Notre Dame Academy on Staten Island, died after her body absorbed high levels of methyl salicylate, an anti-inflammatory found in sports creams such as Bengay and Icy Hot,

…