July 22nd, 2008 by Dr. Val Jones in Health Policy, Medblogger Shout Outs
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My friends at Medgadget.com let me know about a new initiative that they started: an open blog site for US Physicians who wish to express their policy opinions online. Healthcare reform is championed primarily by politicians with no medical training – so they really need help to understand the issues from doctors in the trenches. Just as Barack Obama and John McCain are crafting their foreign policy in light of information they glean from military personnel on the front lines, I hope they will also inform their healthcare policy by listening carefully to the frontline caregivers in medicine. Let them know what you think!
From Medgadget’s press release:
We are very proud to unveil a new web service called Medpolitics.com, a blogging site open to US physicians to opine on healthcare, public health, politics of medicine, and the state of our profession. The time seems perfect considering that healthcare is such a hot debate topic, and many doctors feel that we should have a stronger voice in the debate. We figured we know a thing or two about blogging and healthcare. So why not build a service where doctors write their political thoughts and others read them and comment? We hope that one day politicians, policy makers, news makers, and others will be checking it out to see what the doctors actually think on the important medical policy issues.
So we registered the domain, installed a user-friendly publishing software, and gave it some testing. The site is now ready to go, all without any significant investments (except for our time) or outside funding. In other words, 100% independent political network for doctors.
This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
July 22nd, 2008 by Dr. Val Jones in Uncategorized
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Dr. Allen Roberts, Emergency Medicine physician and pillar of the medical blog establishment (he won the award for best medical blog in 2004) is hosting the 200th edition of Grand Rounds. Grand Rounds is a weekly summary of the best of the medical blogosphere, hosted by a different medical blogger each week. If you haven’t discovered it yet, please look out for your weekly edition.
Dr. Roberts uses a delightful economy of words in this fast paced summary – and he included my interview with Bob Schieffer about bladder cancer.
Please check it out.
This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
July 20th, 2008 by Dr. Val Jones in Expert Interviews
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This is part 2 of an interview with urologist Mark Schoenberg. Please click here for part one of the interview.
Dr. Val: How is bladder cancer treated?
Dr. Schoenberg: Bladder cancer can be grouped into two categories: non-invasive disease and invasive disease. About 80-90% of the time the cancer is formed by the cells of the inner lining of the bladder, ureters, and kidneys and is non-invasive. This type of bladder cancer doesn’t spread or invade the bladder wall, so it doesn’t threaten the life of the patient, but it can recur.
Non-invasive cancers are usually removed surgically via a scope that is inserted into the bladder via the urethra, and then afterwards there are a variety of medicines that can be infused into the bladder. Those medicines are like a kind of weed killer for bladder cancer.
Unfortunately up to 20% of patients have invasive tumors at the time that they are diagnosed. Once the bladder cancer has spread outside the bladder wall, surgery is needed to remove the primary tumor and then IV chemotherapy and sometimes radiation therapy are needed to treat the life threatening, metastatic disease.
Dr. Val: Is there any way to screen for bladder cancer?
Dr. Schoenberg: Unfortunately at this time urine tests for bladder cancer are very expensive, and they don’t detect cancer reliably. However, many researchers (including myself) are currently on a hunt for specific bladder cancer markers that are inexpensive and reliable. Once we find such a marker or group of markers, it would make sense to begin screening — at the very least — high risk groups such as smokers or people with occupational exposures to chemicals.
Dr. Val: What are the most promising advancements in bladder cancer treatment? Is there new research in the pipeline that could improve its diagnosis or treatment?
Dr. Schoenberg: There are two different areas of research interest in bladder cancer. The diagnostics arena — finding cancer more efficiently, effectively, and less invasively — and the therapeutics arena — developing new tools, drugs, and agents to get rid of cancer cells.
On the diagnostic front, molecular diagnostic researchers are looking at abnormal cancer proteins and DNA that can be detected in urine samples. Because of this research, in the next 5-10 years it wouldn’t surprise me if we no longer had to rely on cystoscopes for the diagnosis of bladder cancer. Also we’d like to develop molecular and genetic profiles in order to risk-stratify people more successfully (i.e. figure out who is at greater risk for bladder cancer, and make sure they get tested).
On the treatment front, there are a number of companies developing targeted therapies for bladder cancer. It’s possible that these therapies will reduce the risk of progression and recurrence in people with bladder cancer.
Unfortunately, bladder cancer has only attracted a fraction of the research dollars that other cancers have in patients in the same demographic (like pancreatic cancer). In fact, NIH funding for bladder cancer research is pitifully small and shrinking, despite the fact that there are 600,000 Americans who have bladder cancer right now. Not only that, but bladder cancer is one of the most expensive cancers to treat – because it requires repeated cystoscopies, catheter-based infusions, repeat surgeries, and sometimes chemo and radiation. Bladder cancer treatment costs Americans about 1 billion dollars a year.
Dr. Val: Why isn’t bladder cancer receiving the research funding it deserves?
Dr. Schoenberg: Successful cancer groups have highly visible champions for the disease – like Lance Armstrong for testicular cancer, or Susan G. Koman for breast cancer. Research funding seems to be strongly influenced by highly visible people getting out there and making a ruckus. We need powerful spokespeople to help Diane Quale at the Bladder Cancer Association Network to get the word out.This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
July 18th, 2008 by Dr. Val Jones in True Stories
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This alarming story (h/t KevinMD) of a physician attacked by a drug-seeker reminded me of my intern year. I worked in an inner city hospital in New York, and was scheduled to work in the “detox unit” for a full month. We interns had mixed feelings about our “detox month” – on the one hand, the patients were generally healthy and were unlikely to need blood draws, procedures, spinal taps, intubations, and such. This meant less work to do during our shifts. On the other hand, the patients were hardened drug users, often with a history of violence — and let’s just say that depleting the system of all the heroin, crack, alcohol, and various other substances didn’t tend to put them in the best mood.
I personally did not enjoy my detox month. I’d prefer a “crashing” ICU patient any day over a beligerant, hep C positive man trying to threaten me into giving him an additional dose of colace. And frankly, as a woman it was kind of scary to be around these guys. I never knew if they were going to snap, and no matter how many security guards are around, a lot of damage can happen in the 60 seconds or so it takes them to get to you.
One night the “detox resident” appeared for duty. His shift started at 11pm and the day shift nurses were eager to get home. The security guards were changing shift as well, and had not entered the lock-down area inside the unit. The resident went in alone. Suddenly, one of the patients snapped, and grabbed the unsuspecting doctor by the throat. The patient threw him up against the wall and punched him in the face, breaking his nose and fracturing his eye socket. Blood flew everywhere and the resident tried to fight back to defend himself. Unfortunately he was no match for the 250 pound patient, and sustained a few kicks to the ribs before the security guards were able to subdue the man. The resident was transferred off the detox unit rotation and given an extra week of vacation. I was the intern who was asked to fill in for him.
I felt somewhat paranoid that month, and refused to be inside the lock down area without a security guard within 15 feet of me. Fortunately, I was not physically attacked – I only experienced verbal abuse and the occasional very awkward conversation about genital deformities.
But it was a real wake up call for me – medicine can be a risky business, and white coats do not protect against psychotic aggression. I guess it’s just one of the risks we take in caring for all-comers.
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Addendum: here’s another example of doctors being abused by narcotic-seekers.This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
July 18th, 2008 by Dr. Val Jones in Medblogger Shout Outs
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Bureaucracy + worker’s compensation attorneys = THIS
Thanks to Dr. Rob for the laugh-out-loud glimpse into the wonderful world of medical coding.This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
