August 9th, 2010 by StevenWilkinsMPH in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion, Research
Tags: Cardiovascular Disease, Decreased Adherence Among Patients, Depression, Doctor-Patient Communication, Emotional Well-Being, General Medicine, Increased Blood Pressure, Job Loss, Mental Distress, More Doctors Visits, More Hospitalizations, More Medication, More Testing, Patient-Centered Care, Patient-Doctor Relationship, Physician Awareness, Problems At Home, Unemployed Patients, Weakened Immune System
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Anyone who’s ever been downsized or otherwise lost a job knows the feelings: Personal loss (social, financial and routine), self doubt, and in some cases fear of what the future will bring. Unemployment and its cousin, underemployment, are not subjects that a lot of people are comfortable brining up in polite conversation — even with their doctor.
Given today’s tough economic environment, chances are that 15 to 20 percent of the people sitting in most doctors’ waiting rooms are out of work. Do you know who they are? You should. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Mind The Gap*
August 9th, 2010 by Edwin Leap, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, Emergency Medicine, EMTALA, Fair Pay, General Medicine, Healthcare reform, Hilda Solis, medicaid, Medicare, Physician Billing, Physician Reimbursement, U.S. Department of Labor, Undercompensated Doctors, Unfunded Federal Mandates
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This is my column in [the August 3rd] Atlanta Journal Constitution:
Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis recently produced an interesting public service announcement. In it, she stated that every worker deserves to be paid fairly for his or her labor (whether the worker is documented or not), and offered both a website and telephone hot-line which workers could use to report unfair payment by employers. (Incidentally, here’s the link: www.dol.gov/wecanhelp.) In the video, she stated succinctly, “You work hard, and you deserve to be paid fairly.”
Those of us who practice medicine completely agree. So we might reasonably ask if this announcement also applies to physicians who are undercompensated for their work. This routinely happens when patients are covered by Medicare and Medicaid, or by large insurance companies like Blue Cross/Blue Shield, which routinely negotiate unfair physician fees using their collective weight in bargaining. (Even as their executives bring home tidy bonuses that are clearly padded by denials). Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at edwinleap.com*
August 9th, 2010 by RyanDuBosar in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Research
Tags: Annual Salary Survey, Family Medicine, General Medicine, Internal Medicine Doctors, Internists, Locum Tenens, Pay Raise, Permamently Employed Physicians, Physician Recruitment, Primary Care, Salary Increase
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Full-time internists average $191,864 in income, according to one recruiter’s annual salary survey. LocumTenens.com conducted its survey in the early spring of 2010 among locum tenens and permanently employed physicians. That’s up from $179,958 in 2009, the company reported. Specific breakdowns by gender, years in practice and owner/employee status are here.
That’s a 6.6 percent pay raise. We’re going to do our own salary survey right here. Let us know if you saw such an increase in the past year.
*This blog post was originally published at ACP Internist*
August 8th, 2010 by DrWes in Better Health Network, News, True Stories
Tags: Allison John, Becoming A Doctor, Cardiff University, Medical Degree, Medical History, Medical School, Medical Student, Organ Transplant, Practicing Medicine
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This occurred after a liver, heart, lung, and kidney transplant:
Allison John, 32, made medical history in 2006 after she received her fourth organ transplant — a kidney from her father, 61-year-old David John, to add to her previous heart, lung and liver transplants.
A life plagued by illness and frequent hospital visits has not deterred John from her dream of becoming a doctor, however. After 14 years of interrupted study, she finally received her medical degree from Cardiff University last month, according to the U.K. press.
Wow.
-WesMusings of a cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist.
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes*
August 8th, 2010 by GarySchwitzer in Better Health Network, Medblogger Shout Outs, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: Adam Marcus, Dr. Ivan Oransky, Embargo Watch, Gary Schwitzer, Health News Blogs, Health News Coverage, HealthNewsReview.org, Medblogs, Niche Blog, Retraction Watch, Reuters Health, Science Journalists, Science Reporting, Scientific Information Embargoes, Scientific Information Retractions
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Ivan Oransky, M.D., executive editor of Reuters Health, somehow found time a few months ago to launch his first blog, Embargo Watch — with the tagline: “Keeping an eye on how scientific information embargoes affect news coverage.”
Now, as evidence he either doesn’t sleep or has roots in Transylvania, Oransky the Impaler launches a new blog, Retraction Watch along with partner Adam Marcus. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Gary Schwitzer's HealthNewsReview Blog*
