June 14th, 2010 by StevenWilkinsMPH in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: Archives of Internal Medicine, Better Health, Clinical Guidelines, Doctor-Patient Encounter, Evidence Based Medicine, Family Medicine, General Medicine, Healthcare Policy, Healthcare reform, Informed Healthcare Consumer, Less Care, Less Is More In Medicine, Patient Expectations, Patient-Doctor Relationship, Primary Care, Rationing Of Care, U.S. Healthcare System, Unnecessary Testing, Unnecessary Treatments, Unneeded Medical Care
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In a recent article, the editors of the Archives of Internal Medicine make the case that too much unneeded care is being delivered in physician’s offices these days. According to the authors, “patient expectations” are a leading cause of this costly problem.
Their solution? Get physicians to share with patients the “evidence” for why their requests are crazy, wrong, ill-informed or just plain stupid. But getting patients to buy into the “less is more” argument is a daunting task as most physicians already know. The problem is complicated by the fact that patients have a lot good reasons for not buying it. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Mind The Gap*
June 14th, 2010 by KevinMD in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Health Tips, News, Opinion
Tags: Annals Of Internal Medicine, AP, Archives of Internal Medicine, Associated Press, Clinical Guidelines, Cost-Conscious Care, Critical Thinking, Doctor's Recommendations, Evidence Based Medicine, Family Medicine, General Medicine, Health News, High-Value Care, Informed Decisions, Informed Healthcare Consumer, mainstream media, Medical Journals, Medical News, Primary Care, Responsible Reporting, Unnecessary Medical Tests, Unnecessary Medical Treatment
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Just when I’ve lost hope that mainstream media will stop perpetuating the myth the more medicine equals better care, the Associated Press came up with this excellent piece. The article states, rightly, that “anywhere from one-fifth to nearly one-third of the tests and treatments we get are estimated to be unnecessary,” and that, “it may lead to dangerous side effects.”
Regular readers of this blog should be familiar with those concepts. I wrote recently that patients often reject evidence-based medicine. One reason is that there aren’t enough clinical guidelines available for patients to make an informed decision. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at KevinMD.com*
June 14th, 2010 by GarySchwitzer in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion
Tags: American Society of Clinical Oncology, Bad Health News Stories, Gary Schwitzer, HealthNewsReview.org, Manipulation of the Media, Medical Conferences, Medical Conventions, Medical News, Ron Winslow, Wall Street Journal
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In recent days, news readers/viewers/listeners have been bombarded with news from the big American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago. But how does some of this stuff become news? Read an excellent post by an excellent reporter, Ron Winslow of the Wall Street Journal, to see some of the crazy, ugly sausage-making that goes on in the manipulation of the media. In the example Winslow raises, what may be packaged as news really isn’t “new” — which is often the case.
*This blog post was originally published at Gary Schwitzer's HealthNewsReview Blog*
June 14th, 2010 by RyanDuBosar in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News
Tags: Amendments, Doc Fix, Doctor Fix, Healthcare Policy, Healthcare reform, Medicare Payment Fix, Medicare Reimbursement, Medicare SGR, Patient Demand, Physician Reimbursement Cut, Rural Health District, U.S. Senate
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Senators visited their districts Friday and again today, so the earliest they could vote on the doc fix is tomorrow (6/15) — the day the 21.3 percent reimbursement cut takes effect.
Slowing down the process are the numerous amendments. For example, the duration of the fix is still being negotiated. And there are amendments such as redefining what makes up a rural health district. In California, some rural areas are seeing urban levels of patient demand, but giving more money to these counties is being seen as a kickback akin to others that were proposed during healthcare reform. (Part B News, The Hill)
*This blog post was originally published at ACP Internist*
June 13th, 2010 by Gwenn Schurgin O'Keeffe, M.D. in Audio, Better Health Network, Health Tips, Opinion
Tags: Family Medicine, General Medicine, Guiding Kids On The Web, Internet Safety, Little Kids Online, Parenting, Pediatrics, Primary Care
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When should small kids get online? Is there a magic age? Is there a “best” way to start? What websites should small kids begin their online life with? And, most importantly, is it safe for small kids to be online?
Tune in as Dr. Gwenn talks about helping your youngest kids begin their online safely and smartly with you there as their earliest online guides. Listen to the show on BlogTalkRadio here.
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Gwenn Is In*
