February 4th, 2010 by RamonaBatesMD in Better Health Network, Health Tips, Research
Tags: Belly Button, How To Reconstruct, Neoumbilicoplasty, Plastic Surgery, Scar, Umbilicus
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The umbilicus is perhaps the only scar that all of us want. The umbilicus forms after birth as a result of the placental cord being transected as the infant is “detached” from his/her mother. As the stump of the cord necroses, the scab falls away as the base heals leaving a scar: the umbilicus.
The umbilicus has been described as a depressed scar surrounded by a natural skin fold that measures 1.5 to 2 cm in diameter and lies anatomically within the midline at the level of superior iliac crest.
Neoumbilicoplasty in simple terms is the creation or reconstruction of a new umbilicus to replace the missing or deformed umbilicus. (absence of defined umbilicus, photo credit) Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Suture for a Living*
February 4th, 2010 by Debra Gordon in Better Health Network, Quackery Exposed, True Stories
Tags: Breast Cancer, Cancer, Clinical Trials, Ignorance, Insulin Potentiation Therapy, Misinformation, Placebo, Quackery
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So my cousin emailed me the other night. She had a breast cancer recurrence about 6 years ago. Before you feel too sorry for her, however, know this: She’s doing great, moving from one targeted treatment/chemotherapy/laser knife procedure to another. Her doctors are fabulous. Her attitude is amazing. And, as she constantly tells us, she feels great and is loving life. No, this isn’t about her. It’s about her friend, the one she emailed me about.
Her friend was diagnosed with an early stage of an aggressive form of non-small cell lung cancer a year ago. After chemotherapy, a CT scan this summer showed her lungs clear of cancer; but a followup CT scan last week showed some spots. This woman had participated in a clinical trial during her first round of treatment and her doctor wanted her to join another clinical trial. But my cousin’s friend is freaked out; she doesn’t want to feel like a “guinea pig.” So when her daughter suggested she see a doctor who specializes in an unproven and experimental therapy called insulin potentiation therapy, she was ready to call for an appointment. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Debra Gordon's Musings on Medicine and Health Care*
February 3rd, 2010 by Edwin Leap, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion
Tags: Customer Satisfaction, Customer Service, Finance, Hospitals, Medical Ethics, Patient Satisfaction Surveys, Press-Ganey, Repeat Visits
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I am very blessed. The hospital where I practice, while concerned with patient satisfaction, does not worship at its altar. That is, so far our administrators seem to understand that people will occasionally be angry or unsatisfied, and that such dissatisfaction is within the realm of real life. We still have people storm out of the emergency department, prattling on about lawyers and lawsuits, promising to go to another hospital in the future (which we heartily encourage). On the whole, we do a bang-up job of keeping the right people happy, and an adequate job of making the right people unhappy. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at edwinleap.com*
February 3rd, 2010 by Davis Liu, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion
Tags: America, American Dream, Broken, Fiscal Responsibility, Healthcare reform, Loss, Primary Care, Super Power
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It appears that the American Dream is dead as the Democrats have essentially no chance in passing some sort of healthcare reform package. The stunning loss of the senate seat held by the late Ted Kennedy has now given the Republicans the ability to filibuster any significant healthcare legislation.
More disappointing is that Americans seem willing to accept the fact that they can live without healthcare. In a blog at US News and World Report titled 21 Things We’re Learning to Live Without, besides abstaining from cable TV, a home phone, prepared foods, and lattes, healthcare was also on the list. Millions of Americans are apparently “simply hoping they don’t get seriously ill or hurt.” How can this happen in supposedly the wealthiest nation in the world? Too many Americans are literally one illness or accident away from financial ruin as medical costs are the leading cause of personal bankruptcy. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Saving Money and Surviving the Healthcare Crisis*
February 3rd, 2010 by DrRob in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion
Tags: Communications, Data Transfer, Email, EMR, Gaps, HIT, Lab Tests, Medical Records, PHR, Physicians, Primary Care, Technology, Technophobia
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I was talking to a fellow physician about a mutual patient. I had information that would help him in their care and he was taking the unusual step of asking me for my information. I was impressed.
“Could you fax me those documents?” he asked. ”Here’s my fax number.”
I scrambled to get a pen to write down his number. Then I had a thought: “I could email you those documents much easier. Do you have an email address?”
Silence.
After a long pause, he hesitantly responded, “I would rather you just fax it.” He said no more. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Musings of a Distractible Mind*
