January 6th, 2010 by DrRob in Better Health Network, Humor, Opinion
Tags: Healthcare reform, Medical Blogging, New Years, Wish List
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This past year was a big year. We got:
- A new president, whose name rhymes with “llama” (which is cool)
- A healthcare reform bill (results pending)
- I got to meet a bunch of bloggers (including the South African blogger, Bongi)
- I became a podcaster, joining Grammar Girl’s posse
- Idaho remained in the union despite the underhanded actions of the plumbers’ union
- The long-awaited sequel to Alvin and the Chipmunks (although I too was disgusted by the violence of the fans)
- Oprah was still afraid of me, announcing her retirement from TV.
- Dr. Phil’s badgering phone calls continued.
- I was on NPR, was in Medical Economics, authored the chapter of a book (forgot to tell you), and bought some really comfortable shoes.
- I got stressed-out (although not more than Oprah) and took some time off. People were really nice to me when I did. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Musings of a Distractible Mind*
January 6th, 2010 by Bryan Vartabedian, M.D. in Better Health Network, Opinion
Tags: Conflicts of Interest, Disclosure, Finance, Pharma, Pharmaceuticals, Physicians, Relationships
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This was the year that Pharma disclosed the names and payments of their physician consultants. Look here for physicians speaking and consulting with Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, Lilly, and Pfizer.
Physician disclosure of conflict is important. It helps put a physician’s opinion and point of view into a context. Disclosure has long been the standard in the academic world. This represents the first time that such information has been made available to the general public.
But how will patients use this information and how will it affect care and outcomes? Should patients flatly avoid physicians or others who have a relationship with a pharmaceutical company? And should patients routinely screen physicians for conflict?
I don’t know the answer to these questions. I’m not sure patients know the answer to these questions. I suspect patients may not like the idea but would be willing to overlook a pharma connection when the reputation of the physician is impeccable.
Transparency is all the rage. Expect more. But I’m wondering how the average health consumer will practically process the information.
*This blog post was originally published at 33 Charts*
January 6th, 2010 by Happy Hospitalist in Better Health Network, Humor, True Stories
Tags: Change Doctors, Doctor Patient Relationship, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics And Gynecology, Primary Care
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Have you ever thought you need to find a new doctor? Sometimes patients and doctors need to part their ways. Some doctor-patient relationships are so good that gifts are exchanged. Some are so bad that the doctor dismisses the patient from their clinic.
What about the patient who isn’t happy with the care they are receiving? What about the patient who wants to find a new doctor? Sometimes legitimate reasons exist. Perhaps the patient and doctor do not agree on the recommended therapies. When the patient and doctor do not have the same goals in mind, sometimes it’s best for the patient to find a new doctor that can better work with their needs. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The Happy Hospitalist Blog*
January 5th, 2010 by KevinMD in Better Health Network, Health Tips
Tags: Bad Advice, celebrity, Jenny McCarthy, Lance Armstrong, Rahul Parikh, Suzanne Somers
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More celebrities are giving medical advice these days.
Rahul Parikh explores the phenomenon in a recent piece from Slate, citing Lance Armstrong, Suzanne Somers, and Jenny McCarthy, among others.
But does their celebrity make them an authority in a given medical issue? Unfortunately, too many people think so, as following celebrity medical advice can be dangerous Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at KevinMD.com*
January 5th, 2010 by PhilBaumannRN in Better Health Network, Opinion
Tags: Democratization, healthcare, Marketing, Privacy, Skeptics, Social Media, Technology
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- Image by sirwiseowl via Flickr
Disclosure: I’m fascinated with Technology in general and social software and communities in particular. I’m one of Twitter’s biggest fanboys (here’s proof). I blog and tweet often about these media because I believe it’s important that we understand our relationship with Technology (and for me, Technology is more than just gadgets – for instance: I consider Law, Democracy, Religion and Capitalism technologies – but that’s another post).
I also believe that we need better or more original conversations about the Web and its deepening influences on our lives, our businesses, our sciences and our health care. Social Media pundits (or however they refer to themselves: gurus, evangelists, mavens) for too long have held the dominant voice in these discussions.
One phenomenon which our Web has engendered is the ability for virtually anyone to express their opinions and experiences and perspectives in accordance with their mastery of media. And therein lies a pesky issue: one’s accumulation of social attention for a particular field doesn’t always correlate with their expertise.
Over the last decade, many brilliant contributors have offered important and refreshing perspectives on the promises of the web. But some of these ideas have yet to be vetted and validated by closer scrutiny and scientific inquiry. The truth is not always intuitive. It’s easy, therefore, for appealing ideas to have fundamental flaws. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at phil baumann online*
