October 20th, 2010 by Davis Liu, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion
Tags: 25 Skills Doctors Should Know, American Medical Students, Best Doctors, Best-Of-The-Best, Choosing Primary Care, Dr. Abraham Verghese, Dr. Davis Liu, Encouraging Medical Students, Family Medicine, Fixing Primary Care, General Medicine, Healthcare Technology, Infectious Disease, Internal Medicine, Medical Art, Medical Residency, Medical Residents, Primary Care Doctors, Primary Care Incentives, Primary Care Training Programs, Saving Money and Surviving the Healthcare Crisis, The Art of Medicine, The Practice of Medicine, Top Gun of American Medicine, U.S. Healthcare System
No Comments »
The first-year medical students I precept were too young to see Tom Cruise’s alter ego Lieutenant Pete “Maverick” Mitchell grace the big screen in the 1986 blockbuster film “Top Gun.” Yet, the story has a relevant analogy to medicine.
According to the film, during the Vietnam war American pilots were relying too much on technology to bring enemy fighters down. They weren’t as skilled in taking out the opposition. They fired their technologically advanced missiles to try and get the job done. They didn’t think. It didn’t work. They forgot the art of dogfighting.
The military discovered that technology alone wasn’t going to get the job done. The best fighter pilots needed the skills, insight, and wisdom on when to use technology and when not to. As a result, the Navy Fighter Weapons School, known simply as Top Gun, was created to retrain the military pilots on this vital lost skill. The goal of the program was specifically to make the best of the best even better.
Like the military, the country is discovering that the healthcare system enabled with dazzling technology isn’t getting the job done either. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Saving Money and Surviving the Healthcare Crisis*
October 20th, 2010 by Toni Brayer, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips
Tags: Consumer Health Information, Dr. Toni Brayer, Everything Health, Fitness and Exercise, Health Tips, Healthy Eating, HHS, Internet-Based Health Information, Online Health Information, Smallstep Adult and Teen, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Government Website
1 Comment »
It makes my blogging life easier if I can just direct readers to a cool site, compliments of (drumroll…) — the U.S. government! The site, called Smallstep Adult and Teen, is filled with great healthy eating and exercise tips. Check it out and click around a bit. (Don’t ya’ just love the Internet?) From the site:
Today’s lifestyle doesn’t allow much room for health. And that’s where Small Steps comes in. We know that it’s impossible for many people to make dramatic lifestyle changes. Instead, we want to help you learn ways that you can change small things about your life and see big results.
*This blog post was originally published at EverythingHealth*
October 19th, 2010 by Jennifer Shine Dyer, M.D. in Better Health Network, True Stories
Tags: Childhood Illness, Dr. Jennifer Shine Dyer, Hashimotos Thyroiditis, Hypothyroidism, Learning Lessons From Patients, Patient Strength, Pediatric Endocrinology, Positive Attitude
No Comments »
When I was in the 8th grade and honored at the “A” team honor roll breakfast, the speech was one that I never forgot: “Attitude is Everything.” Essentially, having a good education and good grades give you the tools to be successful, but having a great attitude toward any challenges ASSURES that you will arrive at that success.
Being a pediatrician AND an endocrinologist, I am blessed to work with many graceful children and their families who face medical endocrine challenges with great attitudes. I can recall numerous examples but will share one of my favorites: A now 11-year-old vibrant female with hashimotos thyroiditis who was diagnosed at 5 years old. Initially, she required frequent lab checks for medication adjustment (~5-6) which then decreased to ~2-3 annually thereafter for further medication dosing adjustments of synthroid replacement as she outgrew prior lower doses.
Her attitude towards her lab draws has always stuck with me because surprisingly she actually looked forward to them AND to her endo visits! She and her mother would always go out to eat and spend special quality time together whenever she had to have a lab draw. They would always choose Mexican food for these special outings, and in fact would limit all Mexican food intake, making it that much more special. Read more »
October 19th, 2010 by GarySchwitzer in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Quackery Exposed, Research
Tags: Big Pharma, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, Consumer Reports, Critical Reporting, Doctors Paid By Drug Companies, Dollars For Doctors, Gary Schwitzer, Healthcare Conflicts of Interest, HealthNewsReview.org, Medical Reporting, News Organizations, NPR, PBS, Pharmaceutical Companies Who Pay Physicians, Pharmaceutical Industry, ProPublica, Responsible Reporting, Sound Health Journalism, Troubled Doctors As Experts
1 Comment »
An historic piece of journalism was published today. Six news organizations partnered on the “Dollars for Docs” project — ProPublica, NPR, PBS’s Nightly Business Report, the Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe and Consumer Reports. They examined $258 million in payments by seven drug companies in 2009 and 2010 to about 18,000 healthcare practitioners nationwide for speaking, consulting, and other tasks.
This webpage can be your gateway to the project, with links to a database searchable by doctor’s name or by state, and links to the journalism partners’ efforts:
Boston Globe
“Prescription for Prestige”
The Harvard brand, unrivaled in education, is also prized by the pharmaceutical industry as a powerful tool in promoting drugs. Its allure is evident in a new analysis of all publicly reported industry payments to physicians.
Consumer Reports
“Consumers Wary of Doctors Who Take Drug-Company Dollars”
Most Americans are skeptical of financial relationships between doctors and companies, according to a new, national from the Consumer Reports National Research Center.
Chicago Tribune
“Doctors Draw Payments From Drug Companies”
Follow drug company money in Illinois, and it leads to the psychiatry department at Rush University Medical Center, a prominent headache clinic on the North Side of Chicago, a busy suburban urology practice and a psychiatric hospital accused of overmedicating kids.
PBS
“Nightly Business Report”
A doctor talks about quitting drug company money when their marketing tactics crossed the line.
NPR
“Drug Companies Hire Troubled Docs As Experts”
*This blog post was originally published at Gary Schwitzer's HealthNewsReview Blog*
October 19th, 2010 by BarbaraFicarraRN in Better Health Network, Health Tips, News, Research
Tags: Accurate Health Information, American Cancer Society, Bad Health News Stories, Barbara Ficarra, Clinical Trials, Empowered Patient, Health In 30, Health Journalism, Health News Articles, Health News Headlines, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Patient Education, Patient Engagement
No Comments »
Guest post submitted by MD Anderson Cancer Center
Most of us can’t keep up with all the new ways to avoid cancer. Thanks to the Internet, we now have an unlimited supply of cancer knowledge at our fingertips. But, how can we filter out the good, the bad and the questionable?
Below are steps to help you tease out the facts when reading that next big news story on preventing cancer.
Says who?
Don’t just take the writer’s word for it. Dig a little deeper to find out the source behind the hype. The American Cancer Society says you should ask yourself these questions when reading an article:
- Was this a press release from a company announcing a new breakthrough in cancer prevention?
- Was it a report from a clinical study that was given at a scientific conference?
- Was it a report from a study that was published in a respected medical journal?
- Where was the study done? What do you know about the research centers that conducted and sponsored the study?
Knowing the answers to these questions can help you decide on where you need to go to seek more details about the study findings. Visit the source of the information to learn more about how this new substance or method was tested. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Health in 30*
