January 2nd, 2012 by Michael Kirsch, M.D. in News, Opinion
Tags: $100, Biopsy, Cancer, Cleveland, CT Scans, Detection, Incidentalomas, Insurance, Lung Cancer, Marketing, Smokers, spiral computed tomography, Spiral CT Scan, Surgery, The Plain Dealer, University Hospital
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A hundred bucks doesn’t buy much these days. A crisp Ben Franklin can be exchanged for
- 50 Big Macs
- A Broadway show ticket
- A night in a New York City hotel (just joking)
- A college textbook (paperback)
- Your life
Your life? Yes, 5 crumpled Andy Jacksons can save your life, as was reported earlier this year in a front page article in The Plain Dealer, Cleveland’s only daily newspaper. University Hospital is now offering a $99 spiral computed tomography (CT scans) of the chest in individuals who are at increased risk of developing lung cancer. The rationale is that if cancers can be detected early, then the cure rate for surgical removal is very high.
Gary Schwitzer, medical blogger and press watchdog, tries to bring some balance to the distorted media coverage of CT lung cancer reportage.
The test is Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at MD Whistleblower*
January 1st, 2012 by John Di Saia, M.D. in Opinion
Tags: Cosmetic Surgery, Less Invasive, Loose Skin, Mini Tummy Tuck, Minimally Invasive, Operations, Plastic Surgery, Redo surgery, Surgeon, Tummy Tuck
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Online resources for tummy tuck information suffer with a great deal of misconception. Even surgeons may disagree regarding choosing between different tummy tuck operations for a given patient. Reduced cost, pain and extent of surgery tend to push patients toward lesser surgery. These days “less invasive” is a popular selling point. As my practice has progressed, however, I have found the satisfaction rate of mini tummy tuck to be too low to support doing many of them. I do “minis” only in rare circumstances these days.
Mini tummy tuck surgery corrects much less than more involved full versions of the operation. If there is any significant looseness above the belly button, the mini will not address it much. If there is any more than a tiny bit of excess skin, the mini will not touch it much at all. The feeling of having been “under corrected” is common after mini tummy tuck surgery. If patients are unhappy with the results of a mini tummy tuck it is not always possible to Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Truth in Cosmetic Surgery*
December 31st, 2011 by DrWes in Health Policy, Opinion
Tags: Administration, Basketball, Business, Cost, Doctors, Expenses, health care, Health Care Reform, man to man, Metaphor, Money, Patients, Physicians, Players, Playing together, Sides, Team, zone defenese
1 Comment »
It is tough playing man-to-man when coaches on the sideline keep insisting your team plays zone.
Such is it with health care.
For doctors, the man-to-man defense never ends. Stay with them. Glue to them. Move with them. Run with them. Defend against the bounce pass, or the dribble to avoid the admission. Hands up! Watch their waist, ignore the head fake. You shift your coverage to accommodate their needs. One on one, mana-a-mano.
But for the business of medicine, it’s all about the zone. Defend the admission basket against as many people as possible with the least number of defenders. Stay in your position. Work it 2-1-2, 2-3, or if you’re really adventurous: 1-2-2. Stick to Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes*
December 31st, 2011 by GarySchwitzer in News, Opinion
Tags: Direct-To-Consumer Drug Advertising, Disease Mongering, Drug Marketing, Excessive Sleepiness, Night Shifts, Nuvigil, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Shift Work Disorder, Sleepy, Tired
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…And all through the town not a creature was stirring except for some struggling to stay awake throughout the night shift….
So reads a newspaper ad for a federally-controlled substance in prescription drug form that is marketed for ES caused by SWD or OSA.
Don’t know what that means?
Come on. Where have you been?
Like ED for erectile dysfunction, PE for premature ejaculation, and GERD for gastrointestinal reflux disorder, these are the new marketing names for conditions that drug companies want to sell you drugs for.
ES = excessive sleepiness
SWD = shift work disorder
OSA = obstructive sleep apnea
The drug company’s online ads feature a fireman, a police officer, a construction worker. I am very sensitive to Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Health News Review*
December 31st, 2011 by Toni Brayer, M.D. in News, Opinion
Tags: Africa, Billing, Diagnosis, Fraud, Investigation, Kwashiorkor, Malnutrition, Medicare, Niger, Northern California, Nutritional consult, Prime Healthcare Services, Protein, Rural Area, Starvation, Vitamins
2 Comments »
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| Kwashiorkor in Niger |
Is it plausible that one small hospital in rural Northern California treated 1,030 cases of Kwashiorkor within a two year period?
Before you answer that, let me explain what Kwashiorkor is. It is a severe form of protein malnutrition…starving to death actually. It is the type of starvation you see in African children. It is so severe that the patient needs special nutritional support including special re-feeding with vitamins and it occurs mainly in children ages 1-4. Adults can starve to death, but they do not develop classic Kwashiorkor.
Medicare pays hospitals a flat rate based on diagnosis codes for patients. Patients with more severe coded illnesses get paid at a much higher rate. Shasta Regional Medical Center, located in Redding, Shasta County, California is under the microscope for billing Medicare (our tax dollars at work) for 1,030 cases of Kwashiorkor to the tune of $11,463 for each diagnosis. This medical center is Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at EverythingHealth*
A hundred bucks doesn’t buy much these days. A crisp Ben Franklin can be exchanged for
