November 3rd, 2010 by Steven Roy Daviss, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion
Tags: 1outta5, Cognitive Function, Dr. Steven Daviss, Kansas Law, Maryland, Mental Health, Mental Illness, My Three Shrinks, Navigating the Voting System, Psychiatry and Psychology, Right To Vote, Shrink Rap, Stigma, Voter Rights
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Back in the 1970s, Kansas passed a law that could prevent people with mental illness from voting. The law was never used, but advocates were successful in getting an amendment passed that revoked that law.
This law was passed at a time when stigma against mental illness was much higher than now. I’m guessing it was presumed that folks with a mental illness could not reason enough to exercise an informed vote, which is not true, of course. If 1outta5 have a psychiatric illness, including anxiety, depression, and substance abuse, then there could have been a huge swath of disenfranchised voters.
And there already exists, to a degree, a basic cognitive test for voting: Navigating the whole ballot process. In Maryland, ours was electronic and no harder to use than an iPad, but I could still imaging some with severe dementia unable to navigate the system. But there should never be a cognitive bar one must pass to vote. The challenge would be where to draw the line.
*This blog post was originally published at Shrink Rap*
November 3rd, 2010 by GarySchwitzer in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: American Cancer Society, Blood Tests, Cancer Screening, Colonoscopy, Complications of Screening Tests, Disease Mongering, Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, Evidence and Harm, Gary Schwitzer, Genetics, Harms of Screening Tests, Health Journalism, HealthDay, HealthNewsReview.org, Inaccurate Health Reporting, Lack of Scientific Medical Evidence, Nature, Pancreas, Pancreatic Cancer, Potential Benefits of Screening Tests, Responsible Reporting, Screening Tests, Ultrasound, Upper-Gastrointestinal Endoscopy
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Continuing this week’s spontaneous theme (we didn’t make the claims and write the stories) of runaway enthusiasm for various screening tests by some researchers and journalists, HealthDay news service has reported on a study published in the Oct. 28 issue of the journal Nature that they say “provides new insight into the genetics of pancreatic cancer.” In the story, they let one of the researchers get away with saying, almost unchallenged:
“What’s important about this study is that it’s objective data in support of why everyone should be screened for pancreatic cancer.”
Mind you, this was a study that looked at tissue from just seven patients. The story continued with its breathless enthusiasm for the pancreatic cancer screening idea:
“In the future, new imaging techniques and blood tests will offer hope for early detection, the study noted. And just as people have a colonoscopy when they turn 50, “perhaps they should have an endoscopy of their upper gastrointestinal organs that includes an ultrasound of the pancreas,” said (the researcher).”
The very end of the story included some skepticism from Dr. Len Lichtenfeld of the American Cancer Society. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Gary Schwitzer's HealthNewsReview Blog*
November 3rd, 2010 by Shadowfax in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Quackery Exposed
Tags: AMA, American Medical Association, Centers For Medicare And Medicaid Services, CMS, Corrupt Medical Committee, CPT Codes, Doctor Control, Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, General Medicine, Healthcare Dollars, Healthcare Policy, Healthcare Politics, Internal Medicine, Medical Specialists, Medicare, Movin' Meat, Primary Care, Relative Value Scale Update Committee, RUC, Shadowfax, Specialty Medical Practice, Taxpayers' Money, Uneven Doctor Representation, Wall Street Journal, WSJ
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Interesting [recent] front-page article in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) about the American Medical Association’s (AMA) Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC). From the WSJ:
Three times a year, 29 doctors gather around a table in a hotel meeting room. Their job is an unusual one: divvying up billions of Medicare dollars.
The group, convened by the American Medical Association, has no official government standing. Members are mostly selected by medical-specialty trade groups. Anyone who attends its meetings must sign a confidentiality agreement. […]
The RUC, as it is known, has stoked a debate over whether doctors have too much control over the flow of taxpayer dollars in the $500 billion Medicare program. Its critics fault the committee for contributing to a system that spends too much money on sophisticated procedures, while shorting the type of nuts-and-bolts primary care that could keep patients healthier from the start — and save money.
I’m glad to see the RUC getting some much-needed scrutiny, and skeptical scrutiny at that. But they miss the point with the “fox watching the henhouse” angle, or at least they paint with too broad a brush. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Movin' Meat*
November 3rd, 2010 by BarbaraFicarraRN in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: Barbara Ficarra, Cardiology, Care Coordination, Cost of Medical Care, Dr. Stephen Schimpff, Health In 30, Misusing Medical Technology, Primary Care Physicians, Quality Patient Care
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Guest post by Stephen C. Schimpff, M.D.
We are often told that the reason for the high cost of medical care is all of our new technologies and drugs. There is an element of truth in that but when used correctly, new technologies save lives and improve the quality of patient care and often improve safety. But technologies used inappropriately increase costs while not improving quality and may adversely impact safety.
A patient example
An older woman had been coming to the same primary care physician (PCP) as her daughter for over twenty years. She lived in another city about 30 miles distant but she preferred to visit the doctor with her daughter. She also occasionally saw a doctor near her home if she had an immediate problem.
On nearly every visit she said that she felt “tired.” Repeated history and exam over twenty years revealed no cause nor did logical tests such as those for anemia or hypothyroidism. She then developed syncopal episodes — times when she would black out and fall to the floor, once bruising her head when she fell against the stove, and then waking up in a few minutes. Evaluation by the PCP showed that she had intermittent episodes of bradycardia, or very slow heart rate, resulting in the drop attacks. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Health in 30*
November 3rd, 2010 by AndrewSchorr in Better Health Network, Health Tips, News, Opinion, Research, True Stories
Tags: Advanced Breast Cancer, Andrew Schorr, Cancer, Clinical Research, Clinical Trials, ClinicalTrials.gov, Considering a Clinical Trial, Corengi.com, Empowering Patients, Encouraging Clinical Trial Enrollment, Human Clinical Trials, Human Subject Research, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Oncology, Participating in Medical Research, Patient Power, Ryan Luce, Type 2 Diabetes
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About 10 days ago I appeared in Phoenix as a speaker at a regional education seminar put on by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. My topic was sharing my experience as a participant in a clinical trial. I was delighted to do so, as I feel that trial saved my life and restored me to good health.
I am hoping my words encouraged others to consider being in a trial. There are no guarantees of the result, but trials are always worth considering. Unfortunately, few patients do. That may limit their choices and certainly holds back research that could help others. What a shame.
Clinical trials are defined as human subject research. It is through these trials that we determine if new drugs or devices can better serve patients than what is currently available. Clinical trials are available for almost every disease — although finding these trials can be challenging. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Andrew's Blog*
