October 17th, 2010 by Peggy Polaneczky, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Humor, News, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: 20-Year-Old Embryo, Amendment 62, Assisted Reproductive Technology, Biological Development, Birth Control Pills, Colorado, Cryopreserved Embryo Birth, Dr. Peggy Polaneczky, Embryo Cryopreservation, Human Being, In Vitro Fertilization, IUD, Personhood Rights Bill, Reproductive Health, The Blog That Ate Manhattan
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There appears to be a new record for a cryopreserved embryo birth. From NPR:
In 1990 a couple underwent In Vitro Fertilization. They eventually had a healthy baby. They also, as is common, had a number of microscopic embryos that hadn’t been implanted, but were viable. They decided to anonymously donate them. Now, one of those embryos has produced a little boy, 20 years after being created.
In other embryo-related news, Colorado has another personhood rights bill (Amendment 62) on the ballot for November:
As used in sections 3, 6, and 25 of Article II of the state constitution, the term “person” shall apply to every human being from the beginning of the biological development of that human being.
So here’s my question: Under the proposed Colorado amendment, would this kid be legal to drink on his first birthday? I’m just sayin’…
Seriously, Colorado — just say “no” to Amendment 62. Its proponents plan to use it to try and outlaw birth control pills and IUDs.
*This blog post was originally published at tbtam*
October 16th, 2010 by Dr. Val Jones in Opinion, True Stories
Tags: Attitude, Call Center, CNN, Dr. Val Jones, Elizabeth Cohen, Empowered Patient, Healthcare Staff, Healthcare Workers, Human Compassion, Psychology, Snark
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Every once in awhile I have the distinct “pleasure” of being a patient. This week I was reminded about how awful it is. I didn’t mind the blood draws, poking and prodding, injections, or interaction with my physician, but it was the rudeness of the ancillary and administrative staff that really got under my skin. I had forgotten how unfriendly people can be, and how especially hard it is to deal with when you’re not feeling well. Context is everything when it comes to rolling your eyes and sighing heavily. Let me explain.
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October 15th, 2010 by Happy Hospitalist in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: Barrier To Patient Care, Cardiologist, Childhood Illness, Children's Health, Doctor-to-Doctor Communication, Doctors' Decisions, Doctors' Experience, Fear of Medical Malpractice, Happy Hospitalist, Healthcare Bureaucracy, Healthcare Politics, Heterotaxy Syndrome, ICU, Intensive Care, Lack of Communication, Medical Licensure, Pediatrics, Team-Based Patient Care
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I read this article about a young child with heterotaxy syndrome with great interest. Not because I find heterotaxy syndrome something of great fascination, but because of the lack of communication — on both ends of the spectrum:
Even though 5 other Dr. all came in and listened to his lungs and said that he didn’t sound like he was wheezing and that his lungs sounded really good. But because this hospital is overly political, process driven, bureaucratic, and in a constant state of litigious fear they are unable to make any conclusions based on actual medicine and patient care. Common sense is blown out the window when you have a system were a hospitalist one year out of medical school has an opinion that is as valuable as a cardiologist with 25+ years experience.
But in fairness, they all had to “really consider her opinion.”
So they went and got a pulmonologist to evaluate him, which Scott and I were very happy about because there was nothing in the world that would’ve made me more happy in that moment than to have her proven wrong. Which she was.
The whole article is a case study in stress, distrust, and legalism. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The Happy Hospitalist*
October 15th, 2010 by DrWes in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion
Tags: Aetna, BCS Insurance, Cigna, Dr. Wes Fisher, Emergency Physicians Monthly, EP Monthly, General Medicine, GruntDoc, Health Insurance Companies, Health Insurance Coverage, Healthcare Costs, Healthcare Law, Healthcare Policy, Healthcare Premiums, Healthcare reform, Insurance Industry, Obamacare, Un-Insurance Reform, WesMusings
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Who doesn’t need insurance reform? Why, the insurers like Aetna, Cigna, and BCS Insurance, that’s who! From Emergency Physicians Monthly:
By threatening to raise health care premiums by 200 percent or threatening to drop coverage altogether, the companies got the Department of Health and Human Services to cave. Now the companies have our government’s blessing to continue offering “insurance” to their employees that is capped at a few thousand dollars per year instead of the $750,000 required in the health care law.
Perhaps GruntDoc said it best:
“I am not an Obamacare fan, and would like it repealed, with smaller, more focused Bipartisan fixes, but if the government is going to pass something then roll over this easily to special interests… it’s already worse than useless.”
-WesMusings of a cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist.
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes*
October 15th, 2010 by Bryan Vartabedian, M.D. in Better Health Network, Opinion
Tags: 33 Charts, Companionship Over Content, Doctor Anonymous, Doctor Tweets, Doctors and Social Media, Doctors On Twitter, Doctors Who Tweet, Dr. Bryan Vartabedian, Dr. Michael Sevilla, General Medicine, Healthcare Social Media, MDChat, Phil Baumann RN, Physicians On Twitter, Social Media In Medicine, Social Media Standards, Tweetchat For Doctors, Tweetchat For Physicians, Unease About Social Media
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[Recently] some of us participated in the flagship physician Tweetchat (MDChat). Or better, I tried to participate between finishing up some calls and choking down a bean burrito.
When the idea was initially proposed to me I committed only to supporting its initiation with the occasional role of host. I’m simply overcommitted, but wanted to support Phil Baumann and those who were willing to try to break new ground. So I lurked, chewed, and pondered.
Doctors or not, everyone knows I’ve been a pretty lukewarm proponent of the tweetchat. I think they’re noisy, difficult to follow, and too abbreviated for constructive dialog. As early adopters I think we tend to put the novelty of the medium above its practicality.
With that said, chats can be fun. It’s a situation where I feel comfortable while at once restless. Kind of like at a medical staff meeting where the agenda doesn’t hold me quite as much as just being among my friends.
At the end of the day I might agree with Dr. Anonymous that the average physician new to social media might not find a twitter chat as the best way to spend a precious hour. For me that hour represents the better part of a blog post which, over the course of a month, will influence hundreds of readers and live forever.
But I suspect that there will always be those among us looking for companionship over content. And it’s hard to argue with that.
*This blog post was originally published at 33 Charts*
