August 30th, 2010 by GarySchwitzer in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Quackery Exposed
Tags: American Society of News Editors, Conflicts of Interest, Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making, Gary Schwitzer, Health and Medicine Media, Health Journalism, HealthNewsReview.org, Infuse, John Fauber, Medical Device Companies, Medical Device Safety, Medicine and Patients, Medtronic, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Money, Orthopedic Surgery, Patient Safety, Public Health Alert, Revolutionary Medical Advance, Spinal Fusion Product, Treatment for Low Back Pain
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There are many stories journalists could report on about conflicts of interest and questions about evidence in the treatment of low back pain, perhaps especially with spinal fusion. We talked about many of these with journalists from the American Society of News Editors in a workshop at the Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making in Boston in May.
John Fauber of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel hammers one of these issues, looking at how Medtronic’s Infuse product “went from revolutionary advance to public health alert.”
Here’s his story on MedPageToday: “Spinal Fusion Device: A Bone of Contention for FDA.”
His entire series entitled “Side Effects: Money, Medicine and Patients” is indexed on the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel website. The image below is from the Journal-Sentinel’s online story:
*This blog post was originally published at Gary Schwitzer's HealthNewsReview Blog*
August 30th, 2010 by DrWes in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Health Tips, News, Opinion
Tags: Empowered Patients, General Medicine, Healthcare Economics, Healthcare Politics, Modern Healthcare, Most Powerful People In Healthcare, Patient Empowerment, Rankings in Healthcare, Taking Control of Your Health, Your Doctor, Your Healthcare
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In case you haven’t seen it, a list of the 100 Most Powerful People in Health Care was [recently] published. In thinking about this list I realized that, in reality, these people had little to do with my patients’ health care delivery. So how did they became the most powerful people in health care?
Quite simply, they are not the 100 most powerful people in health care, but rather they are the 100 most powerful people overseeing the funding of health care — at least for the moment. In as little as 11 months, many of the people on this list will be gone or have moved on to their next money-making venture.
So who are the most powerful people in health care? Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes*
August 30th, 2010 by GruntDoc in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion
Tags: Alexander Everest, Elite American Medical Systems, FMGs, Foreign Medical Graduates, General Medicine, Harlem Hospital, Hospital Bribe, IMGs, International Medical Graduates, Medical School, Medical Students, National Resident Matching Program, New Doctors, Residency Applicants, U.S. Medical Residencies, Wall Street Journal, Young Doctors
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In another one of the things I had no idea about, there’s a market to assist FMGs [foreign medical graduates] in getting U.S. residencies, which makes sense. Allegedly, this guy was willing to go the extra mile for his clients.
Full marks for creativity, but…
Mr. Everest allegedly provided an employee at the hospital with forged letters from a California hospital to show that the applicants had been accepted into a second-year program. And he gave her a check for $4,000, followed by another check for $2,000. She reported him to hospital officials, and later told him she knew the letters were forged. He then allegedly gave her $6,000 for time to get a letter from a different hospital—which was also forged—and gave her $3,000 more before he was arrested.
Geez.
– Via Hospital Bribe Alleged – WSJ.com
*This blog post was originally published at GruntDoc*
August 29th, 2010 by Berci in Better Health Network, Health Tips, News, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: Brian Stelter, Data Analytics, Dieting Accountability, Internet-Based Data Collection, Losing Weight on the Interent, New York Times, Obesity, Online Dieting Support, Online Weight Loss Tools, Overweight, Tweeting, Twitter Diet, Your.FlowingData.com
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Here is a recent piece in the New York Times by reporter Brian Stelter who decided to lose weight by 1) getting support from fellow Twitterers, and 2) by tweeting everything he eats throughout the day. An excerpt:
I knew that I could not diet alone; I needed the help of a cheering section. But rather than write a blog, keep a diary or join Weight Watchers, I decided to use Twitter. I thought it would make me more accountable, because I could record everything I ate instantly. And because Twitter posts are automatically pushed to each person who subscribes to them, an audience — of friends or strangers — can follow along.
What’s surprising is that he didn’t start using some kind of data-collecting application. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at ScienceRoll*
August 29th, 2010 by Edwin Leap, M.D. in Better Health Network, Humor, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: Alcoholics, Child Abusers, Desensitized Doctors, Drug Addicts, Drunk Drivers, ED, Emergency Department, Emergency Medicine, Emergency Physician, Emergency Room, ER, General Medicine, Medical Humor, Meth Dealers, Meth Lab, Meth Users, Methamphetamine, Moral Judgment, Murderers, Sexual Assault
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Last week a trailer less than a mile from our house experienced a small explosion. Trailers, which seldom explode on their own (without undiscovered volcanoes or CIA drones with missiles) was concealing a meth lab.
What can you say? If I weren’t an emergency physician I’d say, “Shocking! Ghastly! Unbelievable!” But I do what I do so I say, “Huh, how about that.”
I’ve lost much of my capacity to be shocked. I have seen meth users, and probably meth dealers. I’ve known and enjoyed the company of alcoholics and Valium addicts. I’ve cared for murderers and the murdered (albeit briefly in the case of the latter). I’ve been involved in the evaluation of sexual assault victims, car thieves, drunk drivers and child abusers. A meth lab is, in its own way, kind of small stuff.
What does it say about me? I don’t know. It may suggest that I’m cynical. Or it may mean that I’m cold. Or it may mean, as I suspect it does, that I’m just realistic. I know the world is full of drugs and brokenness. The ER, where I work, is just the place where all of it arrives in its fermented, fully concentrated, “contents under pressure” form. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at edwinleap.com*
