June 28th, 2010 by DrRob in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion
Tags: AMA, American Medical Association, Drug Companies, Family Medicine, Finger Pointing, General Medicine, Healthcare Policy, Healthcare Politics, Healthcare reform, Inactions, Internal Medicine, Lobbyists, Medicare SGR Cut, No Solution, Passive-Aggressive Tactics, PCP, Politics As Usual, Primary Care Physicians, Procrastination, SGR 6-Month Extension, SGR 6-Month Snooze Button, U.S. Congress, Washington
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I have not a single thing I want to write about today. I am weary of the obvious topic: the “passage” of the 6-month extension on the SGR, but do feel I need to comment.
I am tired of this. I am tired of being jerked around by congress. I am tired of congress hitting the 6-month snooze button and somehow feeling that they are doing something good. This is procrastination, not a solution. Reassurances that something will be done are starting to be irrelevant. The problem is becoming the frustration, anger, and exhaustion that congress is thrusting upon doctors and patients, not the pay cut itself. The idea of no longer having to deal with the passive-aggressive tactics of congress is becoming increasingly appealing –- and if it’s this way for me, I’m sure it’s the same for PCPs across the country. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Musings of a Distractible Mind*
June 28th, 2010 by StevenWilkinsMPH in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion, Research, True Stories
Tags: Doctor-Patient Communication, Dr. Matt Handley, General Medicine, Group Health, Home-Based Healthcare, Patient-Centered Medical Home, PCMH
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Probably not yet. I think everyone would agree that Group Health of Seattle probably has a pretty good “take” on issues dealing with primary care redesign and the patient-centered medical home (PCMH). That’s why I surprised by a recent comment on a Group Health blog from by Matt Handley, M.D., in response to an earlier post here about patient question-asking. Dr. Handley is an Associate Medical Director for Quality and Informatics at Group Health.
Dr. Handley writes:
“While doctors often take pride in how open they are to patient questions, our self assessment doesn’t match up very well with empirical evidence. A recent post on Mind the Gap summarizes a small study that is relatively terrifying to me –- the take home is that doctors spend very little time explaining their recommendations, and that patients rarely ask questions.”
I picked up the phone and talked with Dr. Handley about his comments and work being done on PCMH at Group Health. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Mind The Gap*
June 27th, 2010 by GarySchwitzer in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Research, True Stories
Tags: Association Vs. Causation, Cancer Risk, Cause-And-Effect, CNN, Coffee, Evidence, Gary Schwitzer, Health News Consumers, HealthNewsReview.org, Inappropriate Use of Terminology, Language, Media Coverage, Media Inaccuracy, Misinterpretation, Misinterpreted Observational Studies, Online User Comments, Science And The Media, WebMD
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People aren’t dumb. Even if — or maybe especially if — news stories don’t point out the limitations of observational studies and the fact that they can’t establish cause-and-effect, many readers seem to get it.
Here are some of the online user comments in response to a CNN.com story that is headlined, “Coffee may cut risk for some cancers“:
* “I love how an article starts with something positive and then slowly becomes a little gloomy. So is it good or not? I’m still where I was with coffee, it’s all in moderation, it ain’t gonna solve your health woes.”
* “The statistics book in a class I’m taking uses coffee as an example of statistics run amuck. It seems coffee has caused all the cancers and cures them at the same time.” Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Gary Schwitzer's HealthNewsReview Blog*
June 27th, 2010 by John Mandrola, M.D. in Better Health Network, Opinion, Research, True Stories
Tags: Blood-Thinning, Cancer Treatment, Cardiology, Dangerous Dose, Early Detection of Cancer, Effective Dose, Internet Forums, Narrow Therapeutic Window, Oncology, Online Health Conversations, Patients in the Internet, Pharmacology, Social Networking, Warfarin
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In cancer treatment, detection of a tumor in an early stage markedly increases the chance of favorable outcomes.
Can the much-aligned blood thinner, warfarin, occasionally help in early detection of cancer?
Few pharmacologic agents receive more bad press than warfarin. Stories, which are too numerous to count, like “Did warfarin kill my father,” can be widely found on Internet forums, search engines, and are often quoted by reluctant patients — whose numerator of bad warfarin experiences is one.
It is true that warfarin has a narrow therapeutic window — a small difference between an effective dose and dangerous dose. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Dr John M*
June 26th, 2010 by KerriSparling in Better Health Network, Book Reviews, Health Tips, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: Cheryl Alkon, Endocrinology, Gestational Diabetes, Healthy Baby, Healthy Mom, Moms-To-Be, Obstetrics And Gynecology, Pre-Existing Diabetes, Prediabetes, Pregnancy, Prenatal Care, Six Until Me, Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes, Women's Health
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For anyone who has been reading my blog since my engagement three years ago, you know that motherhood has been on my radar for a long time. Longer than marriage. That quest for a decent A1C, that desire for a “normal” pregnancy, and that hope for a happy and healthy baby.
Part of the reason I wanted to write about my pregnancy here on SUM is because there wasn’t a lot of information out there about pre-existing diabetes and pregnancy. There was a LOT of information on gestational diabetes (obviously), and type 2 diabetes got some good press, but type 1 diabetes was sort of swept under the rug. Thankfully, there were a few diabetes bloggers who had chronicled their journeys, and I wanted to add my voice to that hopeful chorus.
But also thankfully, Cheryl Alkon had taken the topic to her publisher, and she penned the first book on managing pre-existing diabetes and pregnancy. And I’m very honored to have been both featured in her book (as a woman preparing for pregnancy) and to have her contributing here on Six Until Me (SUM). Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Six Until Me.*
