April 4th, 2010 by DrCharles in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Health Tips, Opinion, Quackery Exposed, True Stories
Tags: Doctor Competence, Doctor Politics, General Medicine, Insurance Company, Medical Politics, Online Physicians Ratings, Patient Responsibility, Primary Care, Top Doctors
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I’m sure you’ve read through “top doctor” rankings and online physician ratings. It is only human to seek perceived leaders. But as sometimes seen in politics, those who have reached the pinnacles are often motivated by ambition, charisma, and gamesmanship instead of altruism, sincerity, and merit.
Beware the top doctors issues found in magazines and newspapers. Some of these doctors are excellent, but many are simply “notable.” They may be well-connected, in leadership positions, or presidents of this or that society. Many are excellent self-promoters, branding themselves through the name brand institutions they work for and the billboards that increasingly advertise their faces. Many are simply well-known or popular among their peers. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The Examining Room of Dr. Charles*
March 29th, 2010 by DrWes in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion, Quackery Exposed, True Stories
Tags: Business, Citizens Medical Center, Conspiracy, Doctor-Patient Interest, General Medicine, Hospitals, Mandated Care, Patient Care, Primary Care, Racketeering Charges
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When hospitals mandate where patients are treated, it can lead to conspiracy and racketeering charges. Here’s an excerpt from a letter from the Chairman of the Board of Citizens Medical Center to one of the cardiologists filing suit:
“While it is certainly your right to exercise your medical judgement as you see fit, likewise, it is the responsibility of the Board of Directors at Citizens Medical Center to exercise their judgement as to what is in the interest of the business of Citizens Medical Center and its patients and Medical Staff. It is the Board’s firm belief that it is in the best interest of Citizens Medical Center for patients who are capable of being treated at Citizens Medical Center to be treated at Citizens Medical Center and not be transferred elsewhere.”
Business interests before doctor-patient interests? Ouch.
-WesMusings of a cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist.
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes*
March 27th, 2010 by Steve Novella, M.D. in Better Health Network, News, Opinion, Quackery Exposed, Research
Tags: Acupuncture, CAM, Complimentary and Alternative Medicine, Placebo Effect, Placebo Medicine, Science-Based Evidence
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In the Wall Street Journal last week was a particularly bad article by Melinda Beck about acupuncture. While there was token skepticism (by Edzard Ernst, of course, who is the media’s go-to expert for CAM), the article credulously reported the marketing hype of acupuncture proponents.
Toward the end of the article Beck admits that “some critics” claim that acupuncture provides nothing more than a placebo effect, but this was followed by the usual canard:
“I don’t see any disconnect between how acupuncture works and how a placebo works,” says radiologist Vitaly Napadow at the Martinos center. “The body knows how to heal itself. That’s what a placebo does, too.”
That is a bold claim, and very common among CAM proponents, especially acupuncturists. As the data increasingly shows that acupuncture (and other implausible treatments) provides no benefit beyond placebo, we hear the special pleading that placebos work also.
But is that true? It turns out there is a literature on the placebo effect itself, and the evidence suggests that placebos generally do not work. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Science-Based Medicine*
March 26th, 2010 by Debra Gordon in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Humor, Opinion, Quackery Exposed
Tags: American Medical Writers Association, Health Policy Research, Healthcare Bill, Healthcare reform, Medical Content Sweatshops, Medical Writers, White Paper
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A member of the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) freelance listserve recently posted this help-wanted ad from Craig’s List:
“We’re looking for an experienced analyst/wordsmith to make sense of the health care bill. We will pay a per-project fee for a qualified writer to put some hard work into summarizing the bill in an 8-10 page white paper. We have a strong preference for individuals with a background in Sociology, Policy Research, Health Care, or statistical analysis. Above all, however, you should have some clippings to point us to so we can evaluate your writing chops. As you can see, this report will include a lot of information, but it’s important that you are succinct and clear in your prose. Think of it as a detailed study done by a respected think tank, but produced for the average consumer.”
The “fee” (and I use the term loosely) for this “detailed study” (?) is $100, which wouldn’t even cover the cost of toner to print out the full bill for reading! (Hence the title of this blog.)
The people behind this posting are not the only ones smoking something, however. Content sweatshop Demand Inc has also been trolling for writers, offering what amounts to a few pennies a word for churning out short articles on topics that a mathematical equation has determined will bring in the most webpage visitors, spiking ad revenue. The sad part is that thousands of my fellow freelancers have taken up the challenge earning, if they’re lucky, about $20 an hour (before taxes and with all expenses out of their own pocket). Most earn far less. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at A Medical Writer's Musings on Medicine and Health Care*
March 4th, 2010 by Steve Novella, M.D. in Better Health Network, News, Quackery Exposed
Tags: Funding, Homeopathy, NHS, Pseudoscience, Science
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The House of Commons Science and Technology Committee (STC) has released a report, Evidence Check 2: Homeopathy, in which they recommend that the NHS stop funding homeopathy. The report is a rare commodity – a thoroughly science-based political document.
The committee went beyond simply stating that homeopathy does not work, and revealed impressive insight into the ethical, practical, and scientific problems caused by NHS support for an implausible and ineffective pseudoscience. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Science-Based Medicine*
I’m sure you’ve read through “top doctor” rankings and online physician ratings. It is only human to seek perceived leaders. But as sometimes seen in politics, those who have reached the pinnacles are often motivated by ambition, charisma, and gamesmanship instead of altruism, sincerity, and merit.
