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Most Popular
When Pain Never Goes Away, How Can Doctors Help?
New Study Shows "Nearly Everyone with HIV Can Be Treated Effectively"
Pandemic Flu Monitor: H1N1...The Whole World Over
One Hour of Exercise a Day Helps Teens at Genetic Risk for Obesity to Keep Weight Normal
Obese Kids 63% More Likely to Be Bullied than Average-Weight Classmates
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Most Recent
How Can a Doctor Choose Medications for Patients Without Data Comparing New Ones to Existing Ones? Half of the Time, They Don’t Have That
Sex Research Review: WSJ Columnist Tells You What’s What
Watch Out for Diet Used by Mother of Bride for Royal Wedding
Victims and Bullies Spend More Time with School Nurses, Study Says
Would You Spend All You Had to Buy Time If You Had Cancer? See Who Would or Wouldn’t
Archives: News/Commentary
When the Gravely Ill Comfort the Well, What Do the Well Take Away from That?
Commentary
By Cheree Cleghorn, Editor
In the perfect blue day yesterday here in Washington, Sen. Edward Kennedy, still trying to recover from brain cancer, stood beaming in the VIP area before President Obama’s swearing in.
Fast forward to the luncheon which followed. Kennedy suffered a seizure at the table, frightening Orrin Hatch (R) and leaving John Kerry (D) [...]
Topics: Friends & Families, News/Commentary
Sleek, Handsome Fox Agrees to Return to the Forest…and Leave the Chickens in the Henhouse
News/Commentary
(Disclosure: Editor and spouse are insured by UnitedHealth. Both have gone out-of-network for care. Neither has encountered problems with reimbursement for out-of-network care.)
A sleek, handsome fox has been in charge of many, many millions of chickens.
UnitedHealth has agreed to settle a case in New York. The attorney general alleged that United used its proprietary database [...]
Topics: In Brief, News/Commentary, You, the Patient
House Calls? House Calls? Frail Elderly Do Better If They Can Have Them…and House Calls Save Money, Too
News/Commentary
This is from one of our favorite blogs, The New Old Age, by Jane Gross.
(If you are responsible for an frail, elderly parent, bookmark this one. It is excellent.)
Dr. Jack Resnick, an internist, has patient outcomes which are so significantly better than expected everyone should pay attention—-keeping the frail elderly out of the hospital reduces [...]
Topics: How To Speak Doctor, News, News/Commentary, You, the Patient
What a Wild Week! At Its End…What Are We to Think?
Commentary
By Cheree Cleghorn, Editor
What a week!
We Have Had, Perhaps, a Little More Transparency than We Can Stomach….
If you want to understand why “transparency” is so important—-you and others in a transparent transaction would know how much money is involved and who gets what for which actions—-this is your week.
In a way this week only [...]
Topics: Friends & Families, News/Commentary
Two National Health Plans Agree to Pay Fines to Settle Charges They Have Manipulated Payments to Doctors and Patients for the Last 15 Years
News
(Disclosure: Editor and spouse are insured by United. They go out-of-network to physicians whose skills they require but who are not in network.)
People who go out of network tend to be patients whose needs cannot be met within the physician network—-otherwise, why spend money one doesn’t need to?
After 15 years, patients have learned how to [...]
Topics: Friends & Families, How To Speak Doctor, News, News/Commentary, Patient's Own Decision-Maker, You, the Patient
A General Shortage of General Surgeons….What Can Your Local Hospitals Do? Get Temps.
News/Commentary
By Cheree Cleghorn, Editor
If you needed a general surgeon, would there be one at the ready?
That is the question which is facing us.
This story is the best yet for explaining how the general surgeon shortage developed…slightly out of the range of view of most people.
Below you’ll read about surgeons going “temp,” which is like agency [...]
Topics: Friends & Families, How To Speak Doctor, News/Commentary, Patient's Own Decision-Maker, You, the Patient
Another Medical Specialty Shortage Is Predicted…It May Make Your Stomach Ache
News/Commentary
By Cheree Cleghorn, Editor
One more specialty is reporting projected shortages. This time it is gastroenterology (GI), specialists who treat diseases of the digestive tract.
The case for this shortage has been made here based purely on the basis of how many specialists are needed to perform colorectal screening tests.
These are the most effective way to prevent [...]
Topics: News, News/Commentary, You, the Patient
Avian Flu Death Reported in China…What Can You Do to Reduce Your Risks of All Types of Influenzas?
News/Commentary
The story below reports the first bird flu death in China in almost a year. The BBC quotes the World Health Organization (WHO) as saying that it regrets the death but that that does not change its risk assessment.
But what does WHO recommend?
What Can You Do?
Were there to be an outbreak, there would be [...]
Topics: Friends & Families, How To Speak Doctor, News/Commentary, You, the Patient
Do Not Believe in Magic….Believe in Collaboration
News/Commentary
(Ed. Note: This was published in October, 2008, but as the momentum builds toward the use of information technology (IT) as the engine to transform health care, this is a voice to listen to.)
He explains the hazards of magical thinking about IT and health care elegantly.
He explains why the people, not the tools, are what [...]
Topics: How To Speak Doctor, News/Commentary, You, the Patient
Just in Time for New Year’s: “For Self Control, Try Getting Religious About It,” Researcher Finds
News/Commentary
By Cheree Cleghorn, Editor
The New York Times column below is about a comprehensive literature review which states, without any reservations, that there is an important relationship between and among religious belief, “piety” and self-control.
…But which religions?
…The person is religious…how?
…Piety? How is that defined in today’s world if one is not a cloistered nun, whose numbers [...]
Topics: Friends & Families, News, News/Commentary, You, the Patient
