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Author: SkepticalScalpel

New Weapons in the War on Obesity

Just when you think you’ve seen everything, along comes the AspireAssist. This device, not yet FDA-approved, consists of a tube implanted in the stomach, which leads to a port that is exposed on the surface of the abdomen. Now,...

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Law Schools Start Firms to Employ Graduates

The New York Times reports that law schools in the U.S., already smarting from the collapse of the market for lawyers, are establishing law firms so they can hire their graduates and give them something to do. Regarding such a...

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Does Anger Management Work for Disruptive Doctors?

A recent Washington Post/Kaiser Health News story about anger management led with an anecdote about a surgeon who broke a scrub tech’s finger by slamming down an improperly loaded instrument. The surgeon was suspended for...

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Unnecessary Pre-Op Tests & Evidence-Based Guidelines

Another paper on the subject of unnecessary preoperative laboratory testing appeared not long ago. A group from the University of Texas Medical Branch looked at more than 73,000 elective hernia repairs in the National Surgical...

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What Goes On At a Real M&M Conference

If you’ve read my reviews of the new medical TV show “Monday Mornings” (here, here and here), you’ll know I’ve been critical of many things about it. I was particularly disappointed with the way the show handled one of its...

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When and How to Ask Your Doctor Questions

A patient wrote to me and asked when he should speak up and how to ask his doctor questions. I’m not sure I have all the answers. I hope some of my physician colleagues will comment. There is a fine and very fuzzy line between...

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Medical Achievements Going to the Dogs

First of all, this post was not lifted from The Onion. Do you think the economy is bad? Do we spend too much on healthcare for people? Let me introduce you to “Neuticles,” which are, no kidding, testicular prostheses for...

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Jury Duty? I’ll Gladly Serve

Not long ago, I was called for jury duty. Although I was busy, I consider jury duty to be part of my civic responsibility and I did not try to avoid it. Well, another reason is that in my state, it is just about impossible to...

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New Rules for Paying MDs Proposed in NY

New York City’s Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC), which runs 11 hospitals in four of the five boroughs of New York, is negotiating a new deal with the union representing some 3,300 salaried physicians. The corporation...

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Law School Applications Down; Are Med Schools Next?

The number of people applying to law schools is in steep decline. So says a recent post on a website called “The National Jurist.” The post cited some remarkable data from the American Bar Association. In 2012, law school...

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Patient Satisfaction Surveys Are Bogus

Patient satisfaction surveys are flawed in many ways. Here are just a few: 1. Sampling is a huge problem. A description of why sampling is an issue can be found here. It’s a bit complex. To summarize, the validity of a survey is...

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Do EMRs Make Documentation Too Easy?

There are many interesting unintended consequences of electronic medical records (EMRs). I was reminded of this by a recent blog I wrote about what interns really do when they are on call. According to a study from a VA hospital...

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The Truth About Lying to Patients

A recent survey published in Health Affairs found that 20% of nearly 2,000 physician respondents said that “they had not fully disclosed mistakes to patients for fear of being sued” in the past year. When I first heard about...

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Patients Clueless About Insurance Coverage

Not long ago, I blogged about a plastic surgeon who aggressively pursues patients who refuse to pay her bills. The state is suing her to make her stop and also considering lifting her medical license. You may want to take a look...

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