Bedside Manner: Advocating for a Relative in the Hospital
Bedside Manner: Advocating for a Relative in the Hospital – Wall Street Journal writer Melinda Beck wrote an article on the need and the value of having someone in the patients corner. All too often, we read about errors that were avoidable. Perhaps having someone who is only concerned with the welfare of one person can avert disaster and elevate the quality of care.
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Who's Peeking?
Who’s Peeking? – Part of President Obama’s stimulus package is a plan to computerize all medical records in 5 years. Privacy is a key issue and may stall what hopes to save Time, Money and LIVES.
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Digitized Medical Record
Digitized Medical Record – Becoming more and more a means of containing information that may help to clarify information and avoid life threatening mistakes.
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Abnormal Test Results May Not Get to Patients
Research published in the journal Neurology, finds that being too thin in later years-especially for those who lose weight rapidly or who had been overweight-may well be an early sign of dementia.
A Guide Through a Medical Wilderness
THESE days, dealing with medical bills and insurance claims makes April 15 look easy. The medical jargon and inscrutable coding on invoices and explanations of benefits are indecipherable for most lay people. Worse, seriously ill patients may simply be too sick or too broke to deal with the mountains of red tape. That can lead to unpaid medical debts and even bankruptcy.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/08/health/08patient.html
Are Patients in Part to Blame When Doctors Miss the Diagnosis?
Marla was not the first patient I had seen who had waited until her cancer was advanced before seeing the doctor. But I have learned over the years that while my initial reaction is always to question if I or any other doctor missed the diagnosis, the situation is not always so cut and dry. While I need to understand and respect the beliefs of my patients, I still can’t escape feeling a certain level of responsibility as a doctor. I find myself wondering when it comes to patients like Marla or others whose diagnoses are delayed for various personal, social and economic reasons, how responsible am I as the physician and are they as the patients?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/07/health/07chen.html
Abnormal Test Results May Not Get to Patients:
Abnormal Test Results May Not Get to Patients: If you think your doctor will automatically tell you if you have an abnormal test result, think again. Researchers studying office procedures among primary care physicians found evidence that more than 7 percent of clinically significant findings were never reported to the patient.
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7/12/09 Abnormal Test Results May Not Get to Patients: Seeking Natural Remedies for Hot Flashes
Abnormal Test Results May Not Get to Patients: If you think your doctor will automatically tell you if you have an abnormal test result, think again. Researchers studying office procedures among primary care physicians found evidence that more than 7 percent of clinically significant findings were never reported to the patient. Seeking Natural Remedies for Hot Flashes: AFTER six years on a prescription estrogen patch that alleviated her hot flashes, but did nothing to address her midlife 25-pound weight gain, Martha B. started searching for a natural alternative to treat her menopausal symptoms.
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Mass. elder abuse on rise
More of the state’s elderly are being abused or neglected, as economic stresses push family caregivers to the breaking point and the social service programs that once helped them are cut back.
http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2009/02/09/mass_elder_abuse_on_rise/
How to Complain About Your Health Care and Get Heard
Making our voices heard when something isn’t right is the first step in getting it corrected.But when we’re sick or need health care services, it’s hard to know where to direct a complaint. And it can be difficult to question people who may know more than we do, especially when we aren’t feeling well.
