doctor

Medical Responsibility

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An interesting article by  Ronald Hamowy titled “Medical Responsibility” appears in the Fall 2012 issue of the The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics. While I don’t agree with the all the points addressed in the article some of the points are worth mentioning.  Ronald says “That we are part of some organic body and that we are interconnected so that we “belong” to and are responsible for each other is basically antithetical to our notion of the sovereignty of the individual. Nothing is more elemental to the nature of man than that he be in control over the decisions that affect him. And no decisions are more central to his existence than the medical care he receives. This extends to being able to determine the type and degree of medical care he opts for and to choose among those … Read more

Unnecessary Medical Care and Over Used Tests: The Choosing Wisely Campaign

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The Choosing Wisely Campaign is an initiative which I believe I first heard about in late 2010 launched by the ACR (American College of Radiation as the Imaging Wisely Campaign) The Imagely Wisely Campaign was designed to have people aware of the fact that certain medical imaging tests such as CT exams were sometimes over used and did not always have to be used in some instances. It seems that the Choosing Wisely Campaign was launched by the ABIM Foundation which is an organization designed to advance medical professionalism to improve patient care. In April 2012 the Choosing Wisely Campaign released some lists of tests and procedures commonly done in 9 medical professions that should be questioned.  In February 2013 an additional 18 lists of tests or procedures were released. The press release is located at http://www.choosingwisely.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/021513_CW-Phase-II-Press-Release-FINAL.pdf On the website … Read more

Should you Stay Out of the Medical Businesses

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Dr. McDougall, who I have written about before on this blog, see https://blog.teethremoval.com/how-to-protect-yourself-from-abusive-doctors/ and https://blog.teethremoval.com/food-children-and-diet, discussed in August, 2011, an article from Newsweek about the importance of avoiding some medical tests and treatments http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2011nl/aug/110800.htm. The Newsweek article is titled “The One Word that Can Save Your Life: No!,” by Sharon Begley, August 14, 2011. http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/08/14/some-medical-tests-procedures-do-more-harm-than-good.html. Dr. McDougall in response to the article says “You and your family cannot win by being familiar with doctors, drugs, and hospitals. Just like you do not want to be on a first name basis with morticians, lawyers, auto mechanics, and plumbers, you do not want a doctor as a best friend or your calendar littered with appointments to visit these professionals. An undeniable fact is that the more you see doctors, the more likely you are to be tested and treated; for better or … Read more

Reads like a Dentist’s Advertisement

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I periodically like to check out the wisdom tooth page over on Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisdom_tooth Recently I came across the talk page which has an interesting comment near the bottom written on September 3, 2012, “There is very little discussion of how common it is to have wisdom teeth, and how often wisdom teeth pose no problems if left alone. Nor is there adequate discussion of how often extraction is necessary when they do pose problems. Some lip service is paid to it in the “controversy” ghetto, but in the end the discussion of the “controversy” is equivocating and unclear. As a whole, the article conjured up the image of an eager, pushy dentist insisting that, “Yeah, buddy, wisdom teeth are a huge problem! It may not seem like it, but it’s bad – trust me, I know these things – … Read more

Preservation of Confidential Health Care for Young Adults

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An interesting article titled “Health Reform and the Preservation of Confidential Health Care for Young Adults” written by Lauren Slive and Ryan Cramer appears in the Summer 2012 issue of the The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics (vol. 40, issue 2, pages 383-390). A discussion is made regarding how sometimes when getting health care services confidential information can be inadvertently disclosed. If a breach of confidentiality can occur then a minor or young adult may not seek the health care services. The authors state “Of primary concern is that young adults, not just minors, who remain on their parents health insurance plans often forgo sensitive services with the concern that explanation of benefits (EOBs) from such services will inform their parents, the policyholders.” In addition, of note and some may not be aware of, with the passage of the Affordable … Read more