The Food and Drug Administration’s ability to protect the public from unsafe drugs and medical devices has radically deteriorated, expert witnesses told a congressional committee on Tuesday, January 29. “Without urgent action,” Gail Cassell, an Eli Lilly vice president and head of an internal FDA scientific advisory board, testified, “injury and death are certain.” continues…
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From Medical Economics magazine, more on drugs ...
Three days before the premiere of a TV drama about a lawyer who wins a multi-million dollar verdict for a boy whose autism was allegedly caused by a mercury-containing vaccine, the American Academy of Pediatrics called on ABC to cancel the show. The AAP called the drama—set to air on Thursday, January 31—dangerous and irresponsible, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported on Monday. Noting that the show could discourage childhood immunizations, the academy urged ABC to at least make it clear that there is no scientific evidence of an autism-vaccine link. continues…
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From Medical Economics magazine, more on MedBlogger news ...
Long Island Business News reports that owing to the high cost of medical malpractice insurance, some ob/gyns are reducing the scope of their business, while others are fleeing the New York area altogether. According to the article hospitals are worried that the price of malpractice insurance will lead to a health-care access crisis for pregnant women. A case in point:
“Martin Matalon, an ob/gyn practicing in Bay Shore, decided to cut back on his practice after the 2007 rate increase. He no longer performs major surgeries and doesn’t see patients past a certain stage in their pregnancies in an effort to curb malpractice insurance costs. He said he’s not alone. Matalon conducted his own survey of private ob/gyns . . . and he said he found four physicians had moved off Long Island, one had retired, and nine ob/gyns either had discontinued or had cut back on practicing obstetrics. Fifteen physicians had taken a position in a clinic to supplement their private-practice income. The reason? To help pay for malpractice insurance.”
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From Medical Economics magazine, more on malpractice ...
As we enter the 35th anniversary year of Roe v. Wade, the online journal Salon.com has an interview with GP Susan Wicklund, who has been providing abortion services for 20 years, most recently in her own clinic in rural Montana. The writer, after noting that 87 percent of US counties are currently without an abortion provider, continues:
“Wicklund describes her work as a privilege and an honor. But it’s also a job, often a dangerous one. She has donned disguises to get past the protesters who scream and wave signs outside both her home and her medical office. She’s worn a bulletproof vest and carried a gun. In some states, Wicklund is required to read abortion patients misleading, politician-penned scripts that refer to an embryo as an “unborn baby” and warn that the procedure can be fatal (with no mention of the fact that wisdom tooth removal is far riskier).”
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From Medical Economics magazine, more on medical profession ...
The Observer, a community newspaper located in Dunkirk, NY, 45 miles southwest of Buffalo, has an item about a state initiative aimed at luring physicians to underserved communities. The article quotes Brooks Memorial Hospital president and CEO Richard Ketcham:
“The reasons that relatively few physicians choose to live and practice in rural areas are varied but include, among other reasons, professional isolation, limited or no availability for back up call coverage, few job opportunities for spouses, and lover income potential.”
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From Medical Economics magazine, more on finding a job ...
In the debate over healthcare reform, organized medicine, led by the AMA, has long favored a pluralistic approach, long on private involvement, short on government intervention.
Now the American College of Physicians has strayed from the established orthodoxy. In a paper released online in early December (and in the pages of the Annals of Internal Medicine this month), the ACP has put forth a number of recommendations, including one calling for universal health insurance coverage, either through a revamped pluralistic system—something along the lines of the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB)—or, more controversially, a single-payer system. continues…
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From Medical Economics magazine, more on health policy ...
The Supreme Court has declined to consider whether dying patients have a right to be treated with experimental drugs that haven’t yet been approved by the FDA. Without comment or recorded dissent, the Court let stand a US Court of Appeals ruling that said the terminally ill have no constitutional right to drugs the agency considers safe enough only for additional testing. continues…
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From Medical Economics magazine, more on drugs ...
Posted by
Dennis Murray on January 17th, 2008. Filed under:
health plans,
reimbursement,
aetna,
health plans,
hospitals,
insurers,
medicare,
preventable injuries,
reimbursement,
wellpoint.
Aetna, WellPoint, and other big insurers are moving to ban payments for care resulting from serious errors, including operating on the wrong limb or giving a patient incompatible blood. The companies are following the lead of Medicare, which announced last summer that starting this October, it will no longer pay the extra cost of treating bed sores, falls, and six other preventable injuries and infections that occur while a patient is in a hospital. continues…
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From Medical Economics magazine, more on health plans ...
Most physicians responding to a new study agreed that they should report medical errors to their hospital or healthcare organization to improve patient safety. However, doctors feel that the current systems used to report and share information about errors are inadequate. Instead, they rely on informal discussions with their colleagues to convey and assess these incidents, according to a new study funded by HHS’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. continues…
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From Medical Economics magazine, more on medical profession ...
A new study examines whether patients seeing physicians participating in a “pay-for-performance” incentive program receive better care than those who saw non-participating physicians. The health plan that was examined reimburses physicians based on the quality of care they provide.
This study finds a strong correlation between quality of patient care and physician participation in a quality-based incentive program. continues…
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From Medical Economics magazine, more on P4P ...
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