New York Times
By DAVID LEONHARDT
A few years ago, an economics graduate student named Henry Schneider drove his dad’s old Subaru station wagon up to Montreal . He had heard about a Canadian consumer interest group that had done undercover investigations of auto-repair shops, and he wanted to try a more academic version of its experiment.
So when he arrived in Montreal , he handed the Subaru over to the mechanics working for the group, the Automobile Protection Association, for a complete inspection. They found that it had a small hole in its exhaust pipe, a blown taillight and several other relatively minor problems. Mr. Schneider took careful notes. But he also did something that no ordinary car owner would do. He asked the mechanics to show him how to mess up the car in a couple of serious but obvious ways.
They taught him how to loosen the battery cable (which can prevent a car from starting) and how to suck out coolant (which can leave an engine vulnerable to overheating). Armed with this knowledge, Mr. Schneider drove home to Connecticut and undertook a devilish little test. Read more...
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Monday, September 03, 2007
Five diagnoses that call for a second opinion
By Elizabeth Cohen, CNN
After Marci Smith was told she had a malignant brain tumor, she had surgery and then made an appointment with an oncologist to receive chemotherapy and radiation. But Smith never kept that appointment. Read more...
After Marci Smith was told she had a malignant brain tumor, she had surgery and then made an appointment with an oncologist to receive chemotherapy and radiation. But Smith never kept that appointment. Read more...
Friday, August 24, 2007
Doc Arrested In FBI Sting; Kickbacks, Unnecessary
As a workaholic neurosurgeon in Canada's resource-strapped health careRead more...
system, Patrick Chan did not always endear himself to colleagues in Calgary. His
packed caseload, one fellow doctor recalls, would often "saturate" the scarce
operating-room time shared by all the surgeons.
A-Doc Accused Of Faking Pts' Diagnoses, Treating Them For
On the day of his cancer treatment, 87-year-old Dung Le lay on a table, his frail body sedated as needles loaded with radioactive seeds were
inserted into his prostate to destroy the malignant tissue his doctor told him was there. Afterward, the San Jose man was bruised, fatigued and hungry, having been forbidden to eat solid food for 24 hours.
Read more...
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Lawmakers look for ways to help disabled - Video
View this story by clicking this link
http://cbs4denver.com/video/?id=32829@kcnc.dayport.com
http://cbs4denver.com/video/?id=32829@kcnc.dayport.com
Monday, June 25, 2007
Doctor groups ask: Is prescription info used to improve safety or to boost sales?
AMA faces storm on data sales - Doctor groups ask: Is prescription info used to improve safety or to boost sales? By Bruce JapsenTribune staff reporterPublished June 24, 2007
How do pharmaceutical companies know which doctors prescribe the latest and most expensive brand name drugs? They have inside information on the prescribing habits of virtually every doctor in the United States. Pharmaceutical and device manufacturers buy this information from the American Medical Association and from companies that match the AMA's data with pharmacy records. While such practices have gone on for years, the issue is expected to be a hot topic at this week's annual meeting of the AMA in Chicago, with some groups planning to protest during the gathering at the Hilton Chicago. "Doctors are not aware that companies are out there that know every prescription a doctor prescribes," said Dr. John Santa, an internist at the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center and consultant to the Prescription Project, which is part of a coalition trying to curb drug companies' access to doctor prescribing information. Read more...
How do pharmaceutical companies know which doctors prescribe the latest and most expensive brand name drugs? They have inside information on the prescribing habits of virtually every doctor in the United States. Pharmaceutical and device manufacturers buy this information from the American Medical Association and from companies that match the AMA's data with pharmacy records. While such practices have gone on for years, the issue is expected to be a hot topic at this week's annual meeting of the AMA in Chicago, with some groups planning to protest during the gathering at the Hilton Chicago. "Doctors are not aware that companies are out there that know every prescription a doctor prescribes," said Dr. John Santa, an internist at the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center and consultant to the Prescription Project, which is part of a coalition trying to curb drug companies' access to doctor prescribing information. Read more...
Monday, June 11, 2007
The Joint Commission’s New Speak Up™ Program
The Joint Commission’s New Speak Up™ Program
Urges Patients to ‘Know Your Rights’
(OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. – June 8, 2007) The Joint Commission has launched a national campaign to help Americans understand their rights when receiving medical care. “Know Your Rights” is part of The Joint Commission’s award-winning Speak Up™ program that urges people to take an active role in their own health care.
Patients who ask questions and are aware of their rights have a greater chance of getting the care that they need when they need it. “Know Your Rights” provides tips to help people become more involved in their treatment, thus improving the safety and quality of care received. The campaign advises patients that they have a right to be informed about the care they will receive; get information about care in their preferred language; know the names of their caregivers; receive treatment for pain; receive an up-to-date list of current medications; and expect that they will be heard; and treated with courtesy and respect.
“Knowing your rights regarding treatment and care is the foundation for all interactions with your caregivers at health care facilities. Candid conversations between patients and their caregivers will help facilitate the delivery of safe, high quality care and ultimately, enhance recovery,” says Paul Schyve, M.D., senior vice president, The Joint Commission.
Specifically, The Joint Commission advises people to:
· Think about how family or friends can play a role – Patients should ask how to designate a family member or friend as an advocate who can get information and ask questions. It is also important to understand the decisions an advocate cannot make for you unless they have been legally assigned that responsibility through an advance directive or power of attorney.
· Understand rights related to information – The law requires health care providers to keep a patient’s health information private, so a form must be signed if a patient wants his or her information shared with his or her advocate or others. Patients also have a right to have care providers fully explain treatment options and risks.
· Ask questions before entering a health care facility – Discuss issues such as infection control, life support, spiritual needs, security, how to handle a problem or complaint, any procedures that cannot be done at the facility for religious reasons, and how to obtain copies of medical records and test results.
· Ask your doctor questions – It is important to know how often the doctor will visit during a hospital stay, who is responsible for care when the doctor is not available, what happens if life-saving actions are taken, and how care will be handled if a test or procedure shows that another procedure is needed right away
The Joint Commission’s “Know Your Rights” safety campaign is part of its Speak Up program. The basic framework of the Speak Up campaign urges patients to:
Speak up if you have questions or concerns, and if you don't understand, ask again. It's your body and you have a right to know.
Pay attention to the care you are receiving. Make sure you're getting the right treatments and medications by the right health care professionals. Don't assume anything.
Educate yourself about your diagnosis, the medical tests you are undergoing, and your treatment plan.
Ask a trusted family member or friend to be your advocate.
Know what medications you take and why you take them. Medication errors are the most common health care errors.
Use a hospital, clinic, surgery center, or other type of health care organization that has undergone a rigorous on-site evaluation against established state-of-the-art quality and safety standards, such as that provided by the Joint Commission.
Participate in all decisions about your treatment. You are the center of the health care team.
Consumers can download the free Speak Up brochure that provides specific guidance
to exercise their rights by visiting The Joint Commission website, www.jointcommission.org. Speak Up™ brochures also are available on understanding medical tests, recovering after leaving the hospital, preventing medication mistakes, preventing infections, preparing to become a living organ donor, avoiding wrong site surgery, and preventing errors in care.
All of the Speak Up brochures are being redesigned in an easy-to-read format and will also be available in Spanish. To sign up to receive future issues of Speak Up via e-mail, please go to www.jointcommission.org/signup to join the Speak Up listserve.
Urges Patients to ‘Know Your Rights’
(OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. – June 8, 2007) The Joint Commission has launched a national campaign to help Americans understand their rights when receiving medical care. “Know Your Rights” is part of The Joint Commission’s award-winning Speak Up™ program that urges people to take an active role in their own health care.
Patients who ask questions and are aware of their rights have a greater chance of getting the care that they need when they need it. “Know Your Rights” provides tips to help people become more involved in their treatment, thus improving the safety and quality of care received. The campaign advises patients that they have a right to be informed about the care they will receive; get information about care in their preferred language; know the names of their caregivers; receive treatment for pain; receive an up-to-date list of current medications; and expect that they will be heard; and treated with courtesy and respect.
“Knowing your rights regarding treatment and care is the foundation for all interactions with your caregivers at health care facilities. Candid conversations between patients and their caregivers will help facilitate the delivery of safe, high quality care and ultimately, enhance recovery,” says Paul Schyve, M.D., senior vice president, The Joint Commission.
Specifically, The Joint Commission advises people to:
· Think about how family or friends can play a role – Patients should ask how to designate a family member or friend as an advocate who can get information and ask questions. It is also important to understand the decisions an advocate cannot make for you unless they have been legally assigned that responsibility through an advance directive or power of attorney.
· Understand rights related to information – The law requires health care providers to keep a patient’s health information private, so a form must be signed if a patient wants his or her information shared with his or her advocate or others. Patients also have a right to have care providers fully explain treatment options and risks.
· Ask questions before entering a health care facility – Discuss issues such as infection control, life support, spiritual needs, security, how to handle a problem or complaint, any procedures that cannot be done at the facility for religious reasons, and how to obtain copies of medical records and test results.
· Ask your doctor questions – It is important to know how often the doctor will visit during a hospital stay, who is responsible for care when the doctor is not available, what happens if life-saving actions are taken, and how care will be handled if a test or procedure shows that another procedure is needed right away
The Joint Commission’s “Know Your Rights” safety campaign is part of its Speak Up program. The basic framework of the Speak Up campaign urges patients to:
Speak up if you have questions or concerns, and if you don't understand, ask again. It's your body and you have a right to know.
Pay attention to the care you are receiving. Make sure you're getting the right treatments and medications by the right health care professionals. Don't assume anything.
Educate yourself about your diagnosis, the medical tests you are undergoing, and your treatment plan.
Ask a trusted family member or friend to be your advocate.
Know what medications you take and why you take them. Medication errors are the most common health care errors.
Use a hospital, clinic, surgery center, or other type of health care organization that has undergone a rigorous on-site evaluation against established state-of-the-art quality and safety standards, such as that provided by the Joint Commission.
Participate in all decisions about your treatment. You are the center of the health care team.
Consumers can download the free Speak Up brochure that provides specific guidance
to exercise their rights by visiting The Joint Commission website, www.jointcommission.org. Speak Up™ brochures also are available on understanding medical tests, recovering after leaving the hospital, preventing medication mistakes, preventing infections, preparing to become a living organ donor, avoiding wrong site surgery, and preventing errors in care.
All of the Speak Up brochures are being redesigned in an easy-to-read format and will also be available in Spanish. To sign up to receive future issues of Speak Up via e-mail, please go to www.jointcommission.org/signup to join the Speak Up listserve.
Friday, June 08, 2007
Family's fight for malpractice disclosure keeps son's memory alive
Centennial Citizen
By: Peter Jones, Staff Writer
It would be difficult not to feel the sadness that permeates the Centennial townhouse of David and Patty Skolnik.
David sits for only a few minutes to talk about his family tragedy before restlessly getting up to putter around the house and water plants.
Patty's warmth is immediate and welcoming, but the loss of Michael, her only child, has left scars that cannot be hidden by a bittersweet smile. Read more...
By: Peter Jones, Staff Writer
It would be difficult not to feel the sadness that permeates the Centennial townhouse of David and Patty Skolnik.
David sits for only a few minutes to talk about his family tragedy before restlessly getting up to putter around the house and water plants.
Patty's warmth is immediate and welcoming, but the loss of Michael, her only child, has left scars that cannot be hidden by a bittersweet smile. Read more...
Friday, May 25, 2007
Ritter signs new law allowing patients to check doctors' history
DENVER - Coloradans will soon get full access to doctors' professional histories thanks to a measure signed into law on Thursday by Governor Bill Ritter.
The measure is designed to educate consumers about any malpractice claims filed against their physician. The governor calls this law a "patient's bill of rights." The premise behind House Bill 1331 is a simple one: When you go to the doctor's office, they will always ask you for your medical history. Under this new law, you'll be able to ask for their history. Governor Ritter signed the bill into law Thursday afternoon with Patty Skolnik looking on. Skolnik's son, Michael, died after unnecessary brain surgery performed by a doctor who had a malpractice claim against him in another state. She had no idea about the doctor's history. Read more... Watch video...
The measure is designed to educate consumers about any malpractice claims filed against their physician. The governor calls this law a "patient's bill of rights." The premise behind House Bill 1331 is a simple one: When you go to the doctor's office, they will always ask you for your medical history. Under this new law, you'll be able to ask for their history. Governor Ritter signed the bill into law Thursday afternoon with Patty Skolnik looking on. Skolnik's son, Michael, died after unnecessary brain surgery performed by a doctor who had a malpractice claim against him in another state. She had no idea about the doctor's history. Read more... Watch video...
Ritter signs a dozen bills, including one making doctor info available to public
By April M. Washington, Rocky Mountain News May 25, 2007
Michael Skolnik's life was cut short three years ago, his family says, by a doctor who performed unnecessary brain surgery after misdiagnosing him. Read more...
Michael Skolnik's life was cut short three years ago, his family says, by a doctor who performed unnecessary brain surgery after misdiagnosing him. Read more...
Monday, April 23, 2007
Medical Mistakes Bill Advances At Capitol
(AP) DENVER A bill that would allow Coloradans full access to a physicians' history was approved by the House on Wednesday and sent to the Senate. The bill (House bill 1331) was named after Centennial resident Michael Skolnik, who died at age 25 due to what lawmakers called medical negligence. They said Skolnik underwent unnecessary brain surgery after he was
misdiagnosed with a brain cyst.
misdiagnosed with a brain cyst.
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Governor Ritter signs Senate Bill 66
Senate Bill 07-066 was signed by Governor Ritter on Thursday, March 22, 2007. Senate Bill 66 was sponsored by Senator Ken Gordon and Representative Alice Madden. SB 66 allows guardians of persons with disability, whose medical malpractice cases go to trial, have the same rights, options and obligations as far as investing the verdict money as they would have had if the case had been settled. SB 66 cures an inequity of the law that treated these two similar classes of people quite differently depending upon whether they were forced to trial or not.
Malpractice Database Now Online
Consumers have a new tool to help them avoid trouble, when picking a doctor. They can now access a database of malpractice records in 15 states, excluding Colorado. But a push is on to add Colorado records as well...
Colorado-based HealthGrades is launching the first national physician malpractice database for the public. Until now, the public has had only limited access to physician malpractice judgment and settlement data, primarily through the individual state agencies that report the information.
Read more...
Colorado-based HealthGrades is launching the first national physician malpractice database for the public. Until now, the public has had only limited access to physician malpractice judgment and settlement data, primarily through the individual state agencies that report the information.
Read more...
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Mother campaigns for malpractice disclosure
By Bill Scanlon, Rocky Mountain News March 28, 2007
GOLDEN - The loss of her only son still a sharp wound, Patty Skolnik is determined to make Colorado the 16th state to publicize malpractice judgments against doctors.
Skolnik, of Centennial, appeared at a news conference Tuesday where Health Grades announced it has gone online with the first national data base with information on malpractice settlements against doctors. Information on malpractice judgments, settlements and arbitration awards against doctors from 15 states is available at www.healthgrades.com. Read more...
GOLDEN - The loss of her only son still a sharp wound, Patty Skolnik is determined to make Colorado the 16th state to publicize malpractice judgments against doctors.
Skolnik, of Centennial, appeared at a news conference Tuesday where Health Grades announced it has gone online with the first national data base with information on malpractice settlements against doctors. Information on malpractice judgments, settlements and arbitration awards against doctors from 15 states is available at www.healthgrades.com. Read more...
Monday, February 05, 2007
What's the trouble? How doctors think.
by JEROME GROOPMAN, The New Yorker
On a spring afternoon several years ago, Evan McKinley was hiking in the woods near Halifax, Nova Scotia, when he felt a sharp pain in his chest. McKinley (a pseudonym) was a forest ranger in his early forties, trim and extremely fit. He had felt discomfort in his chest for several days, but this was more severe: it hurt each time he took a breath. McKinley slowly made his way through the woods to a shed that housed his office, where he sat and waited for the pain to pass. He frequently carried heavy packs on his back and was used to muscle aches, but this pain felt different. He decided to see a doctor. Read more...
On a spring afternoon several years ago, Evan McKinley was hiking in the woods near Halifax, Nova Scotia, when he felt a sharp pain in his chest. McKinley (a pseudonym) was a forest ranger in his early forties, trim and extremely fit. He had felt discomfort in his chest for several days, but this was more severe: it hurt each time he took a breath. McKinley slowly made his way through the woods to a shed that housed his office, where he sat and waited for the pain to pass. He frequently carried heavy packs on his back and was used to muscle aches, but this pain felt different. He decided to see a doctor. Read more...
S.C. hospitals launching patient safety initiatives
By JOHN MONK
The national debate about what the public should know about hospital errors and quality is intensifying. But hospitals, citing patient privacy, still are hesitant to release much internal data about patient safety and their staffs’ performance.
“You’re flying blind,” said Lynn Bailey, a longtime Columbia health care economist who says people can learn far more about the Fords and Toyotas they drive than about local hospitals.
But change is in the works in South Carolina. Read more...
The national debate about what the public should know about hospital errors and quality is intensifying. But hospitals, citing patient privacy, still are hesitant to release much internal data about patient safety and their staffs’ performance.
“You’re flying blind,” said Lynn Bailey, a longtime Columbia health care economist who says people can learn far more about the Fords and Toyotas they drive than about local hospitals.
But change is in the works in South Carolina. Read more...
Patients piling medical costs on credit cards
By Christopher Rowland, Globe Staff January 22, 2007
Some doctors and hospitals are teaming up with financial-services companies to market credit cards to patients, reducing healthcare providers' dependence on bill collection, and causing more low- and middle-income consumers to pay interest on their medical debts. Read more...
Some doctors and hospitals are teaming up with financial-services companies to market credit cards to patients, reducing healthcare providers' dependence on bill collection, and causing more low- and middle-income consumers to pay interest on their medical debts. Read more...
Friday, January 05, 2007
The check's not in the mail
December 27, 2006 - Chicago Tribune
If you get a bad meal at a restaurant, you expect the manager to tell you it's on the house. Similarly, if the plumber wrecks your sink instead of fixing it, you don't pay him. That's the American way of commerce. Do the job right or forget about getting paid in full.Except for doctors and hospitals. When they foul up big time, they often get paid more, the result of more surgeries and extended hospital stays. And that adds billions to the nation's medical bill--not to mention the toll in patient suffering and even deaths. Read more...
If you get a bad meal at a restaurant, you expect the manager to tell you it's on the house. Similarly, if the plumber wrecks your sink instead of fixing it, you don't pay him. That's the American way of commerce. Do the job right or forget about getting paid in full.Except for doctors and hospitals. When they foul up big time, they often get paid more, the result of more surgeries and extended hospital stays. And that adds billions to the nation's medical bill--not to mention the toll in patient suffering and even deaths. Read more...
Nurses increasingly buried by paperwork, redundant duties
By Jennifer Booth Reed
Nurses belong with patients.That's like saying teachers belong with students and athletes belong with spectators.But, apparently, patient care is not where they've been spending most of their time. "People just got inundated with the paperwork," said Dr. Nelayda Fonte, a Lee Memorial trauma surgeon who's watched the role of nurses evolve over the years — and not for the better. "Nurses are no longer allowed to be nurses." Read more...
Nurses belong with patients.That's like saying teachers belong with students and athletes belong with spectators.But, apparently, patient care is not where they've been spending most of their time. "People just got inundated with the paperwork," said Dr. Nelayda Fonte, a Lee Memorial trauma surgeon who's watched the role of nurses evolve over the years — and not for the better. "Nurses are no longer allowed to be nurses." Read more...
The Most-Avoided Conversation in Medicine
By PAULINE W. CHEN - Dec 26th, 2006
J. R. was an auto mechanic of French Canadian descent with a perfectly square gap between his two front teeth and the slightly off-kilter face of a retired boxer. Soon after I met him on the surgical ward, after he had been found to have cancer, he developed a habit of planting himself in front of me whenever I got within 100 feet of his room, to spin stories about his life, wax poetic about his girlfriend, and offer free auto-repair advice. Read more...
J. R. was an auto mechanic of French Canadian descent with a perfectly square gap between his two front teeth and the slightly off-kilter face of a retired boxer. Soon after I met him on the surgical ward, after he had been found to have cancer, he developed a habit of planting himself in front of me whenever I got within 100 feet of his room, to spin stories about his life, wax poetic about his girlfriend, and offer free auto-repair advice. Read more...
Doctor's bankruptcy filing provides malpractice haven
By Phil Galewitz - Palm Beach Post Staff Writer - Sunday, December 24, 2006
Dr. Jacques Farkas thought he would be sued as soon as the surgical drill slipped from his hands and sliced the exposed nerves in his patient's lower back.
"This may be a lawsuit," Farkas told an operating room nurse during the 2001 procedure.
Two years later, Thelma McAloon did sue the neurosurgeon and JFK Medical Center in Atlantis. The mistake left the Boynton Beach woman with no control of her bladder or bowels, pain in her legs, numbness in her feet and no feeling in her vagina. Read more...
Dr. Jacques Farkas thought he would be sued as soon as the surgical drill slipped from his hands and sliced the exposed nerves in his patient's lower back.
"This may be a lawsuit," Farkas told an operating room nurse during the 2001 procedure.
Two years later, Thelma McAloon did sue the neurosurgeon and JFK Medical Center in Atlantis. The mistake left the Boynton Beach woman with no control of her bladder or bowels, pain in her legs, numbness in her feet and no feeling in her vagina. Read more...
The Spine as Profit Center
By REED ABELSON - Dec. 30th, 2006
Spinal-fusion surgery is one of the most lucrative areas of medicine. An estimated half-million Americans had the operation this year, generating billions of dollars for hospitals and doctors.
But there have been serious questions about how much the surgery actually helps patients with back pain and whether surgeons’ generous fees might motivate them to overuse the procedure. Read more...
Spinal-fusion surgery is one of the most lucrative areas of medicine. An estimated half-million Americans had the operation this year, generating billions of dollars for hospitals and doctors.
But there have been serious questions about how much the surgery actually helps patients with back pain and whether surgeons’ generous fees might motivate them to overuse the procedure. Read more...
Home-health providers penalized
By Jane Erikson - ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Nurses' failure to communicate with doctors contributed to the deaths of two Tucson patients and led to substandard care of at least 30 others, state investigators found.
Each of the patients received care from one of four Tucson home health-care agencies: Dependable Home Health Inc., fined $6,000 for violations of Arizona Department of Health Services rules; Read more...
Nurses' failure to communicate with doctors contributed to the deaths of two Tucson patients and led to substandard care of at least 30 others, state investigators found.
Each of the patients received care from one of four Tucson home health-care agencies: Dependable Home Health Inc., fined $6,000 for violations of Arizona Department of Health Services rules; Read more...
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