Commentaries

Each time the subject of credit cards on file comes up – as it did in my recent online column Your 2012 Resolution Stop Extending Credit.I am inundated with questions, comments, and requests for copies of the letter we give to patients explaining our credit card policy. The column was the most popular yet; as one of my editors put it, "Joe’s goin’... »

Over the past couple of years, we’ve written quite a lot about choosing and implementing an electronic health record, and have also covered how best to use the system once it’s up and running. But many physicians comment that these issues often don’t apply to them, because they are employed by a hospital or health system. As a result, they believe that they... »

Question: A 15-year-old boy develops excruciating testicular pain from torsion of the testis. The family internist urged emergency surgery as recommended by the urologist, but the parents refused. Which of the following accurately describes the issue of consent?

A. Even if the boy nods in assent, this would be invalid consent as he is a minor.

B.... »

Have you ever run across a negative or even malicious comment about you or your office on the Web, in full view of the world? You’re certainly not alone.

Chances are the comment was on a doctor-rating site, whose supposedly "objective" evaluations are anything but fair or accurate; one curmudgeon, angry about something that has nothing to do with... »

Health Care Armageddon has finally arrived. Thank you, Washington.

Insurance companies and the government regulators who supervise them have come up with an ingenious scheme. It is really a perfect storm of goodies if you’re an insurance company: high premiums, high deductibles, and high copays, all of which equal nearly infinite profit. Brokers love it,... »

Question: A woman developed primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) 4 years after she had stopped using the prescription weight-loss drug, fenfluramine. The drug is known to cause valvular heart lesions as well as PPH. In a wrongful death lawsuit, her estate won a jury award of $1 billion in compensatory and exemplary damages. The defense appealed the size of... »

Prepare your practice for audits by independent contractors looking to profit from Medicaid fraud.

 »

Question: A physician injected silicone into a patient for purposes of breast augmentation, but used a preparation that was labeled "not for human use." The patient experienced inflammation, burning and discoloration, and subsequently developed chronic cyst formation in the breasts. In a lawsuit against the doctor, which of the following best... »

How often do errors with patient-controlled analgesia occur? More often than we know, research suggests.

Researchers who studied more than 900,000 medication record errors say that the 1% of errors related to patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) is probably just the tip of the iceberg. Although 1% may seem insignificant, this analysis was based on the... »

Dr. Mario Sznol and Dr. Jeffrey Sosman debate immunotherapy vs. BRAF-targeted therapy. »

For as long as I have been writing this column, I have stressed that aggressive management of accounts receivable is the key to any practice’s financial health; and yet, all these years later, accounts receivable is still the subject that generates the most questions.

Okay, folks, let’s go over it one more time: Basically, physicians extend more credit... »

Question: A female patient who smokes suffered a cerebrovascular accident while taking an oral contraceptive. She successfully sued the doctor for failure to warn her about the risks associated with taking oral contraceptives and smoking. However, her neurological deficits would have been less disabling had she been compliant with intensive speech and... »

Physicians should start end-of-life conversations early. They can start prognosis discussions by asking broad open-ended questions. Dr. Susan Block shares her practice wisdom at the Chicago Supportive Oncology Conference.

 »

Dr. Anthony Zietman discusses how highlights of the ASTRO 2011 annual meeting bode well for men with prostate cancer. He also addresses the future of radiation oncology in an era of molecular targeting.

 »

Question: Intending to help an elderly patient suffering from dementia and Parkinsonism, a neurologist applied a series of therapeutic ultrasound treatments to her head. The patient had seen other neurologists previously, but their conventional measures were ineffective. The neurologist had used the novel method in the past, and claims it had been safe and... »