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Drug Companies Agree to Stop Docs' Free Goodies

Critics charged stacks of free trinkets were attempt to influence doctors' decisions

(Newser) - The piles of freebies drug companies lavish on doctors will go the way of the VHS tape as of tomorrow, the New York Times reports. The industry, facing criticism that it is trying to unduly influence doctors' decisions, has voluntarily decided to stop handing out pens, stethoscope holders, bandages, T-shirts,...

Docs Want Medical Devices That Talk to Each Other

(Newser) - Even as electronic consumer gadgets grow more sophisticated, medical technology lags, relying on wires that one doctor calls “malignant spaghetti,” the Boston Globe reports. Because devices such as heart monitors and IV drips can’t communicate easily, human error enters the equation. "My bank can notify me...

Cleveland Clinic First to Divulge Docs' Drug Ties

Research center strives for complete disclosure on potential conflicts of interest

(Newser) - One of America's leading medical research centers will reveal all links its doctors and scientists have to drug companies and makers of medical devices, the New York Times reports. The move by the Cleveland Clinic—stung by conflict-of-interest accusations when cozy relationships between staff and suppliers have been discovered—is...

'Conscience' Rule Threatens to Reignite Abortion Battle

Bush's last-minute new rule for medical workers sparks controversy

(Newser) - An expanded "right of conscience" rule for medical workers planned by the Bush administration could hand Barack Obama a major battle over medical ethics, the Los Angeles Times reports. Doctors and nurses can already legally refuse to perform abortions, but the new rule would allow any health care worker...

Skip Doctor-Rating Websites
 Skip Doctor-Rating Websites 
OPINION
Nov 28, 2008 5:15 PM CST

Skip Doctor-Rating Websites

Physicians find sites mostly content-free, easily manipulated

(Newser) - The Internet allows people to rate just about anything, so you’d think that rate-your-doctor websites would be a useful, possibly even live-saving resource, right? Not so, writes Kent Sepkowitz for Slate. A physician himself, Sepkowitz set out to find out what he could learn about himself and various colleagues....

Warning Labels Can Be Hazardous to Your Health

Prescription labels, doctor's cues can trigger symptoms

(Newser) - Ignorance truly is bliss when it comes to prescription drugs. The side effects listed on warning labels have a self-fulfilling quality, researchers tell the Wall Street Journal. People sensitive to this "nocebo effect" should think twice before reading that their pills can cause nausea, vomiting, irritability, or difficulty concentrating....

Cell Phones Also Annoy Your Skin

'Mobile phone dermatitis' could explain mysterious facial rashes

(Newser) - Cell phones won’t melt your brain, but they do cause “mobile phone dermatitis,” Reuters reports. A British dermatological organization is cautioning doctors to consider allergy-causing nickel found on many phones in cases of “a rash on the cheek or ear that cannot otherwise be explained.”...

Patients Could Polish Their Bedside Manner, Docs Say

Lousy rapport impairs treatment, survey finds

(Newser) - Odds are you're annoying your doctor, according to a Canadian study that asked nearly 300 physicians about their daily frustrations. As the Globe and Mail reports, many had difficulty establishing rapports with patients, who routinely resisted or flouted their advice —which can lead to patient safety problems. “When...

Cindy's Addiction: It Claimed Several Other Victims

Misuse of charity embroiled doctor, aide

(Newser) - Cindy McCain is open about her painkiller addiction in the early 1990s—to a point, the Washington Post reports in an account of that period. Though she speaks of it frequently as a story of personal struggle, what she doesn't say is that she was in serious legal jeopardy for...

Patients Paying $1B in Medical Bills They Don't Owe

Health-care providers engage in illegal practice to get funds

(Newser) - Millions of patients throughout the country are footing the bill for medical payments they don’t owe, BusinessWeek reports. In a practice known as balance billing, health-care providers stick weary patients with the cost of their treatment not covered by insurers. The practice is often illegal, but, according to estimates,...

Senator Told It's Unethical to Deliver Babies

Ethics panel sees conflict in Coburn's pro-bono work

(Newser) - Sen.Tom Coburn, an obstetrician by profession, is a stubborn guy. Known around the cloakroom as Dr. No, he isn't about to let anyone tell him to stop delivering babies when he's at home in Oklahoma at recess. The Senate Ethics Committee insists it's a conflict of interest, even though...

Night Docs Need Electronic Info System to Save Lives

Inadequate handoff details can cost lives

(Newser) - The night-float hospital system, in which one resident works the night shift so that others can sleep, was created so that patients could receive care from rested, focused doctors. But there are rarely mechanisms in place to ensure the night workers have all the patient information they need when they...

Doctors Fume Over Website Selling Fake Sick Notes

Australian physicians want it shut down

(Newser) - In an Internet version of a classic schoolboy trick, a website is peddling fake doctors' notes to Australians looking to get some paid time off, reports news.com.au. The $40 certificates have infuriated the medical community, which wants the police to step in. Two backpackers reportedly set up the...

For Skin Doctors, Cosmetics Trumps Medicine

Vanity clients trump medical patients at dermatologist's office

(Newser) - These days, dermatologists offer luxurious treatment rooms and personalized services for high-paying cosmetic clients seeking a Botox injection. But for those suffering medical conditions, the experience can be far less personal—increasingly, skin doctors are hiring assistants and nurse practitioners to handle everything from psoriasis to skin cancer. The New ...

AMA to Apologize for Racist Past
AMA to Apologize for Racist Past
Jul 10, 2008 8:17 AM CDT

AMA to Apologize for Racist Past

Group long barred black docs, kept mum on civil rights

(Newser) - The American Medical Association is to offer a full apology today for more than a century of racism against African Americans, reports the Washington Post. The country's largest medical association effectively barred black doctors for many years and stayed silent while the country was divided on efforts to end racial...

8 Meds Docs Won't Take
 8 Meds Docs Won't Take 
Jun 23, 2008 7:55 PM CDT

8 Meds Docs Won't Take

If trained professionals won't use them, why would you?

(Newser) - Some drugs have such serious drawbacks that even doctors won’t take them, Men’s Health reports. The big eight:
  • Advair: Can actually increase the severity of asthma attacks
  • Avandia: Diabetes drug carries risk of heart attack

E-Records Improve Care, But Cost Discourages Doctors

Insurers, hospitals are main beneficiaries; feds weigh financial incentives

(Newser) - Doctors aren’t using electronic health records, though they lead to better care, a study reports. Why? The costs are prohibitive, especially for small private practices. E-records do bring savings—but for insurers and hospitals, not doctors who invest in them. The government is experimenting with financial incentives for doctors...

Dying Patients Helped by Docs' End-of-Life Talks

But only a third of terminally ill receive them, study says

(Newser) - While only a third of terminally-ill cancer patients received end-of-life talks from their doctors, those who did fared better, a study has found. Doctors who hedge may think they’re protecting their patients, but patients who got the talk were no more likely to get depressed, avoided living their final...

Congress: No More Scribbled Scrips, Doc

Legislation will nudge MDs toward electronic prescription system

(Newser) - Senators from both sides of the aisle are pushing doctors away from their prescription pads and towards electronic prescribing, the Chicago Tribune reports. Politicians and lobbyists hope the new system will cut down on mis-filled prescriptions and harmful, but avoidable, drug interactions.

Late-Term Abortion Ban Overruled in Va.

Federal appeals court strikes down law prohibiting procedure

(Newser) - A federal appeals court struck down Virginia’s ban on a late-term abortion procedure, ruling that the law burdened a woman’s right to choose, Reuters reports. Although the Supreme Court upheld a similar federal law last year, the appeals court ruled that Virginia's ban went further because it provided...

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