Opinion | Perverse Economies: Who Is Worth Saving?
Back when I was a medical student I learned a lesson about who was expendable. I was doing research for the liver transplant team at UCLA, one of the largest organ-transplant centers in the U.S., and one of the surgeons gave me an assignment: can you track how sick the patients are before they come […]
Opinion | Annual Check-Up: Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drugs
On February 16, 2022, medical student Jared Dashevsky shared his perspective on Mark Cuban’s new business endeavor, the Cost Plus Drug Company. As part of MedPage Today‘s review of the past year’s top events, Dashevsky follows up with his thoughts on how the company is doing nearly 1 year post-launch and where it may be […]
Opinion | A Rough Road Ahead for Healthcare Providers
After weathering the immense difficulties of COVID-19 for the past few years, medical groups and health systems leaders will not receive any respite in 2023. Huge challenges await these leaders in the coming year in many areas — finance, operations, clinical practice, and workforce. Yet, progress is possible as some will leverage the numerous strengths […]
Opinion | ‘The Average Doctor Is Doing 41 of These a Week’: What We Heard This Week
“The average doctor is doing 41 of these a week.” — American Medical Association President Jack Resneck Jr., MD, discussing the large increase in prior authorization requests over the several years. “They’re not looking holistically. They’re not even thinking of it.” — Brittany Walsh-Reed, PharmD, BCPS, an independent consultant in Cleveland, on the paucity of […]
To Combat Opioid Epidemic, Step Up Safe Prescribing Practices, Expert Urges
SAN DIEGO — While urology and other medical specialties have taken steps to rein in opioid overprescribing, the skyrocketing death rate in the U.S. due to opioid overdose indicates urologists — and other healthcare providers — are not being aggressive enough in implementing safe prescribing practices, according to Benjamin Davies, MD, of the University of […]
A New Tool to Report Medical Trainee Mistreatment Reveals Thorny Issues
With the introduction of an online tool at an academic medical center, trainees there were able to report incidents of mistreatment and show that a small number of faculty were responsible for the bulk of unprofessional behavior, according to a cohort study. From a pool of 4,200 medical students, residents, clinical fellows, graduate students, and […]
Hospital Responds to Staffing Crisis After Reports of Patient Death
Providence Regional Medical Center Everett in Washington state is responding to local leaders’ concerns about nurse staffing levels and reports of a recent patient death outside the emergency department (ED) earlier this month. Several days after the patient reportedly died in the ED waiting area, the Snohomish County Council and Everett City Council sent a […]
Opinion | Pharma Reps: A Blessing or a Curse?
Are pharma reps on balance a curse or a blessing to medical practices? On some days it is not unusual to believe the former, that the pharmaceutical representative is another obnoxious intrusion into the ever-decreasing time available to spend with patients. Some doctors habitually see these reps for a few seconds, just long enough to […]
When Things Go Wrong On ‘Naked and Afraid’
In this post, Mikhail Varshavski, DO — who goes by “Dr. Mike” on social media — reacts to medical scenes from the popular TV show “Naked and Afraid.” Watch the video here. Following is a partial transcript of the video (note that errors are possible): Varshavski: “Naked and Afraid” is a show on Discovery Channel […]
Opinion | ‘The Significance Is We’re Not Cows’: What We Heard This Week
“The significance is we’re not cows.” — Rainey Horwitz, MS, a medical student at St. Louis University School of Medicine, commenting on the fact there are actually an average of 10,280 nerve fibers in the clitoris, not the 8,000 previously assumed based on a study of cows. “Ali is a vitally important part of our […]