We’ve all seen, heard or read the pitch: “Get a bone density screening this weekend!” a typical radio promo might say. Such offers might be extended by churches, pharmacies, fitness clubs and shopping malls in conjunction with companies that provide the technology. Local hospitals, academic medical centers and physician groups are often advertising sponsors, lending….
Continue ReadingArchives for September 2012
The High Rate of Inappropriate Prescriptions for Seniors
Just as children require medical treatment different from that of adults, seniors have specific health-care needs as well. As we’ve noted, elderly patients are more sensitive to some drugs, less to others, can present different symptoms of common conditions and often communicate differently from younger people. They are also disproportionately large consumers of medication. A….
Continue ReadingA Stronger Case for Less Imaging in Back Pain
Few health problems are as frustrating as back pain. Americans spend an estimated $73 billion every year seeking relief from their aching backs, and any disorder as common and intractable as that is ripe for abuse. We’ve written about the less-is-more approach to back surgery, a notion recently reinforced by a study published in the….
Continue ReadingThings to Watch Out for When Taking Your Medicine Via Transdermal Patch
How medicine gets into your body is called a “delivery system.” It might be an injection, a pill, a drink or a piece of adhesive you stick to your skin. The latter is a “transdermal patch,” and it might be the preferred method to absorb medication if you have trouble swallowing pills, trouble remembering to….
Continue ReadingThe Kodak Problem with U.S. Health Care in the 21st Century
The Kodak company went bankrupt because it thought it was in the film-making business, and not the image-making business. So when digital technology came along, Kodak wrongly focused on propping up its dying cellulose-based business rather than figuring out how to adapt to the digital age. As goes Kodak, so goes the U.S. health care….
Continue ReadingHospitals Accept Responsibility for Patient Harm and How to Resolve It
Much of the time, when a patient experiences medical harm, the ensuing conversation and activity is focused on malpractice liability. But, finally, a common-sense ethical notion seems to be taking hold: patients who suffer harm deserve to be informed promptly, and measures need to be taken to prevent that harm from being repeated. We’ve previously….
Continue ReadingMaryland Medical Staffing Agency Placed Rogue Tech into Hospitals Where He Infected Patients with Hepatitis
A Maryland-based medical staffing agency is at the center of allegations that it placed a rogue radiological technician into a number of hospitals in Maryland and other states. The technician is believed to have infected dozens of people with hepatitis C. Maxim Staffing Solutions, a national firm with headquarters in Columbia, Maryland, placed technician David….
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