TThis sought to determine how quality of life and survival would be affected if a palliative care consultation was started in the emergency department rather then The report, published in JAMA Oncology February 2016, found that the ED consultation led to improved quality of life with no statistically significant effect on survival rates. For the study, a New… Read More
The administration said it would ask Congress for the money next year to help deal with a problem that has worsened during the president’s tenure. The majority of the money would go to treatment centers. Source: Obama Seeks More Than $1 Billion to Fight Opioid Abuse – The New York Times… Read More
Just how long medical residents should be allowed to work during a shift has been hotly debated by professional organizations and patient safety experts. But policies that restrict residents’ hours may cause more harm than good, according to a controversial new study. The Flexibility in Duty Hour Requirements for Surgical Trainees Trial, known as FIRST… Read More
Part of the reason why emergency departments visits are increasing is that the population is getting older and their medical conditions far more complicated. Far more complex then can be handled in a 15 minute visit to their primary care physician.Therefore it doesn’t surprise me that the more complicated patients are referred to the emergency… Read More
A great study that shows the benefits of appropriate testosterone therapy actually decreases the risk of coronary artery disease and improves lifespan. It is not too late to start treatment as this test shows it doesn’t matter in men whether or not they had a history of previous MI or stroke who if they have… Read More
40% of physicians admitted that they had some type of bias with regard to patients.Within the top 10 of those who expressed some degree of bias were physicians who had the most direct contact with patients: emergency medicine physicians (62%), orthopedists (50%), and psychiatrists (48%), followed by family physicians and ob/gyns (47%). Two of the… Read More
An Israeli study was not the first to note this link in animals, but it was the first to find evidence of a plausible cause: the sweeteners appear to change the population of intestinal bacteria that direct metabolism, the conversion of food to energy or stored fuel Gordon believes something similar occurs in obese humans. He… Read More
Giddy skiers paying steep Tahoe prices At 2 p.m. each day, high on the East Ridge Run at Northstar California, skiers and snowboarders can sail over to a staging area for a free glass of Champagne. Northstar calls it a Champagne toast, like those at high-end resorts in France. It comes free with a… Read More
Paul Kivela, M.D. Healthcare is changing and we have to adjust to remain competitive in the market place. Our community deserves it. Our patients deserve it. We need to demand it. It is time that we adjust our Quality Assurance, Peer Review, Performance Improvement and move to a system of “just culture.” Joint Commission and… Read More
