MD Whistleblower

When this post hits, I will be out of the country in a rain forest thousands of miles from home. I hope the experience won’t be an opportunity to learn about the tropical diseases I memorized in medical school, and promptly forgot after the test. Prior to leaving, I surrendered my arm to hepatitis A and typhoid vaccines. I hope that they deliver. Of course, if I do get struck by typhoid, then this would have to be someone’s fault. In the medical world, when an adverse event occurs, the interrogative response is often, who screwed up ? Hmmm. This gives me an idea. If I did get sick abroad, who could I hold responsible for the medical misadventure? Who could I sue? As is often pointed out on this blog, I know nothing about the law, rules of evidence or even the most rudimentary aspects of American jurisprudence. So, I need some help from lawyerly readers. Below is my list of potential defendants to blame, if I were to get sick in Central America. I’m sure I have overlooked many ripe ta...

Many patients erroneously believe that x-rays and CAT scans have no risk. In their minds, they are non-invasive studies that can cause no harm. Since there are no incisions or anesthesia, they regard the experience as having the same risk as taking a family photograph. How wrong they are.  In my mind the danger from non-invasive radiology studies may surpass the risk of hard core medical treatment. True, radiology tests won’t puncture an organ or a blood vessel, as a surgeon or a gastroenterologist can. Imaging studies do not cause direct damage, but they may lead patients onto the medical battlefield. These diagnostic tests are an insidious force that draws patients into a spiral of direct risk and medical overutilization. Is this post a shot at radiologists? No, it’s a shot at all of us. Remember, radiologists never order CAT scans; the rest of us physicians do. I certainly am distressed with the obsessive manner that my radiology colleagues interpret studies today, identi...

Folks across the country are paying hard cash for total body scans, abdominal aortic aneurysm testing, CAT coronary artery scans and carotid artery evaluations to prevent disease or find important lesions early. It’s a seductive argument, and it’s a scam. Ordinary patients don’t understand about pre-test probability and positive and negative predictive values. Indeed, all physicians were taught to consider Bayesian theory when ordering diagnostic tests. This is very tough concept for patients to grasp. A critical principle of proper diagnostic testing can be summarized in a single sentence. If an individual is unlikely to have the medical condition under consideration, then a diagnostic test that yields a positive result is likely to be a false reading. Here is an illustration demonstrating why patients need to understand this issue. While the forthcoming example is hypothetical, I guarantee that every physician has seen very similar patients in their practices. While the...

Photo Credit More and more, I read about physicians who are ready to give it up. I hear similar views in the physicians lounge and in hospital hallways. These conversations are a modern phenomenon; they did not occur when I entered the profession 20 years ago. They have germinated as a result of rising forces that have demoralized many practitioners. Some of them include: • Loss of autonomy • Loss of income • Loss of stature and prestige • Required ‘Quality’ initiatives • Health care ‘reform’ • Infighting within the medical profession • EMR • Medical liability system • Insurance company hurdles to get paid • General gerbil wheel existance Luckily for me, I am still happy on the job. Of course, I am not immune to the above realities, and would readily accept a vaccine to protect against them, if one existed. I try to focus on the core purpose of being a physician, and work to sequester the noise and static, at least while a patient is seated before me. Since I am a memb...