MD Whistleblower

I begin this post a few thousand feet in the air, in the aisle seat in the rear of the aircraft. I suppose it is fitting that a gastroenterologist would be in the rear section. Fair is fair. Flying is a psychological test of one’s mettle. After enduring the security process, which is designed to find bad stuff instead of bad people, there are other layers of hassle to face. When I reached the cabin door, I was told that there was no available overhead space to store my bag. This development is often tolerable, as gate-checked bags are brought directly up to the arrival gate walkway after arrival, so you can avoid the hand-to-hand combat of the baggage claim arena. Not this time. For reasons, known but to the Almighty, my bag will be directed to the baggage claim, where I hope and pray that I will be properly reunited with it. Meanwhile, I will enjoy the luxury of an airline seat that would be quite comfortable for an average sized 4th grader. If the lady in front of me tilts her seat b...

Readers immerse In my rhymed universe And decide if my verse Is for better or worse. An imam, a rabbi Along with a priest, Were seated together At a holiday feast. They smiled and they laughed And enjoyed swapping jokes. Can you believe They ducked out for a smoke? Was their bonhomie real Or just a facade? Didn’t they pray To the very same God? When together as men Without enmity, Walls can be broken They realized, all three. Can you still scorn a man And give him the blame? When you raise up your glass And toast him by name? When it’s all over And the three of them part Will they remember The warmth in their hearts? Or will the noise and the static And political din, Return them once more To division and sin? Who will you choose To your table this year? Family and friends Who come year after year? Perhaps, there are guests Who could join you this time, Who could sing at your hearth. Together in rhyme. There are friends on...

I have always felt that issues should be judged by the context of their times. For some issues, however, context provides no justification. Thankfully, the field of medical ethics has evolved into a robust discipline, and there is an enormous need for it. I have read defenses of prior ethical lapses, and even some recent ones, suggesting that context matters. If a 3 month placebo-controlled study is conducted in the developing world testing a medicine that was highly effective against a serious illness, are the ethical dimensions considered and respected? Were the pharm companies choosing this study locale as a cheap test run for their drug, which will ultimately be marketed in the west? Is it ethically problematic not to provide additional medications to ill subjects after the 3 month trial ends? Can we be assured that a rigorous informed consent process was followed? Sadly, outrageous practices have been reported in the very recent past. Our president and secretary of state recen...

Photo Credit In response to my recent post where I averred that the cigarette companies were treated as scapegoats, I have had several cyber and actual conversations about personal responsibility. I believe that folks should realize the consequences and the benefits of freely made decisions. While we want American society to be compassionate, we do not want to punish success and reward failure. Our goal is to do all that we can to maximize everyone’s success. We should be ready to assist those who need and deserve our private and governmental assistance, but personal effort and responsibility are necessary elements of these interventions. In our gastrroenterology practice, when we see patients who are in financial difficulty, my physician partners and staff will do all that we can to help them. While it is not our policy to do colonoscopies for free, we will make whatever adjustments that are necessary to make sure that the patient receives necessary medical care. However, when pa...