MD Whistleblower

A medical student recently asked my advice on her decision to pursue a career in dermatology.  It was about 25 years ago when my own parents encouraged me to pursue this specialty.   What was their deal?  Perhaps, they anticipated future developments in the field and were hoping for free Botox treatments?   As readers know, I rejected the rarefied world of pustules and itchy skin rashes for the glamor of hemorrhoids, diarrhea and vomit.  My parents were making a lifestyle recommendation.     Dermatologists are doctors who sleep through the night.  Spying one in a hospital is a rarer sighting than spotting a liberal Democrat at a Michelle Bachmann rally (unless a planted heckler).  Nocturnal acne medical emergencies are uncommon.   And anyone who has had cosmetic work done understands painfully that this is a cash business. Diagram of Skin Luckily, the Whistleblower is thick-skinned Here’s where s...

If you are a physician like me who performs procedures, then rarely you will cause a medical complication.  This is a reality of medical life.  If perforation of the colon with colonoscopy occurs at a rate of 1 in 1500, and you do 3000 colonoscopies each year, then you can do the math. Remember that a complication is a blameless event, in contrast to a negligent act when the physician is culpable.  These days, for many reasons, an actual complication is confused or misconstrued as an error. Some complications are more difficult on physicians than others.  For example, if I prescribe a medication and the patient develops a severe rash, I do not feel personally responsible.  It’s the drug’s fault.  However, when I perforate someone’s colon as a medical complication, I feel responsible even if this act was a blameless event which will occur at a very low but finite rate.  (Of course, there are perforations of the colon which result from medical neg...

Is your doctor a hammer and you're a nail?  Here's some insider's advice coaxing patients to be more wary and skeptical of medical advice.  Should you trust your doctor?  Absolutely.  But you need to serve as a spirited advocate for your own health or bring one with you.  Ask your physician for the evidence.  Sometimes, his medical advice may result more from judgement and experience as there may not be available medical evidence to guide him.  Make sure you have realistic expectations of the medical out me.  And most importantly, try as best you can to verify that the proposed solution is targeted to your problem. Is Your Doctor a Hammer? Consider a few hypothetical scenarios. A 66-year-old patient has chronic right lower back pain.  Physical therapy has not been helpful.  Radiological studies show a moderate amount of hip arthritis.  A hip replacement is flawlessly performed.  The orthopedist discharges the pat...

If losing weight were easy, we'd all be skinny.  If exercise were fun, we'd all be doing it.  If quitting cigarettes were effortless... What should our response be toward rising societal tonnage? A Weighty Issue Photo Credit Pass laws restricting access to the wrong type of food.  Former Mayor Bloomberg got stiff-armed on this approach by the courts.  It's also always fun to watch folks argue over the definition of a 'wrong food'.  The debate on which foods warrant prohibition at least brings some entertainment into the public square.  Imagine trying to achieve consensus over 20 or so food items that should be banned.  If this task were actually accomplished, cigarettes and alcohol would still be legal.  Make sense? Initiate a massive public education campaign to scare us skinny. Show ads of scary pictures with scary music reminiscent of an iconic anti-drug ad (This is your brain on drugs...) from a few decades ago.  ...