MD Whistleblower

Many patients are aware of Cologuard as a colon cancer prevention option.  The appeal is obvious. One can submit a Cologuard stool test and forego the joys of colonoscopy.  Indeed, what motivates patients to select the easier option is not belief in the product but an opportunity to avoid a much less pleasant alternative.  This is analogous to how many of us vote in elections.  Rather than vote for a candidate we are often voting against another candidate.                                        Did you vote for or against a candidate? Cologuard is much more sophisticated and expensive than the conventional stool testing for occult blood which has been standard fare for decades.   Cologuard will also detect microscopic blood in the stool but will also pick up abnormal DNA which could indicate the presence of a large precancerous polyp or even a cancer.   Hen...

I am a casual viewer of professional football.  I have come to realize that sports for many who live in Cleveland is a religion.  Many of these religious zealots who have invested so much time and devotion to the Cleveland Browns have become apostates after what have been seasons of disappointment and failure.  Indeed, as of this writing I suspect that it is unlikely that the Browns will reach the Super Bowl this coming February 9 th , but one can always hope for divine intervention. But I am not writing to opine on the Browns’ performance.   For decades, I have been jarred by the violence of the game and the devastating injuries that routinely occur.   Indeed, one can expect players to be walked off or carted off the field in just about every game.   I treated a Cleveland Brown in his later years who had played for the team for 13 seasons in the 1950’s and 60’s.   I think every part of this body either hurt, didn’t work well or both.   He was a...

Readers of this blog are well aware of my frustrations and criticisms and even a soupcon of anger regarding the disappearance of customer service in our society.  This unfortunate reality is undeniable and is only going to worsen.  Corporations and businesses – with few exceptions – abuse their customers because they can, knowing that we have no recourse available.  Do you think the battle of Man vs Airline Industry, for example, which I fantasize over, will achieve a just outcome?  Two recent developments are relevant to this rant.   First, businesses are poised to start charging a fee to customers who are returning unwanted items.    And secondly, Amazon Prime will soon be showing commercials during their broadcasts.    Of course, for a surcharge, customers can still enjoy Amazon streaming without ads.   Let me distill this down using plain language.   We are going to further squeeze our already squeezed customers because we c...

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).   He will need to have his nomination confirmed by the Senate which I believe will occur.    He certainly fits in with Trump’s rather unconventional choices for various other cabinet leaders and government officials. To refer to RJK Jr. as controversial or eccentric are understatements.   We have all read about the worm in his brain, the dead bear that he deposited in Central Park in NYC and the whale head he attached to the top of his car on their way home, as related by his daughter. Is this a desired profile for HHS secretary who will be overseeing the NIH, CDC, FDA and Medicare and Medicaid?   If confirmed, he would yield enormous power to craft new health care policy in this country, particularly under a president who champions disruption. Kennedy is a known vaccine skeptic, has promoted unproven Covid-19 treatments, supports the consumption of raw milk, ...

Why do so many unproven recommendations get incorporated into medical dogma?  Put a jacket on so you don’t catch cold! Stress causes stomach ulcers. Caffeine causes _______.   (Fill in the blank since it’s blamed for everything!) Sugar makes kids hyper. Colonic cleansing rids the body of evil toxins. We accept many recommendations as true in the absence of data or in some cases even if data refutes the claim.   Some folks still believe that the measles vaccine causes autism which is been roundly debunked.  And dislodging these myths takes effort and time.   When I was a younger doctor, antibiotics were routinely prescribed for sore throats and presumed bacterial ear infections.. When these patients recovered, the antibiotics were credited with the salutary outcome.   Doctors were simply following the teachings and customs of that era.   Nowadays, physicians approach these patients much more conservatively, but this did take a while. Foll...

  ‘Twas the night before Christmas Through the Senate and House, GOP creatures were squeaking Like Mike Johnson – the mouse!   We survived an election, With vodka and gin No litigation needed When Trump gets a win!   The polls once again, Missed the mark by a mile GOP won it bigly In Trumpissistic style!   How did he do it? Such sleight of hand, Bringing millions of folks Under his command.   This sorcerer king, Thinks politics is sport Promised us everything But will come up short.   He’s daring and reckless He’ll take a chance Reached into MAGA Pulled out JD Vance! Deport the illegals! Not few but many Let’s start with the worst, That traitor Liz Cheney!   Half the country is angry And sullen and sad. At the end of his term Will he drive us all mad?   How could he win? How could she lose? Trump had the mojo And lit the fuse.   She won the debate, And showed us the joy But in the end She was Trump’s little toy.   When folks are all stru...

Recently, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare was gunned down in a brazen and calculated act by a murderer. The alleged killer had a life of privilege with top drawer education.  He was the valedictorian of his high school class.  We still do not know the reasons underlying his radicalization against the health care establishment. It has been astonishing to hear and read many voices expressing sympathy and understanding for this heinous act.   The enemy of my enemy is my friend.     Really?   It is galling that some out there believe that acting against a health insurance executive should be considered a mitigating factor in a murder.   Indeed, a U.S. senator commenting on the murder decried violence but then added that ‘people can be pushed only so far’.     Public outrage to this forced her to do some clean up a day later, but her initial instincts and analysis remain in plain sight. The senator needed to 'clarify' her initial remarks. If a m...