Most of us are familiar with the concept of medical guidelines. These are sets of criteria that are supposed to ‘guide’ physicians facing certain medical circumstances. As physicians know, and often lament, guidelines over time morph to become mandates. Even though by definition, a guideline is voluntary, many hospital oversight committees and insurance companies require physicians who deviate from guidelines to explain their actions. The U.S Preventive Services Task Force guideline states that folks 75 and older should not receive screening colonoscopies. The reason is that medical studies have demonstrated that the benefits of colon cancer screening in this age group is not justified by the risk and expense of the effort. Of course, there is an age when colonoscopy does not make sense, but I’m just not sure what this magic number is. Too Old for a Colonoscopy? Consider these two hypothetical patients. (1) A 78 year old man in excellent health has never had a scre
MD Whistleblower presents vignettes and commentaries on the medical profession. We peek 'behind the medical curtain' and deliver candor and controversy in every post.