All You Need To Know About Dr. Oz And The Dietary Supplement Scandal
Comedian John Oliver did an excellent job explaining everything that’s wrong with the Dr. Oz show and the dietary supplement industry. Please watch this video for a good laugh:
I’ve been warning folks about Dr. Oz for many years – and I hope that John reaches more people with his message.
To be fair, there are reputable companies who manufacture safe and effective vitamins and supplements too, as I have noted here. (Source: Better Health)
Source: Better Health - June 23, 2014 Category: American Health Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Announcements Quackery Exposed Dangers Dietary Supplements Dr. Oz Green Coffee Beans Lies Misinformation Orrin Hatch Tom Harkin Vitamins Source Type: blogs
Mystery Solved: Which Patients Are Good Candidates For Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation?
Occupational Therapy Environment, Saint Luke's Hospital, WA
For most physicians who practice inpatient medicine, acute inpatient rehabilitation facilities are mysterious places with inscrutable admissions criteria. This is partly because physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) has done the poorest job of public relations of any single medical specialty (Does anyone know what we do?), and also because rehab units have been in the cross hairs of federal funding cuts for decades. The restrictive CMS criteria for inpatient rehabilitation have resulted in contortionist attempts to practice our craft in an environmen...
Source: Better Health - June 16, 2014 Category: American Health Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Health Policy Health Tips 60% Rule Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation Acute Rehab Admissions Coordinator Admissions Criteria Admissions Guidance ARF ARU Case Manager CMS Hospitalists Physical Medicine And Rehabilitation PM&R Rule Source Type: blogs
Federal Hospital Inspectors Miss True Dangers, Focus On Documentation Minutiae
In an effort to promote transparency in healthcare, the Association of Health Care Journalists (AHCJ) has published a database of recent hospital deficiencies discovered by Medicare and Medicaid inspectors. They then highlighted 168 reports containing the phrase “immediate jeopardy.” This, of course, piqued my interest as I presumed that hospitals who were putting putting patients in “immediate jeopardy” must be some pretty bad actors.
After sifting through the hospital names, I saw no record of ones who should probably be on the list based on my personal experiences. I did find some surprises, in...
Source: Better Health - June 3, 2014 Category: American Health Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Health Policy Opinion AHCJ CMS EMR HIPAA Hospital Quality Hospital Safety HospitalInspections.org Inspectors Privacy Paperwork Restraint Orders Violations Watch List Source Type: blogs
The Underbelly Of Vendor Management Systems And The Commoditization Of Physicians And Nurses
In an effort to save on human resources costs, some hospitals have decided to make locum tenens* doctors and nurses line items in a supply list. Next to IV tubing, liquid nutritional supplements and anti-bacterial wipes you’ll find slots for nurses, surgeons, and hospitalist positions. This depressing commoditization of professional staffing is a new trend in healthcare promoted by software companies promising to solve staffing shortages with vendor management systems (VMS). In reality, they are removing the careful provider recruiting process from job matching, causing a “race to the bottom” in care qu...
Source: Better Health - May 29, 2014 Category: American Health Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Health Policy Opinion CompHealth Ethics healthcare Jobs Locum Tenens Matching MSP Negative Nurses Physicians Privacy Problems Quality Staffing Agency Vendor Management System VMS Source Type: blogs
How To Make Inpatient Medical Practice Fun Again: Try Locum Tenens Work
It’s no secret that most physicians are unhappy with the way things are going in healthcare. Surveys report high levels of job dissatisfaction, “burn out” and even suicide. In fact, some believe that up to a third of the US physician work force is planning to leave the profession in the next 3 years – an alarming statistic.
Direct primary care practices are touted as the best way to restore patient and provider satisfaction. Those brave enough to cut out the “middle man” (i.e. health insurers, both public and private) find a remarkable reduction in billing paperwork, unrecovered fees, an...
Source: Better Health - May 5, 2014 Category: American Health Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Expert Interviews Health Policy Opinion Anesthesiologists Freedom Hospitalists ICU Intensivists Job satisfaction Locum Tenens Physicians Temp Work Source Type: blogs
Do Elite Academic Centers Provide Better Hospital Care?
A well-to-do patient recently boasted to me about an expensive insurance plan that he had purchased to “guarantee” that he had access to the best healthcare in the United States. Coverage included access to elite academic centers (all the usual suspects) and a private jet service for emergencies. He was utterly confident that his investment was worth the price, but I withheld my own misgivings.
Hospital quality data suggest that “fancy, brand name hospitals” provide better patient care. But unfortunately there is no guarantee of good outcomes for anyone who sets foot in a hospital. My experience doe...
Source: Better Health - May 1, 2014 Category: American Health Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Health Tips Opinion Academic Medical Centers Attention Best Care Drug Resistance Electronic Medical Records EMR Health Insurance Hospital Quality Platinum Plans Private Jets Residency Training Super Bugs Source Type: blogs
Writing Fellowships Available For US Medical Students And Residents
In case you hadn’t seen this announcement in my Twitter stream – there are a number of writing fellowships available for US medical students and residents. (Bloggers and those heavily engaged in social media are preferred.) Join The American Resident Project Writing Fellows in brainstorming about how to make the healthcare system better for future generations. Fellowships are awarded on a rolling basis. Opportunities for travel are included. From their website:
The American Resident Project is a platform for future physician leaders – medical students, residents and physicians newly in practice – to connect...
Source: Better Health - April 30, 2014 Category: American Health Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Announcements American Resident Project healthcare Improvement Medicine New Ideas Scholarships For Medical Students And Residents Social Media Think Wellpoint Writing Writing Fellowships Source Type: blogs
Hospital Nursing Care: Some Observations And Suggestions
As I travel the country providing coverage for inpatient rehab units, I have been struck by the generally high quality of nursing care. Excellent nurses are the glue that holds a hospital unit together. They sound the first alarm when a patient’s health is at risk, they double-check orders and keep an eye out for medical errors. Nurses spend more time with patients than any other hospital staff, and they are therefore in the best position to comment on patient progress and any changes in their condition. An observant nurse nips problems in the bud – and this saves lives.
Not only are nurses under-appreciated an...
Source: Better Health - April 28, 2014 Category: American Health Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Health Tips Opinion Doctor-Nurse Relationship Floating Handoffs Nursing Patient Care Quality Improvement Rounding Skin Checks Team Approach Wound Care Source Type: blogs
Our Healthcare System Has Dementia: The Case Of The Misdiagnosed Rash
If you (or a loved one) have been admitted to a hospital recently, you were probably surprised by the number of times you were asked the same questions. At first you might assume that the staff are being diligent in double-checking your information, but after the fifth healthcare provider asks you to explain why you’re there, you start to feel as if interacting with “the system” is like talking to a person with no short term memory. It’s as if the hospital itself has some kind of dementia.
Recent adoption of electronic data collection, shift working, team management, and over-specialization have exp...
Source: Better Health - April 25, 2014 Category: American Health Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Opinion True Stories EMR Float Nurse Fragmentation Of Care Hospitalists Inpatient Medicine Medical Errors Medical Home Primary Care rehab Shift Work Shift Workers Source Type: blogs
The Problem With Running Medical Information Through A Digital Intermediary
In my last post I wrote about the communication difficulties caused by electronic medical records systems. The response on Twitter ranged from sentiments including everything from “right on, sister” to “greedy doctors are only complaining about EMRs because of their price tag.” The disconnect between policy wonk’s (and EMR vendor’s) belief in the transformative power of EMRs and exasperated clinician users of these products is jaw-dropping. Physicians are often labeled as obstinate dinosaurs, blocking progress, while policy wonks are considered by physicians to be living in an alternate ...
Source: Better Health - April 22, 2014 Category: American Health Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Health Policy Humor Opinion Data Digital Electronic Hospital Records Electronic Medical Records EMR Flaws Government Rules HHS Meaningful Use Medical Charts Physician Revolt Poor Communication Quality Care Wonks Source Type: blogs
The Medical Chart: Ground Zero For The Deterioration Of Patient Care
For the past couple of years I’ve been working as a traveling physician in 13 states across the U.S. I chose to adopt the “locum tenens lifestyle” because I enjoy the challenge of working with diverse teams of peers and patient populations. I believe that this kind of work makes me a better doctor, as I am exposed to the widest possible array of technology, specialist experience, and diagnostic (and logistical) conundrums. During my down times I like to think about what I’ve learned so that I can try to make things better for my next group of patients.
This week I’ve been considering how in-pa...
Source: Better Health - April 21, 2014 Category: American Health Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Opinion True Stories Communication Data EHR Electronic Hospital Records Electronic Medical Records EMR Errors Medical Errors Near Misses Patient Care Source Type: blogs
Failure To Communicate: The Dangers Of Inadequate Hospital Handoffs And What To Do About It
One of my biggest pet peeves is taking over the care of a floor-full of complicated patients without any explanation of their current conditions or plan of care from the physician who most recently treated them. Absent or inadequate verbal and written “handoffs” of patient care are alarmingly common in my experience. I work primarily as a locum tenens physician, traveling across the country to “cover” for my peers on vacation or when hospitals are having a hard time recruiting a full-time MD. This type of work is particularly vulnerable to gaps in continuity of care, and has heightened my awareness ...
Source: Better Health - March 24, 2014 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Health Policy Health Tips Opinion Change Of Shift Communication Failure To Communicate hand off History And Physical Exam Hospital Sign-Outs Hospitalists Locum Tenens Medical Errors Nursing Progress Note Sign out Talk Source Type: blogs
10 Steps To Finding A Good Doctor And Having A Great Healthcare Experience
I’m excited to announce that US News and World Report has invited me and some other social-media savvy physicians to participate in a live Twitter chat about how to find a good doctor. The chat will be held on Thursday, March 20th at 2pm EST. You can join the conversation by following the #DoctorFinder hashtag or take the pre-chat poll here.
Most people, including physicians, rely on personal references to find a good doctor. But what do you do when you’re far from home, or you don’t know anyone with firsthand knowledge of local doctors? My parents recently asked me to recommend a physician for them in a...
Source: Better Health - March 18, 2014 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Announcements Health Tips #DoctorFinder Best Doctors Doctor Finder Doximity eDocAmerica Healthgrades.com How To Find A Good Doctor Twitter Twitter Chat Twitterview US News And World Report Vitals.com Source Type: blogs
Dr. Val’s Health Tips: Causes And Cures For Childhood Insomnia
Thanks to support from OTCSafety.org, I’ve created a series of health tips for common medical concerns. This week’s article is about how to diagnose and treat sleep difficulties in children and adolescents. There are many possible causes of insomnia, which include everything from emotional distress to bad dreams, breathing problems, stomach pains, medical conditions or behavioral problems.
In my article I discuss how you can work with a healthcare professional to determine the cause of your child’s sleep difficulties (this includes details on how to keep a sleep diary). I offer instructive do’s and ...
Source: Better Health - February 13, 2014 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Health Tips Children CHPA Enough Sleep Healthy Sleep How To Get My Kids To Sleep Insomnia OTCSafety.org Pediatrics Sleep Diary Source Type: blogs
GMO Paranoia And The Hollow Health Claims Of Cheerios
Make no mistake about it. General Mills’ introduction of Cheerios sporting the label “Not Made With Genetically Modified Ingredients” is a mere marketing ploy and has nothing to do with health or nutrition. Let’s start the dissection of this blatant attempt to capitalize on the anti-GMO paranoia by looking at the main ingredient in Cheerios, namely oats. Samuel Johnson, the 18th century writer who compiled the first authoritative dictionary of the English language whimsically defined oats as the grain “eaten by people in Scotland, but fit only for horses in England.” A clever Scot supposedly retorted “...
Source: Better Health - February 10, 2014 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: admin Tags: Health Tips News Quackery Exposed Cheerios Cholesterol Claims Corn Starch Diet General Mills GMO Oat Bran Oats Sugar Tripotassium Phosphate Source Type: blogs
