For Dr. Donna Bell, treating patients looks a little different now. “I'm usually on the phone anywhere from 5-15 minutes,” the semi-retired ob-gyn and primary care physician told us recently from her South Florida home. Dr. Bell is among a growing number of doctors participating in telemedicine, an increasingly popular and legal way for doctors to diagnose conditions and prescribe medicine to patients using phone or video in place of wait times and office visits.
Officials at the parent company of Somerville Hospital apologized Wednesday night for not meeting “our own standards for transparency and accountability’’ in the death of Laura Levis, who went to the emergency room during a severe 2016 asthma attack and found the door locked.
Tampa General Hospital has been forced to cancel some elective surgeries due to a problem with operating instruments. A hospital spokesperson says emergency and life saving procedures are not impacted. Some elective surgeries at TGH are being rescheduled because of a "processing issue" with the surgical instruments, according to the spokesperson.
Having a baby in the United States can be dangerous. American women are more likely than women in any other developed country to die during childbirth or from pregnancy-related complications. And while other countries' maternal death rates have gone down, U.S. rates have risen since 2000, a fact that has left both doctors and expectant mothers concerned about the state of maternity care in this country.
The traditional way of applying to medical school is an extensive process. Usually, a high school student applies to college, studies the necessary coursework and participates in relevant extracurricular activities to bolster up the resume, then takes the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), and finally applies to medical school. Another point to consider is the fierce competition for medical school. For example, University of California in Los Angeles accepts only 3.2% of applicants.
Neuroscience at St. Vincent Healthcare in Billings is getting a serious shot in the arm. Retired Billings neurosurgeon Dr. John Moseley and his wife Cheryl, a retired registered nurse, were celebrated Tuesday night after they donated a $5 million estate gift for St. Vincent Neurosciences.