Dr. Joseph Biederman, a prominent child psychiatrist whose relationship with drug makers is under scrutiny, will temporarily suspend his ties to the pharmaceutical industry under an agreement reached with his employer, Massachusetts General Hospital. A hospital spokeswoman said that Biederman, who specializes in diagnosing and treating bipolar disorder, has withdrawn from running several industry-funded clinical trials, and that another physician will assume oversight of the research.
More than 300 disabled senior citizens in Massachusetts will enter the new year on a waiting list for basic home care services, not knowing when or whether the assistance might arrive, because of state budget cuts. Just a couple of months ago, there was almost no wait for a home care aide who could help with daily tasks such as bathing, dressing, and grocery shopping, the kind of services that keep people out of far more expensive nursing homes. But budget cuts announced October 15 sliced nearly $4 million, roughly 3.6%, out of the program. The budget cuts resulted in a waiting list that, on December 15, stood at 320 and is expected to grow, especially after the state announced a second round of budget cuts of up to $1 billion.
Fifteen months after promising a federal judge he would surrender his medical license, heart surgeon Alex Zakharia still has a clear license in the state of Florida. The 70-year-old surgeon has admitted in court documents to memory problems that were getting worse. Other court documents have linked his work to ''numerous patient deaths'' at the former Cedars Medical Center, which is now the University of Miami Hospital. In April, Zakharia changed his mind about surrendering his license, and the state filed an administrative complaint to investigate his behavior. That complaint is still working its way through the system.
Surgical technicians are in demand. According to state statistics, more than 300 new surgtechs will be needed annually in Florida through 2015. Training takes about a year, after which starting wages are around $14 an hour. Nurses used to do this kind of work, but that has grown rare. Nurses require more training and can easily make twice as much money.
Many classmates of Boise family physician Chip Roser, MD, became neurologists, cardiologists, pathologists, dermatologists or other "-gists." Roser chose the path of family medicine, with potentially lower pay and longer hours. But in a recent national survey, almost half of family practice doctors said they would get out if they could. That is potentially devastating news for Idaho, which already has fewer doctors per capita than any other state.
Giant Food stores will give free generic antibiotics to customers with a prescription for the next three months in what retail experts called an aggressive move in supermarkets' heated battle for shoppers. The company said the program, which will begin Friday and last through March 21, covers several popular antibiotics.
American medicine is already in a crisis mode when it comes to geriatric care, and the problem will only become worse unless new approaches are found, experts say. For starters, there has been a huge decrease in the number of practicing geriatricians, and only 300 new ones are trained each year. That, despite the fact that the number of people over the age of 65 will double in the next 20 years.
Starting January 1, the pharmaceutical industry has agreed to a voluntary moratorium on the kind of branded goodies—Viagra pens, Zoloft soap dispensers, Lipitor mugs—that were meant to foster good will and, some would say, encourage doctors to prescribe more of the drugs. Some skeptics deride the voluntary ban as a superficial measure that does nothing to curb the far larger amounts drug companies spend each year on various other efforts to influence physicians. But proponents welcome it as a step toward ending the barrage of drug brands and logos that surround, and may subliminally influence, doctors and patients.
President-elect Barack Obama's transition team has set up a round of public sessions in an effort to garner input about healthcare reform. Similar sessions were held several years ago after Congress created Citizens Health Care Working Group. Thousands of people participated then, although none of the group's recommendations were ever carried out.
According to the Federal National Council (FNC) this week, patients at UAE hospitals are dying due to preventable hospital errors and neglect, "even during simple operations." The Dubai Minister of Health says that the ministry has taken steps to ensure deaths are reduced, such as issuing the medical liability clause and establishing a committee to study medical errors and to determine who is responsible.
