Lotta items today in the news about an impending doctor shortage in America.  Ok, so the implicit message is good for medicine: not enough people in a field is good for the people already in the field, right?

I just got back from Costa Rica.  There aren't many hospitals, doctors offices, or pharmacies once you get out of San Jose, the capital.

So you figure the people are facing a lot worse life expectancy, right?

I get this question at least a few times a day.  Patients want to know.  My father-in-law asks.  Casual acquaintances ask me, "Whaddya think about the health care reform?"

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HealthCareRight.mp3

Is health care a right? Would any personal responsibility be required?  Would folks who drink and drive, race motorcycles, skydive or skip their high blood pressure medicines enjoy the same right to health care as the rest of us? Would this be fair?

There are not too many drugs that improve overall survival in prostate cancer.  Right now, the list is pretty short: Taxotere.

So the announcement that researchers have survival improvement with a new drug, cabazitaxel, is pretty exciting for us oncologists.

It's easy to become discouraged, but once in a while we get something to be happy about.  Today is one of those moments.

Not that I'm ranting, but the two week delay CMS has instituted for Medicare claims doesn't really help us docs much.  the issue is that Congress couldn't reach an agreement to reverse the cuts scheduled for March 1, so CMS holds the claims until there is some sort of agreement.  It's easier for them to retoactively pay claims than it is for them to figure out how to make a cut whole again after p

Journal of the American Dietetic Association reports this week that your diet before diagnosis with ovarian cancer affects your longevity, and by quite a bit.»

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Defensive Medicine and Gallup Poll.mp3

Is defensive medicine as prevalent as physicians claim? How many health care dollars does defensive medicine cost? Why should patients care about this issue? Much more on tort reform at www.MDWhistleblower.blogspot.com

What amazes me is that there is official funding for homeopathic remedies and even hospitals (!) in the British healthcare system, the NHS.

I applaud the NHS for issuing a strongly-worded statement about homeopathy.  Perhaps they are still smarting over the Wakefield MMR autism scandal, and looking for low-hanging fruit to go after.

Homeopathy is founded on several non-rational tenets such as the law of similars, and the concept of "miasms." 

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HealthCareSummitFollies.mp3

Get the popcorn and chips & salsa ready for the Obama Live TV Health Care Summit, that takes place this Thursday, February 25th. Will it make a difference?  Of course, not.  But, it will be good entertainment.