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PHILADELPHIA, PA, USA
A Christian couple with eight children lost one due to pneumonia. A coroner that testified to defend the parents said that the child could have died from a deadly bacterium. The parents, already crushed with the loss of a child, are threatened with years of jail time, and threatened with the loss of their seven other children to government control.
Attorney Joanne Pescatore prosecuted the family and said the parents could each have been sentenced to 5 to 10 years in prison on involuntary manslaughter. Source: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20110202_Couple_who_prayed_while_son_died_get_probation.html
About 12 U.S. children die in faith-healing cases each year while as many as 100,000 people die in hospitals due to medical mistakes. Will Attorney Pescatore next prosecute doctors and nurses when they make mistakes that lead to the death of their patients?
Sources: http://www.dailylocal.com/articles/2010/12/11/news/srv0000010262783.txt
Update: The judge decided on 10 years of probation for the parents and required doctor visits for the other children until they turn 18. Source: http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/item/12331-no-jail-time-for-prayer-death-couple
USA
It is illegal for schools to require that your children be injected with vaccines. If you think vaccine safety has not been adequately tested, or if you are concerned about injecting your child with material derived from diseased monkey kidneys or if you do not want your child shot with live viruses, dead viruses, Mercury, Aluminum, latex, etc., then your child can be exempt. Your children have a legal right to an education without being vaccinated. How to find the requirements to keep your child exempt from immunizations: NVIC.org will show you the steps you must follow based on your state of residence. Each state has its own legal requirements to keep your children from getting unwanted shots.
Missouri, USA
Missouri voted to opt out of the insurance purchase mandate portion of the health care law that had been pushed by Obama. "I've never seen anything like it," Cunningham said at a campaign gathering at a private home in Town and Country. "Citizens wanted their voices to be heard."
Texas, USA
A legal expert, Jerry Loftin, says Dr. William Boothe made a big tactical blunder by sending his lawyers after one of his unhappy patients.
Texas, USA
The patient wrote about her experience having eye surgery and is now scheduled to give a deposition to see if there is enough evidence to take her to court. She says she didn't make any of it up and stands by her comments and her right to free speech. I don't understand why a doctor would think suing his patients is good for business. Maybe he should follow the advice offered by a fortune cookie.
Texas, USA
People with money can often silence their critics by threatening a court case. The critic, while not doing anything illegal by writing online about their experiences, might succumb to fear and the costs of a legal battle. The critic might feel there is no choice but to censor their own speech to get out of a legal battle. These kinds of law suits are called SLAPP: Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation. 27 states protect their residents from court cases like this. States like Arkansas also provide a "SLAPPBack". The United States has no federal protection, unlike countries like Sweden, which considers SLAPP to be a direct attack against Swedish constitutional law of Freedom of the Press. Texas has no such protection.
California, USA
Yahoo does not have to hand over the identity of a user that wrote negative comments about company USA Technologies, says Judge Susan Illston.
USA
Some doctors in western civilization have finally acknowledged the treatment’s effectiveness.
Florida, USA
A couple take their baby home from the hospital while followed by a woman claiming to be from the Florida Department of Children and Families. The impostor tells the parents they must give her the baby... and they do! Amber alert is triggered. Moral of the story: Stand up for your rights and don't always believe what the "authority" tells you.
California, USA
The man used stolen identities of four physicians to submit about 6,000 insurance claims for more than 800 patients. No services were ever performed.
Florida, USA
The patient walked into the doctor's office, ripped signs off the wall and "tossed them out". The doctor realizes this patient is hostile toward her and sends a letter to the patient requesting she find a new doctor. And the patient is surprised?
Florida, USA
This sure beats the racket that drug dealers have on the streets. None of the five doctors that work for the clinic, American Pain, have ever been disciplined: Dr. Cynthia Cadet of Fort Lauderdale; Dr. Jacob Dreszer of Hollywood; Dr. Roni Dreszer of Hollywood; Dr. Michael Aruta of Boca Raton; and Dr. Beau Boshers of Palm Beach Gardens.
Florida, USA
The dermatologist's strategy: win back the roughly $130,000 he contends Humana Inc. owed his practice in unpaid bills, even if it took filing a few small claims at a time.
Florida, USA
A new bill in Florida would give hospital emergency rooms "sovereign immunity''. The bill would extend protection from just doctors to other hospital employees, too, including nurses and paramedics.
Wisconsin, USA
Patient goes to ER with object stuck in rectum. Accusation: Nurses LOL and take photos with cell phones, then upload to Facebook for more LOL's. Nurse fired.
Florida, USA
A state attorney said disseminating the photos of the victim would have been a third-degree felony had they been taken at an autopsy. Yeah, how about that HIPAA law?
Kentucky, USA
Prescriptions are legal for doctors to prescribe, but the people who abuse them go to jail. 500 people in Kentucky have been charged and 300 in Kentucky arrested. The drugs were prescribed by Florida doctors.
Florida, USA
Why did CNN pull this video? The video did a sensational job documenting this drug problem.
New York, New Jersey USA
More than 1,000 people in New Jersey and New York have come down with mumps in the past six months. Is the mumps vaccine helping? Surprisingly, 77 percent of those people that got mumps were immunized.
Europe
The EU Parliamentary Health Committee is questioning the billions spent on the swine flu vaccine. According to the video, 13,000 people have died worldwide from the swine flu, compared to 250,000 that die from seasonal flu each year.
Arkansas, USA
Dr. Randeep Mann, currently in federal custody for severely injuring the chairman of the Arkansas medical board with a car bomb, wants his power back to prescribe narcotics. He claims his business is hurting from the medical board's decision to revoke his drug prescription abilities. Ten of his patients have been reported dead by overdose of painkillers. Commentary: It's sad that it takes a personal attack against the medical board to take action against this doctor. Apparently, the dead patients weren't enough to motivate the board. Update: latimes.com no longer has this story publicly available so link has been removed.
Ohio, USA
Dr. Mark Blankenburg is charged with gross sexual imposition, corruption of a minor and compelling prostitution. Update: Fox pulled this news story. Why? Now broken link: www.fox8.com/news/sns-ap-oh--twindoctors-sentence,0,1707653.story
USA
A young woman training to be a professional football cheerleader is unable to continue a normal life after receiving the flu vaccine. Watch the video to see why.
New York, USA
While the U.S. has ordered doses to cover all Americans, only half of U.S. adults plan to get the vaccine, according to a Harvard University poll.
Canada
A study of 2,000 confirmed cases of H1N1 in Canada showed that people who got flu shots last year were about twice as likely to contract swine flu as those who weren't vaccinated, according to sources who have seen the study's data.
USA
Video documents how a young dance instructor was paralyzed after eating tainted beef.
USA
A 2002, an FBI raid on California's Redding Medical Center found two physicians had conducted unnecessary cardiac procedures on more than 600 patients since 1995. Because of the revenue generated by the surgeries, the physician was able to "block hospital peer review," according to the FBI affidavit.
USA
...according to Dr Marc Lipsitch of Harvard University.
USA
"The overwhelming majority of people [with H1N1 flu] are going to do fine," says the head of the CDC, Dr. Frieden. The CDC urges people that do have flu symptoms to avoid overwhelming doctors and hospitals. "They don't need testing; they don't need treatment."
Meanwhile the White House urges the public to panic.
Who's right?
2nd link: nydailynews.com
USA, UK
One senior neurologist said: "I would not have the swine flu jab because of the GBS risk." The swine flu is not new. In the United States in 1976, a campaign to vaccine people from the swine flu began. More people died from the vaccine than from swine flu.
Indiana, USA
Dr.
Stephen E Fraser actually read the Health Care Reform bill and
wrote to his senator in Indiana, encouraging him to vote against this
bill.
Dear Senator Bayh,
As a practicing physician, I have major concerns with the health care bill (HR 3200) before Congress. I spent the last week reading this bill, which at over 1000 pages is quite difficult to get through. Have you read it? I'm shocked by the brazenness of the government's intrusion into the patient-physician relationship. I'm especially concerned about the creation of a central committee to decide medical coverage decisions.
Every physician and nurse I work with agrees that we need to fix our health care system. Our President's statement last week in his health care press conference that physicians are likely to make a patient care decision based on reimbursement rather than a patient's best interest is not helpful in moving this discussion forward.
As an anesthesiologist I'm responsible for life and death decisions on a daily basis. I always have my patient's best interests at heart and I'm sure my physician colleagues around the country do as well.
I ask you respectfully and as a patriotic American to look at the following troubling sections I've read in the bill. How can the following be in the best interests of the country and our fellow citizens? Capitalized words within quoted text are my emphasis.
SECTION 123 HEALTH CARE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
"A committee composed of 18 President-appointed individuals and 8 Federal employees (26 non-elected citizens) to consist of providers, consumer representatives, employers, labor, health insurance issuers, experts in health care financing and delivery, experts in racial and ethnic disparities, experts in care for those with disabilities, representatives of relevant governmental agencies and AT LEAST ONE practicing physician OR other health professional and an expert on children’s health."
This group will set coverage for the country...and other than the surgeon general, a physician is not even guaranteed to be on the committee. Is our country ready to let 25 or more non-elected, non-physicians make these decisions? This is a direct intrusion into patient care and I for one do not want a community organizer to have input on what type of care my patients can receive.
SECTION 141 HEALTH CARE COMMISSIONER
The health care advisory committee will report to the Health Care Commissioner, another non-elected Presidential appointee who will make the final decisions for the nation's healthcare benefits.
SECTION 246 SUBSIDIES FOR UNDOCUMENTED ALIENS
"Nothing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States."
This states that taxpayer subsidies will not be given to illegal aliens to obtain coverage but says nothing about preventing them from obtaining healthcare in the US. Under current law NO patient, illegal or otherwise can be turned away from an ER if urgent care is needed. Section 152 states that "all health care and related services including insurance coverage and public health activities covered by this Act shall be provided without regard to personal characteristics." Will the current law be changed thereby withholding care from a vulnerable group of individuals?
SECTION 204Language translation and linguistic appropriate services is mandated. This seems to apply to undocumented individuals as well.
SECTION 205
The government will use community organizations to sign up eligible citizens for health plans. Do you support using an indicted organization like ACORN to do this?
SECTION 225 PROVIDER PARTICIPATION
This section states that Physician salaries will be dictated on an annual basis. How can you support taking over the livelihood of all physicians and dictating the terms? This is pure socialism and to call it anything else is disingenuous.
SECTION 131 REQUIRING FAIR MARKETING PRACTICES BY HEALTH INSURERS
This section gives the government veto power over advertising by private companies. Again this is an example of socialism where the government decides what the public is allowed to be told. How can you support this?
SECTION 312. EMPLOYER RESPONSIBILITY TO CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS EMPLOYEE AND DEPENDENT COVERAGE.
This Bill mandates employer-paid coverage for part-time employees and families which will be a huge burden for small businesses. Overall, the compliance regulations and associated costs for physicians, employers and insurance providers is enormous. Also, random audits are authorized with the full cost of the audit to be paid by the person or entity being audited. Do you support random, costly intrusions into physician's offices?
SECTION 431 DISCLOSURES TO CARRY OUT SUBSIDIES
The Health care commissioner and others in government will have full access to your tax returns. On Pages 58 and 195 Government will have real-time access to individuals finances & a National ID Healthcard will be issued. Officers & employees of HC Administration will have access to ALL Americans finances / personal returns. Quite an intrusion of privacy.
SECTION 1128H
Under Medicare, every prescribed drug, device or medical supply has to be disclosed to the government or a penalty of $10,000 to $100,000 applies. Just think of the cost of complying with this rule.
SECTION 1501
The health commissioner
will approve
expansion of physician residency training positions with
preference being given to primary care and disadvantaged
applicants. Do you want the best and brightest to be our
future
doctors or those selected by the government? This
section also suggests that
specialty positions will not be
expanded. This will lead to a diminishing specialist base and
a
loss in quality care. The obvious intention is to
limit specialist care and I think the country needs to be
aware of this.
SECTION 155 SEVERABILITY.
"If any provision of this Act, or any application of such provision to any person or circumstance, is held to be unconstitutional, the remainder of the provisions of this Act and the application of the provision to any other person or circumstance shall not be affected."
Why put this in? Do you think the bill is so radical that you are trying to block the Supreme Court from striking it down?
SECTION 1233 ADVANCE CARE PLANNING CONSULTATION (pages 424-431)
Page 425 Lines 22-25, 426 Lines 1-3: Government provides approved list of end of life resources.
Page 427 Lines 15-24: Government mandates program for orders for end of life. The Government decides it should be involved in end of life care.
Page 429 Lines 1-9: An "advanced care planning consultant" will be used frequently as patients health deteriorates.
Page 429 Lines 10-12: "advanced care consultation" may include an ORDER for end of life plans.
Page 429 Lines 13-25: The govt will specify which Doctors can write an end of life order.
Page 430 Lines 11-15: The Government will decide what level of treatment you will have at end of life.
While advanced planning is always a good thing, this decision is best made with the physician, patient and family. The majority of health care dollars is spent in the last year of a citizens life. Mandating government intrusion in this process brings up the question of rationing of end of life treatments and care. Can you reassure me Senator that this is not the goal of this section of the bill?
Other troubling sections I discovered:
Page 65 Section 164: Describes a subsidized plan for retirees and their families in Unions & community organizations. Why the special treatment?
Page 84 Section 203 HC bill: Government mandates ALL benefit packages for private care plans in the Exchange.
Page 85 Line 7 HC Bill: Specifications for of Benefit Levels for Plans = The Government will ration your Healthcare!
Page 85 Line 7 HC Bill: Specifications of Benefit Levels for Plans. AARP members - your Health care WILL be rationed.
Page 102 Lines 12-18 HC Bill: Medicaid Eligible Individuals will be automatically enrolled in Medicaid. No choice.
Page 124 lines 24-25 HC: No company can sue the government on price fixing. No "judicial review" against Govt Monopoly.
Page 203 Line 13-15 HC: "The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax" Why the deception?
Page 265 Section 1131: Government mandates & controls productivity for private HC industries.
Page 268 Section 1141: Federal Government regulates rental & purchase of power driven wheelchairs.
Page 272 Section 1145: TREATMENT OF CERTAIN CANCER HOSPITALS
Cancer treatments are expensive and represent the latest in research, technology and understandably cost a lot of money. How will rationing of the latest advances be avoided?
Page 280 Section 1151: The Government will penalize hospitals for whatever Government deems preventable re-admissions. A good medical outcome is never guaranteed! This is a crazy rule!
Page 317 L 13-20: PROHIBITION on ownership/investment. Government again dictating to Doctors what/how much they can own!
Page 317-318 lines 21-25, 1-3: PROHIBITION on expansion
Government is mandating hospitals cannot expand. On page 321 Hospitals have an opportunity to apply for exception BUT community input is required. Will ACORN have a say in this?
Page 335 L 16-25 Pg 336-339: Government mandates establishment of outcome based measures.
This is another way to ration care. Every physician learns early in their training that each patient is unique and that a mandate for care will work for some but not for others. Learning to accept uncertainty is part of what makes our profession special and different. Rigid care mandates will result in decreased quality of care. This type of mandate also implies that physicians don't have the best interests of their patients in mind which is nonsense.
Page 354 Sec 1177: Government may RESTRICT enrollment of Special needs people to certain times and will review special needs plans and make recommendations "as the secretary of HHS deems appropriate."
Something the public needs to know.
Page 379 Sec 1191: Govt creates more bureaucracy - Tele-health Advisory Committee.
Page 469: Community Based Home Medical Services = Non profit organizations.
Should we expect ACORN medical Services in the future?
Page 472 Lines 14-17: PAYMENT TO COMMUNITY-BASED ORIGINATION. 1 monthly payment to a community-based organization. Like ACORN?
Page 489 Sec 1308: The Government will cover Marriage & Family therapy.
Why should this be a mandate that all tax payers pay for?
Page 494-498: Government will cover Mental Health Services including defining, creating, rationing those services.
As for the dangers, costs, and failure of electronic communication upon which this bill is dependent on, the following article must be studied:
The computerization of Britain's National Health Service has been an expensive fiasco. Why does Obama want to emulate it?
( link:www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/016/744qvzuo.asp )
It is also apparent that the Congress will not require themselves to use the public plan as required for most Americans. Why the double standard?
Senator, I guarantee that I personally will do everything possible to inform patients and my fellow physicians about the dangers of this legislation. Our country was not founded on the socialist principles that make up this bill. There are many other ideas and policies that could be adopted that will not destroy the good aspects of our current health system and cover those who currently are without coverage. I implore you to use a nonpartisan mind to consider these other options. If you vote for a bill that destroys private medicine and the doctor-patient relationship, I will do everything in my power to make sure you and other supporters of this flawed bill lose your job in the next election.
Respectfully,
Stephen E Fraser MD
USA
Swine flu is not new. A 60 minutes piece from 1976 about swine flu.
Florida, USA
The hospital cared for the man for 3 years, then paid $30,000 for his chartered flight back to his homeland of Guatemala.
USA
From an interview with Katie Couric.
New York, USA
Lifestyle Lift also agreed to stop posting false reviews online.
California, USA
...And he still has his gallbladder.
USA
The case is made that if we believe medical care is a right provided by the government, it enslaves us to our government.
Winter Park, FL, USA
A lawsuit was filed against the dentist, Dr. Wesley Meyers of Aloma Park Dental.
UK
Young woman breathless with a persistent cough sent home with antibiotics by her doctor. Doctor said she had asthma... but she actually had lung cancer.
UK
After 12 years of being blind, the first thing he wanted to do was see his wife.
USA
The tests which went unreported to the patients: cholesterol blood work, mammograms, Pap smears and screening tests for colon cancer. If you paid for it, demand your results! Call and follow up with your doctor. (Or find a better doctor that will give you the test results that you paid for.)
UK
UK researchers believe filling baby teeth does not offer children any significant benefits other than causing dental phobia.
Australia
When hospital supplies are low or inadequate, doctor saves the boy's life using a normal power tool.
Chicago, IL, USA
The contagious female resident rotated through three hospitals, possibly infected hundreds of patients and coworkers.
Texas, USA
Nurse was charged with murdering five patients at a clinic in Lufkin, Texas by injecting bleach into their veins while they were undergoing kidney dialysis.
New Jersey, USA
Ocean County health officials said two cases of hepatitis B were confirmed in late February connected with the office of Dr. Parvez Dara, an oncologist with offices in Toms River and Manchester, near the Jersey Shore. Five cancer patients who visited the physician were found to have hepatitis B.
Italy
''I couldn't leave him at such a delicate moment,'' neurosurgeon Claudio Vitale said of his patient, even though he himself was in immediate need of surgery.
England
But the doctor still got paid for each visit. The woman's tumor had time to grow so large that it would not fit on the ultrasound screen.
USA
Read the fine print on the latest stimulus package and you'll find new penalties for doctors that provide their patients with full treatment of their illnesses. According to Tom Daschle, health-care reform 'will not be pain free.' Seniors should be more accepting of the conditions that come with age instead of treating them. Penalties await those doctors that do not adopt the new system. According to Daschle, doctors have to give up autonomy and "learn to operate less like solo practitioners."
UK
DIY adjustable glasses
USA
Dentists regularly encourage parents to feed their children chewable vitamins with fluoride. "Since sodium fluoride safely and effectively killed rats before 1938, the FDA considers it is safe to give to little children to prevent tooth decay"? An interesting email exchange between a blogger and the FDA...
UK and Congo
OMG! r u cutting it ok? LOL!
so hows d am2t8ion?
not good
need help?
sure btw i havent upgraded
each txt costs me 10 cents so be short
lol k ill give you 2
USA
According to PayScale.com, the average salary range is between $119k and $203k per year.
World
Some Americans are traveling out of the country to get medical care at cheaper prices. Insurance companies, realizing they are losing customers if patients remain uninsured, are beginning to offer payments for procedures performed in foreign countries.
USA
And according to the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths, there is a cover up. Hospital infections are mostly blamed on the overuse of antibiotics. The real culprit is poor hospital hygiene.
USA
Children with heart defects may someday receive perfectly-matched new heart valves built using stem cells from their umbilical cord blood, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2008.
USA
Patients were more satisfied with a doctor's care when they were allowed to have a companion in the room to help them listen, learn, and ask questions.
Alberta, Canada
Syringes were reused for endoscopies and in the recovery room of dental surgery. Previous patients will be tested for HIV, hepatitis B and C.
USA
Article written by DoctorScorecard member, caveatemptor
As one who was diagnosed with very severe osteoporosis in my late forties, I would like to help others understand that this disease is reversible, and that this reversal can be accomplished without the use of bisphosophonate drugs like Actonel, Boniva, and Fosomax. Again, I can only speak from my own experience in an effort to help others, with the understanding that I am not a nurse or a medical doctor, but I am proactive about my own health.
Zimbabwe
Many doctors and nurses have left Zimbabwe's collapsing health care system. Doctors say they witness preventable deaths on a daily basis.
USA
This new surgical technique offers the advantages of no visible scars and a faster recovery time. Possible disadvantage: doctors will rush to offer this new method of surgery before they have perfected their techniques and made sure that the benefits are worth the risks.
USA
According to a survey of doctors starting a residency in internal medicine, 17% had - along with their colleagues - made fun of a patient, sometimes when the patient was under.
Virginia, USA
Five percent of reproductive age women are affected by PCOS. Symptoms of PCOS can include small cysts on their ovaries, infrequent or irregular vaginal bleeding, male-pattern hair growth, and acne. Acupuncture could be an important alternative, non-drug therapy for women with this disorder.
USA
One Problem: Hospital patients may get the wrong drug one time out of five, according to a study by Auburn University.
USA
Some dogs and cats seem to have the ability to detect cancer, infection, low blood glucose, and also seizures moments before they occur.
USA
One mistake: You don't check your bills for errors. "I had a client once who was charged for a surgery she never had," said the vice president of Medical Billing Advocates of America. "Another one was charged more than $5,000 for disposable gloves."
USA
About one in four patients feel that their physicians sometimes expose them to unnecessary risk, according to data from a Johns Hopkins study...
USA
Nearly everyone who has worked in hospitals can recount a tale of bad behavior. Hickson recalled a doctor who hurled a table across a room, sending shards flying back at co-workers. Felblinger remembered when a doctor threw a used needle at a nurse, piercing her skin.
New York, USA
A doctor takes a look at the dying woman on the floor of the emergency room at a New York hospital, then the doctor turns around and walks away. The woman died.
USA
One patient said her Blue Cross insurance plan paid 80 percent of her hip resurfacing surgery in India. In India, the procedure cost $7,000. In the US, it would have been about $55,000.
USA
The First Amendment (Free Speech) applies to the internet as much as to traditional forms of media: print, film, art, etc. The internet is different from other forms of mass communication because it is easier for non-corporate groups and individuals to participate. Lawmakers who long for a return of the day of exclusive corporate control of the news have been very much exercised about the rise of the internet because it completely undermines their ability to dictate \"the message\" heard by American users of the internet.
UK
The move will expose alarming variations in the mortality rates of NHS trusts carrying out commonplace procedures, including hip and knee replacements and surgery of the esophagus and abdominal aorta, the main blood vessel.
It will be the first time anywhere in the world that a government has systematically exposed the work of rival hospital teams, giving patients an opportunity to choose to be treated where their lives are least at risk.
USA
While not a brand-new article, this item continues to have revealing tips about the eye care business. One of the items on the list: Glasses are a cash cow... Since optometrists and ophthalmologists rarely hand over eyeglass prescriptions without prompting, most people don't know that federal regulation requires eye doctors to release them so that patients can comparison-shop for glasses. And why would they? In order to offset the high overhead of managing a practice, doctors and optical retailers may jack up the prices of glasses they sell from 50% to 80%. After one patient learned he was entitled to his prescription, he took it to Wal-Mart, where he found a pair of glasses similar to those at his doctor's office, but for $100 less.
Georgia, USA
5 tips to staying germ-free when in a hospital.
Pennsylvania, USA
Dr. David M. Wielechowski, 32, a dentist, got in a fight on his wedding night, first with his wife, then with two people who came to the aid. Ironically, the dentist knocked a tooth out of one of the good Samaritans. The dentist himself was left with a black eye.
Florida, USA
Written by caveatemptor
I have seen and heard the recent reports about the FDA getting involved in and investigating Lasik. First of all, let me say that I have little faith in the FDA's ability to get to the bottom of anything and do it fairly and without bias. Remember, these are the same people who allow drugs (like Celebrex, Vioxx, Fosamax, Actonel, Baytrol, Vytorin, etc.) to be approved, and remain on the market when the risks outweigh the benefits in many cases.
Having said that, and having had a great success with my own Lasik surgery, I felt the need to comment. While this is my opinion only, with no "scientific" data to back it up, I think it deserves to be heard if it could help someone frightened of this procedure, yet wanting to have it. Legal disclaimer here......I am not telling anyone to have this surgery, just relating it to my own personal experience and that of others that I know who have also had success with Lasik.
First of all, it is imperative that you go to a reputable doctor with a good reputation, and not one of the "factories" that turn out thousands and thousands of patients per year. The preliminary screening is THE most important step in making an informed decision, and there are many factors that could disqualify a person from being a good candidate. (i.e. cornea too thin, too high a level of myopia or astigmatism, propensity for dry eyes, existing retinal problems, etc.) There may be doctors out there who are so interested in making money that they don't turn away the patients who are not good candidates. It is imperative that the DOCTOR, as well as the techs, check and recheck the screening procedures. I had two VERY extensive screening appointments before I had the surgery itself. Two techs and my doctor saw me on each of these two occasions, and the appointments took a long time and were very thorough.
Also, it is my opinion that the success of the procedure and the avoidance of side effects may depend upon the ability of the doctor (through careful screening) to "get it right" the first time. By that I mean, that if an "enhancement' (i.e. a second procedure) is done, it may (and this is only my hypothesis) result in "dry eye", as the cornea is "thinned" infinitesimally each time that the procedure is done, and that may affect more nerves, which may, in turn, produce the "dry eye" effect. Secondly, some of the responsibility lies with the patient. The aftercare is very important. There may be patients who do not wear the protective goggles (which are not comfortable) for sleeping, there may be patients who forget and rub their eyes, there may be patients who do not adhere to the regimen for putting the steroid and antibiotic drops in their eyes as instructed, there may be women who don't forego the eye makeup as instructed, resulting in an infection.. Failure to be a compliant patient in any of these areas could pose a problem.
The best advice that I can offer those contemplating Lasik is to speak with other patients who have seen the doctor that you are contemplating having as your surgeon. Check out his "track record" and see if he has any lawsuits on file, and if so, what they are for. Ask him for a list of his/her patients with whom you may speak. I could not be more pleased with the results of my procedure, and of the few people that I know who have had it done, I know of no one who has any adverse side effects or who has any regrets about having had the procedure done. Understand, I am not saying that there are not people who have had complications, only that I had none.
As of now, three months post-op, I have absolutely no side effects and am elated with my results, which I never take for granted. As one who needed glasses at a very young age (third grade) and one who was unable to see the big "E"" on the Snellen eye chart, and one who had a fair degree of both astigmatism and myopia, I consider my "new" vision to be nothing less than miraculous.
Free advertisement.....my doctor is Dr. Ross Parks of FL Eye Clinic and I had my procedure done on Jan. 29th of this year.
USA
More and more drugs are not working "as advertised". For example, the drug used to treat high cholesterol, Vytorin, failed to work as widely expected. Final results of a clinical trial showed the drugs reduced LDL cholesterol, but failed to slow the buildup of artery-clogging plaque, suggesting they'll do little or nothing to prevent heart attacks. Doctors are as surprised by findings like these as patients.
USA
The US government made hospital ratings public today. The site lets you compare hospitals by how well they cared for patients with certain conditions. Hospitals can be compared by how well they cared for a specific condition, like a heart attack or pneumonia.
Where does the data come from? The website says: "Hospitals voluntarily submit data from their medical records about the treatments their adult patients receive..." And elsewhere on the site: "The data presented on this website comes from hospitals that volunteered to submit their data for public reporting."
Florida, USA
She was captain of her cheerleading team and hoped to become a doctor herself. Surgeon Stephen Schuster said he was devastated by the loss and felt for the family.
msn.com
German scientists reported that a woman endured a series of nasty abscesses caused by a bacteria, until a veterinarian screened and treated the family cat.
USA
Carol Weihrer of Reston, Va., said that she awakened during surgery to remove a diseased eye. Weihrer said she heard the doctor give instructions: Cut deeper, pull harder. "I actually saw them cut the optic nerve when everything went black."
Nevada, USA
Nearly 40,000 patients of the clinic learned that they might have have been infected by reused syringes and vials of medication. Patients may have been injected with potentially fatal hepatitis C virus and HIV.
dailypress.com
One tip from article: "Use technology to your advantage. Bring a tape recorder to appointments so you can replay conversations later or use digital cameras to record symptoms at home."
Iowa, USA
A man from Iowa went in for hernia surgery, expecting to leave with a single scar. The doctor operated on the wrong side of his body, then started over and performed the surgery on the correct side. The patient left with two scars and his health insurance was billed for 2 surgeries!
pbfcomics.com
COMIC
USA
The Los Angeles city attorney sued Health Net, claiming it illegally canceled the coverage of about 1,600 patients. City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo also said the company illegally ran an incentive program in which it paid bonuses to an administrator for meeting targets of policy cancelations.
Patsy Bates, 52, a hairdresser from Lakewood, had been left with more than $129,000 in unpaid medical bills when Health Net Inc. canceled her policy in 2004.
"It's hard to imagine a situation more trying than the one Bates has had to endure," Cianchetti (the judge) wrote in the decision. "The rug was pulled out from underneath, and that occurred at a time when she is diagnosed with breast cancer, one of the leading causes of death for women."London, UK
A standard computer can diagnose diseases like Alzheimer's from brain scans, with a higher accuracy rate than doctors. Maybe this tool could help free up some doctors to work on other health issues.
Saskatchewan, Canada
What does a country do when it has a nurse shortage? Here's one idea: Go to a poor country, wave some cash in their faces, and entice them to leave their people behind to care for your people. (Filipinos make an average of just $3,300 per year versus $38,200 for Canadians.)
Washington DC, USA
It's time to write up the recipe for next year's flu vaccine -- and the nation's influenza experts are aiming for better protection than this year's shot wound up offering.
Minnesota, USA
Is this legal? Some websites are selling counterfeit doctor's notes online to those who want to trick their employer for some time off work. Students use the fake notes to get out of school.
Alabama, USA
Even after losing an arm in a hunting accident, Dr. Lucian Newman III is still able to perform surgery. Dr. Newman III is the the only surgeon now operating in the USA with one arm.
California, USA
Ali Moayed, a urologist, performed a painful cancer treatment on a patient who didn't have the disease. Moayed pleaded guilty to felony charges of elder abuse and insurance fraud.
Indiana, USA
Members of the plan will be able to rank physicians based on trust, communication, availability and office environment, but not effectiveness of care. Members will be able to rank doctors only in their health insurance network.
Alberta, Canada
Town offers free rent for a ready-to-go office to a physician to begin work. Why? They haven't had a doctor in 6 months. Local pharmacy is hurting without someone to write prescriptions.
Canada
...especially on airplanes.
India
Dr Vivek Jawali, chief cardiovascular surgeon along with his team at Wockhardt Heart Hospital at Bangalore have set a global benchmark by performing the first coronary bypass surgery along with an aortic valve replacement without using general anaesthesia or ventilator support while the patient was on a heart lung machine. Click image for video.
United States
In the future, stem cells may be used to help patients with type 1 diabetes gain insulin independence.
New Jersey, United States
The patient says he had a hair transplant procedure, performed by Dr. Feinberg at The Dermatology Center in Englewood, NJ. "...my hair transplant looks terrible and I have a red scar on the back of my head...After 4 years and over $8,000 dollars spend on my hair transplant the results are terrible. I try to contact Dr. Feinberg but he refused to talk to me or give me a refund for the hair transplant he performed. I have a personal website where I post photos of my hair transplant at http://www.HairMdProblem.com"
The patient also created a scorecard for the dermatologist.
Texas, United States
Faulty lab work is to blame. Ameripath tested a biopsy and concluded she had ovarian cancer. After both ovaries were removed, no cancer was found.
New York, United States
...then pushes the drill bit through her sinus near her eye socket.
California, United States
The young man complaining of chest pain was told to sit in the waiting room until it was his turn. He waited more than 3 hours, then stood up and went outside, collapsing on the pavement.
United States
Dr. Jose Veizaga-Mendez provided dangerously substandard care resulting in deaths, according to Massachussetts state regulators. So what did the doctor do? He left the state to resume working in Illinois, got in trouble there, too, so he applied for a license in yet another state: North Dakota. "Nearly 90 percent of the 5,000 doctors who faced disciplinary action in the United States last year had medical licenses in more than one state, according to the Federation of State Medical Boards, giving them the option of moving to another state to practice if they fear losing their license in the first."
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