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1994-05-29
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[The following issue may be freq'd as MN40314.* from Lincoln
Legacy (1:109/909),(703-777-5987), HandiNet BBS (1:275/429), and
other BBSs carrying ABLENEWS files. Please allow a few days for
processing.]
ABLEnews MedNotes
American Medical News (3/14/94)
No Consensus on Reform (1)
"Rather than clearing the air, March winds appear to have blown new
clouds to the health care horizon. More than a year has passed since
President Clinton first sketched out a plan to reform the United
States health system. But Congress seems no closer to a compromise
today than it was then. Debate, rather than coalescing around one or
two proposals, seems to be branching out. Financing, even more
problematic, has grown more dubious as opposition to an employer
mandate assumes higher visibility. Lack of consensus among Democrats
has forced tow House committees to put off deliberations. President
Clinton's bill in trouble in both committees and will not even serve
as a starting point in one."
Groups Press New Campaign for Tort Reform (1)
The Health Care Liability Alliance, a united front of business,
insurance, and medical groups--that have paid up to $100,000 to
join, is lobbying to see that radical revisions in US tort laws are
included in any health care reform enacted by Congress. Meanwhile,
the Manhattan Institute is peddling an alternate "early offer of
settlement" system that organized medicine has rejected in the past.
Antitrust Suit Could Bode Ill for Integrated Systems (1)
"In a test case for managed care, the Wisconsin Blues have charged
the Marshfield Clinic and its HMO with creating an illegal monopoly
to control physician prices and services in rural Wisconsin. The
insurer's suit challenges a basic tenet of integrated delivery: that
close physician affiliation improves care and costs for patients and
insurers. ...A verdict against Marshfield, experts say, could leave
Geisinger Health Plan open to antitrust challenges...Ironically, the
Clinton administration has cited Marshfield as an example of how
integrated delivery could improve care in rural areas under health
care reform."
Quality Control: Putting Doctors on the Front Lines (2)
"Though billed as the key to physician control of quality oversight
under health reform, the proposed Regional Professional Foundations
have gotten little support from the house of medicine...RFPs are a
little-known, sketchily drawn piece of the White House reform plan.
Their last-minute inclusion accelerated the proposed phase-out of
the PROs [peer review organizations]...Of course, the idea might
never go anywhere. It's found only in the Clinton plan; the other
major reform proposals contain only passing mentions of quality
improvement components." CURE Comment: Further evidence of the short
shrift given quality of patient care by most so-called "reformers."
State Reform Momentum Builds (3)
"Chances are national single-payer legislation won't make it out of
committee this year. But there's a real possibility it will be
passed in a state where residents are used to taking a risk:
Alaska...Meanwhile managed competition proponents will be watching
efforts in Kentucky and Pennsylvania, both likely testing grounds
for that concept...Vermont is under mandate to pass a
universal-coverage plan this year--managed competition is the best
bet--while significant measures also may pass in Iowa, Ohio, and
Wisconsin. New Mexico just closed its session with a package that
includes voluntary alliances and Medicaid expansion. It's easier, of
course, for states to take risks, because the scale is smaller and
the compromises easier to achieve. But whether state leaders think
federal reform is dead or want to get a head start in case it
revives, they're moving like never before...Florida, Minnesota,
Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington started implementing their
revolutionary plans this year."
Pennsylvania Blues Set to Become First Blues Plan to Own Hospitals (3)
"The difference between insurers and providers just got fuzzier. In
what observers say would be the first time a Blue Cross plan has
owned a hospital, Independence Blue Cross intend to merge with
seven-hospital Graduate Health System. Both parties are based in
Philadelphia."
AZT Found to Reduce Perinatal HIV Transmission Risk (4)
"The medical community was elated when federal officials announced
last month that AZT therapy had reduced the risk of perinatal HIV
transmission by two-thirds among infected pregnant women in a
government-funded clinical trial. But the excitement was tempered by
lingering questions about the effectiveness of zidovudine (AZT) for
other HIV-infected persons. And the long-standing debate over
mandatory HIV testing will likely be reignited in light of the
findings."
New Evidence that Cigarette Ads Targeted Teenage Girls (5)
"New research presents the most compelling evidence to date that
youth-oriented cigarette ads encourage minors to pick up the habit,
said John Pierce, PhD, director of a cancer prevention
program...(at) the University of California, San Diego...A major
target of youth anti- smoking efforts is the ad campaign that
features the cartoon character Joe Camel. RJR reported increased
sales of its Camel brand after the campaign was launched, but said
those resulted from adult smokers switching brands...Maura Ellis, a
spokeswoman for RJR,...confirmed that a female character would be
added to the campaign. 'That character is not intended to target
women, but is simply the natural progression of our advertising
campaign."
Surgeon General Takes Anti-Smoking Message to Kids (6)
"Several times I've been criticized directly by kids when I've
spoken at schools. They ask why do you guys always talk ABOUT us,
and not TO us?" --Michael Eriksen, ScD, director, Office on Smoking
and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the 23rd
report on smoking and health from the Surgeon General's office since
1964 comes in two forms: a 314-page version for the general public
and a 12-page edition that targets sixth graders.
Perot to Doctors: Devise Own Plan (6)
"You have the trust of the American people because you've earned it.
Congress has no trust." --former independent presidential candidate
Ross Perot, addressing 400 members of the American College of
Surgeons in Dallas. The Texas billionaire urged them to develop
their own plan, pledging the support of his organization.
IRS Searching for Doctors' Unreported Incentives (8)
Federal law requires hospitals to report any income, incentives and
benefits they provide physicians to the Internal Revenue Service.
The IRS matches these 1099 forms against the 1040 or 1120 returns
filed by the doctors themselves. A 1992 pilot computer match in the
Pittsburgh area has escalated to Richmond, Virginia and throughout
the Southeast: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana,
Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. And the
program "could be replicated in other districts as well," according
to an IRS spokesman.
Passage of Clinton Bill Tops AFL-CIO Priorities (8)
"We intend to campaign as hard as we can for as long as we can."
--Lane Kirkland, president, AFL-CIO. Labor leaders boasted their
members would ante up $10 million to boost the Clintons' plan--five
times what they spent fighting the Prez on the North American Free
Trade Agreeement (NAFTA).
Report Reiterates Need for Women's Clinical Research (9)
"At first glance, the idea that women should be included as subjects
in clinical research seems simple and straightforward. But, as a
recent report from the Institute of Medicine illustrates, pursuing
that goals raises complex ethical, legal, and scientific
questions...'Justice requires women and men to be treated equally in
the pursuit of clinical research,' said Daniel Felderman, MD,
co-chair of the IOM report committee and dean for medical education
at Harvard Medical School. 'This involves striving for equal
allocation of resources, providing equal opportunity for both sexes
to participate in clinical studies, and renouncing the protectionism
previously accorded women of reproductive potential.'...The basis
for exclusion was the widely accepted argument that women of
childbearing age--pregnant women in particular--shouldn't be given
experimental treatments because of potential risk to their
offspring." ABLEnews Editor's Note: In the case of nontherapeutic
experiments, I believe this argument still bears weight. As the
AMNews reminds us, "The unanticipated negative effects of
thalidomide and diethylstilbestrol, or DES, on pregnant women in the
1950s and 1960s reinforced this 'protectionist' approach."
Protecting vulnerable human subjects, including such involuntary
subjects as unborn babies, is a mark of civilization, not
repression.
Cooper Backers Eye Individual Coverage Rule (10)
"Backers of the bipartisan health system reform sponsored by Reps.
Jim Cooper (D-TN) and Fred Grandy (R-IA) are looking for a way to
achieve universal coverage more quickly under their proposal. Rep.
Calvin Dooley, a California Democrat, said the 60 Democratic and
Republican sponsors os the 'Clinton Lite' bill are exploring whether
to require people to purchase health insurance. Dooley, one of three
politicians invited to talk to doctors and medical society
executives about system reform, made his remarks at the AMA National
Leadership Conference [in San Francisco]...Rep. Richard Armey, a
Dallas conservative who chairs the House Republican
Conference,...flatly denied the need for a system overhaul,
asserting that fewer than 3% of the population go without health
insurance for more than a year. 'Universal coverage, which really
means a new entitlement, is impossible without some kind of
government purchasing monopoly and a government defined benefit
package, and, ladies and gentlemen, these are things Republicans can
never accept.'...Armey urged [doctors] to lobby patients directly
against the Clinton and Cooper-Grandy bills. 'I would argue that it
is not only appropriate but necessary for you to give your patients
your best understanding about anything that threatens health care
security.'...'The way you practiced medicine 20 years ago is not
going to be an option in the future,' [presidential health adviser
Ira Magaziner] said. 'Over half the employers who provide health
insurance do not provide a choice of plan to employees. The status
quo will continue unless you remodel the forces.'"
AMA Describes Two-Pronged Approach to System Reform (10)
"One prong is an intensive, and extensive, effort to educate and
lobby each member of the House and Senate who is directly working on
health system reform. The second prong will rely on a remarkable
grassroots campaign. From the offices of individual physicians in
every corner of the land, reaching right into the corridors and
committee rooms of Congress, we will create a full-court press to
beat back the bureaucrats who would force their way into your
examining rooms." --Lonnie Bristow, MD, chair, AMA Board of
Trustees.
AMNews Wins 27 Design Awards (10)
from the Society for Newspaper Design. AMNews was outranked by only
five other papers: El Mundo (Madrid), The New York Times, the San
Francisco Examiner, the Anchorage Daily News, and the Detroit News.
Before Their Time (11)
"Every 84 minutes, an elderly person commits suicide. It's not what
anyone expects of the Golden Years. 'The message a lot of older
persons get from society is that you are not valuable people,
particularly if they are sick and are draining health care
resources,' said James E. Spar, MD, coordinator of clinical
geriatric services at the Neuropsychiatric Institute of the
University of California, Los Angeles. 'The message they get is: 'If
you're depressed and thinking about suicide, good for you.' Contrary
to the view that suicide is a problem confined primarily to
teenagers, the elderly have the nation's highest suicide rates,
according to the National Center for Health Statistics."
Society Sends Suicidal Message (12)
"The image that flickered across the TV screens in early February of
retired pathologist Jack Kevorkian, MD, being cheered in a church by
supporters of physician-assisted suicide sent a chill up the spines
of many experts on elderly suicide. 'The message he is communicating
to people who say they want to die is exactly the opposite of what I
want to communicate,' said James E. Spar, MD, of UCLA's
Neuropsychiatric Institute. 'Kevorkian says: 'If you're so miserable
then it's OK to end your life.' I say 90% of suicidal people have a
treatable mental illness. If you want to help them, treat their
mental illness.'" CURE Comment: For the rest of this thought-provoking
article, see SU9403.* wherever ABLETEXT files are found.
Medical Students Help Pediatric 'Buddies' Recover (12)
"Tina Harris will never forget 'a special little boy' with cystic
fibrosis she met in 1991, during her general pediatrics rotation at
Yale-New Haven Hospital. 'He was bout 14,' she said, 'but looked
only 8 or 9. Even with an oxygen mask, he struggled to breathe...'
Overwhelmed with a desire to help, she sought out the attending
physician. Then she talked with other physicians, nurses, and social
workers. She proposed to address the social, emotional, and
psychological needs of seriously ill children by matching them with
medical students, who could serve as mentors to help patients and
families cope...'If you want to get a job done, get Tina,' Sally E.
Shaywitz, MD, pediatrics professor at Yale School of Medicine and
faculty adviser for Just for Kids, the group that Harris founded."
Why Physicians Don't Do Better (13)
"Physicians say they don't have time to learn about suicide, 'but if
you give them a long list of things and ask what they want to know
more about, suicide always comes out near the top,' said Bryan
Tanney, MD, associate professor of psychiatry at the University of
Calgary Faculty of Medicine...In the late 1970s, Dr. Tanney began to
survey the training health professionals received. 'And the results
were horrific,' he said. 'Fewer than half the psychologists in the
United States hear anything about suicide in graduate programs. In
medicine, it's probably worse.'"
Jury of Peers (editorial) (15)
"Contrary to popular belief--at least as measured in Washington,
DC--not every safeguard for the public begins and ends with a
government regulation or an act of Congress. In the case of the
medical professional, peer review by local medical societies could
be a powerful resource for the protection of patients. That is if
county medical societies were allowed to do peer review and they
demonstrated the will to follow through."
RICO Decision a 'Serious Defeat for Individual Liberties' (let-ed) (15)
"I do not share your enthusiasm for the recent Supreme Court
decision allowing the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt
Organizations, or RICO, Act to be used against pro-life
demonstrators. (Editorial, February 14)... RICO was drafted to give
federal prosecutors a new weapon against the Mafia and other
organized crime. Its very title makes this clear. But the bill has
now become a weapon against the First Amendment, and against
citizens who mount a public challenge to majority opinion--whether
that majority supports a woman's right to choose, a drugstore's
right to segregate its lunch counter, or a utility's right to place
a nuclear power plant near a city. The court's decision is a victory
for Big Government, and a serious defeat for individual liberties."
--Mark Buchanan, MD, Forest Hills, PA.
'Anti-Abortion'? No, the Term Is 'Pro-Life' (letter-editor) (15)
"Your editorial entitled, 'Beyond dissent' seems innocent enough on
the surface. Certainly to bang a drum against radical, wild-eyed,
violent protesters, particularly those labelled 'anti-abortion'
lulls most people into the politically correct camp of
indoctrination. The very least you could do would be to use fair
terminology in your descriptions. Anti- abortionists are actually
'pro-life.' Anyone labeled 'anti-anything' is automatically put in a
negative light. Pro-choicers wouldn't appreciate being called
'pro-death' or anti-life.'" --Larry Richardson, MD, Humble, TX.
No Gatekeeper for the Clintons (letter-editor) (16)
"The announcement that a cardiologist is joining a multi-service
medical team as physician to President Clinton, his family, the
White House staff, and Vice President Gore and his family, further
exposes the hypocrisy of the Clintons and their reform plan. While
they will receive specialty care, they seek to deny the American
people comparable care, indeed, deny them choice. Where is the
Clintons' 'gatekeeper' that decides if a test or procedure is
cost-effective? Has their use of specialists been approved by their
managed care plan? Obviously, they do not practice what they
preach." --Ruth Feldman, MD, Flemington, NJ.
Public Won't Permit Themselves to Be Enslaved (letter-editor) (16)
"It was a delight to read 'My Opinion' in the January 17 issue by
Daniel T. Cloud, MD, concerning the so-called Clinton health
plan...Dr. Cloud has performed a great service in exposing most of
the shortcomings of the plan. The American people will not permit
themselves to be enslaved by a program that causes its health care
system to revert to the level of the British health care
establishment following World War II. America is too heterogeneous
to fit into a mold dreamed up by a group of administration advisers
who are mostly law school graduates...short on maturity and
experience in the real world." --E.W. Schmidt, MD, Odessa, TX.
Tired of Hearing Negatives About Care Today (letter-editor) (16)
"I am upset about the constant articles and letters depicting the
negative side of medicine. The [commentary] by Dr. Cloud was
especially upsetting...Yesterday in my office I had a 20-year-old
woman who I thought would make a good physician and I encouraged her
to enter medicine. Why don't you profile medical groups like ours
that are doing well and provide patient care and doctor
satisfaction." --Michael Norman, MD., Redland, CA.
Put Policies to a Vote (letter-editor) (16)
"The AMA should poll all of the members and let them vote as to what
they want the AMA to do. I just don't feel that we should allow a
few people in the AMA to make major decisions for all the members on
something as critical as reform." --John Davis, MD, Oklahoma City, OK.
Dr. Christoffel Responds to Profile (letter-editor) (16)
"I am writing in response to the profile of me in the January 3
AMNews...I did not say that guns are 'viruses.' This is obviously
not true! My point is more complex...I do not advocate getting rid
of all guns! I do support the American Academy of Pediatrics'
position, calling for a ban on handguns, assault weapons, and deadly
airguns." --Katharine Kaufer Christoffel, MD, MPH, Chicago, IL. AMN
Editor's Note: AMNews stands by its reporting of the story.
We Physicians Talk, But They're Not Listening Out There (op-ed) (16)
"All too often when seeing patients for follow-up visits, doctors
are chagrined to find that their instructions were not followed.
What happened? Did the physicians fail to give their patients the
proper instructions? The answer is probably no. Most likely the
patients were told exactly what their chart and the labels on the
medicine bottles indicated. They weren't listening...This analogy
can also be applied to the medical profession as it attempts to
advise our nation's elected leadership as they undertake the
monumental problems of health system reform. We are trying to tell
them, and even though it is for their own good, many just aren't
listening...Physicians have unique expertise and perspective. We
must continue to give advice as to what could happen to the quality
of medical care in this country if our leadership makes the wrong
choices about health system reform. as with our own patients,
however, we can only hope that those with the influence and power to
make the decisions will listen." --Robert M. Tenery, Jr., MD,
president, Texas Medical Association.
Guns Are Part of 'Immune System' (letter-editor) (17)
"Guns are a part of the immune system of society, a deterrent to
crime. As with autoimmune disease, it can turned around against
itself. Another part of the immune system, keeping violent criminals
in prison, is not doing its job. A gun ban for citizens is a set up
for a 'police state.' The real virus is the breakdown of family
support and inculcation of values." --Mary Otto-Mainfort, MD,
Farmville, VA.
Guns Are Tools (letter-editor) (17)
"Guns are tools, for good or ill. The proliferation of guns is a
result of the collapse of order in our society, not a cause. People
don't feel safe on the street or in their own homes and very
realistically try to find a way to defend themselves. On thing is
for certain: if you outlaw handguns they would become as valuable as
cocaine, and many billions of dollars could be devoted to fighting
the handgun problem, instead of the crime problem." --Ben Hill
Passmore, MD, El Paso, TX.
Gun Control Stance Makes 'No Sense' (letter-editor) (17)
"I don't believe that gun control is the providence of your
[publication]...Your article promotes a simplistic approach to the
problem of violence in our society that makes absolutely no sense
whatsoever. Instead, I would like to see you work to educate people
about guns and gun safety." --David Kresnicka, MD, Marion, IA.
ABLEnews Editor's Note: For an article I wrote addressing this topic
in a personal capacity [i.e., not on behalf of CURE or ABLEnews],
see "Gun Control or Self Control: The Moral Crisis Behind the
Headlines," Tradition, Family and Property, January-February, 1994.
Cars Were Targeted Once Too (letter-editor) (17)
"No one disputes the incorrect use of guns may result in tragic
events. But if we, as either physicians or citizens, seriously wish
to eliminate an item of hardware with the intent of maximally
reducing trauma and family tragedies, we should start with the
automobile--the misuse of which has caused vastly more medical,
social, and 'heart-wrenching' problems than have guns. During the
first two decades of this century, the automobile generated heated
arguments. Many conscientious and well- educated people advocated
that it should be prohibited, not only because it was perceived to
be a major physical threat..but it also was...an item of 'moral
degradation!' However, society has discovered that proper education
and training regarding automobiles, along with appropriate penalties
for those who abuse automobiles, is a far better solution than is
their elimination." --David Pfendler, MD, McMinnville, OR.
Nurse Removes Staples From Wrong Patient, Physician Liable (18)
"As the nurse removed the staples, the patient's skin split open to
reveal the subcutaneous fat layer. The nurse checked the charts and
realized she was working on the wrong patient. The physician under
whose direction she was working was liable for $125,000 in damages,
the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled." (Meena v. Wilburn)
Emergency Hospitalization (18)
"A hospital, an ambulance services, police officers, and the city
were not liable for emergency hospitalization of a patient thought
to be mentally ill, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled. The patient was
served with divorce papers at home in June 1988. When she threatened
to shoot her husband, he called the hospital and asked for a
clinical evaluation team to come out...She later filed suit claiming
the hospital, ambulance service, police and city forcibly entered
her home and hospitalized her against her will. A trial court
dismissed the complaint and imposed a $2,500 sanction against her
attorney for filing a frivolous action. On appeal,...the sanction
was overturned. The attorney was attempting in good faith to have
the trial court recognize a new cause of action fro invasion of the
patient's privacy, the court said." (Marshall v. District Court)
Doctor Wins Legal Fees After Hearing (18)
"On June 1983, a mother experiencing premature labor was admitted to
a [West Virginia] hospital. The hospital did not have a neonatal
intensive care unit. The attending physician initially attempted to
stop the mother's labor with medication. He did not use an
electronic fetal heart monitor to determine fetal distress or
transfer the patient to a high- risk facility for labor and
delivery. The infant was born prematurely the next day. A few
seconds after birth, the infant stopped breathing. The pediatrician
chosen to treat the baby attempted resuscitation by intubation.
About 2 1/2 hours later a team from a university hospital arrived
and had to reintubate the patient because the tube had been placed
in the esophagus instead of the trachea. The pediatrician did not
have privileges at the hospital to care for premature infants
experiencing complications. At age 8 the patient had severe to
profound mental retardation, severe developmental delays, cerebral
palsy, left hemiplegia, grand mal and petit mal seizures, attention
deficit with hyperactivity, no meaningful speech, and aggressive
behavior. His mother filed suit against the obstetrician for
negligence...A jury returned a verdict in favor of the obstetrician;
the patient appealed. The high court said a negligent physician was
liable for aggravation of injuries caused by subsequent negligent
treatment to mitigate the harm he caused. The trial court should
have instructed the jury on the obstetrician's liability for the
actions of the pediatrician and others. The court said the matter
should be remanded for a new trial." (Rine v. Irisari)
Don't Get Fleeced When You Sign a Lease (19)
"For many years, physicians have been limited in where they could
lease office space. Managers of new buildings have been reluctant to
sign leases with medical offices for a number of reasons, including
the high foot traffic they generate and he belief that medical
practices put a lot of wear and tear on the property. Likewise,
physicians have sometimes been pushed to accept less-than-favorable
lease terms because of the special needs of medical practice, such
as extra plumbing. Above-average rents or building charges are not
unusual. But that's changed in many urban markets. Because of a
continuing glut of new office space, physicians are finding it
easier than ever to find prime locations--and to negotiate highly
favorable lease terms."
To Get Paid for Managed Care, Know Your Plans (20)
"Managed care has changed the rules for reimbursement and
collection. While collecting data at every stage of the patient
encounter sets the stage follow-through is essential."
Despite Scrutiny, Practice Goodwill Does Have Value (21)
"Dr. Marcus Willing has been thinking of accepting an offer from St.
Acquisition Hospital to buy his medical practice...and hire him as a
staff physician...Just then the phone rings. It's St. Acquisition
chief financial officer with distressing news. The hospital's
attorney says St. Acquisition could run into legal trouble if it
pays too much for the goodwill of Dr. Willing's practice. But
there's no trouble paying for the practice's tangible assets--minus
liabilities of course. Dr. Willing looks around his office at the
aging waiting room furniture, the phone and the leased computer
system, the examination table and equipment--the sole tangible
assets of his practice. Did these worn (and fully depreciated) items
constitute the entire value of the practice he had painstakingly
built over the years? Did the luster of his reputation and the
devotion of his patients bring nothing to the bottom line?"
Telemedicine Passes International Test (21)
as physicians from the United States and Saudi Arabia demonstrate
technology they believe will revolutionize access to medicine.
AMA Rejects Federal Oversight of Quality, Calls for Local Measures (25)
Many health reform plans--the Clinton plan in particular "ignore the
quality evaluation and documentation activities of the private
sector that have been going on for 60 years," says Dr. James Todd,
executive vice president of the American Medical Association, who
asks: "Why should the government re-create a wheel that's been
working well for that long?"
[The above listing, prepared for ABLEnews by CURE, includes all
significant articles and a representative selection of the remainder.]
A Fidonet-backbone echo featuring disability/medical news and
information, ABLEnews is carried by more than 260 BBSs in the US,
Canada, Australia, Great Britain, Greece, and Sweden. The echo,
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ABLEnews text files--including our digests: Of Note and Mednotes
(suitable for bulletin and file use) are disseminated via the ABLEFile
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Connect.
...For further information, contact CURE, 812 Stephen Street, Berkeley
Springs, West Virginia 254511 (304-258-LIFE/5433).