ineffective procedure

Why You Need a Second Opinion

Early in the summer I wrote about a good friend who was diagnosed with ovarian cysts and endometriosis. She saw a gyn oncologist because there was a small chance it was cancer (thankfully, it wasn’t). The doctor drained the cyst and started my friend on  oral contraceptives to control the hormonal shifts that contribute to endometriosis (which contributes to the cysts).

A couple of weeks ago, however, my friend texted me to say that her leg/foot was really hurting. She thought she might have a deep vein problem. I immediately told her to go to urgent care because it might be a blood clot, which can be quite serious. Her own primary care physician had left his practice, so found another that took her insurance.

Here’s her story:

“I went to the primary care physician my insurance company recommended. I specifically asked her if my leg problem could be a blood clot and she said “no” and sent me to a sports medicine doctor who then sent me to physical therapy. My leg still hurts and I thought they were wrong so I decide to go back to the gyn oncologist  who sent … Continue Reading

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healthcare costs healthcare system; ineffective procedure

Step Away From that Test

My best friend turned 57 in October (but you’d never know it by looking at her; she doesn’t look a day over 45). Like most of us of a certain age, she has a few medical issues. Years of working as an editor has left her with carpal tunnel syndrome. Years of living with cats has left her with asthma. Years of sun worshiping behavior has left her with basal cell skin cancer. Years of good eating have left her with a borderline high LDL level. And, as a result of being, well, 58, she has a pain in her left shoulder. Sound familiar?

My friend recently switched doctors and found a new primary care physician who, upon hearing her medical history and current concerns, performed and ordered several tests, including:

— A pelvic exam/Pap

— A routine physical

— A baseline EKG

— A complete fasting blood panel, including a special test that measures LDL-particles (LDL-P)

— A mammogram and an ultrasound on her right breast, because the doctor felt a suspicious tissue mass (my friend has a family history of breast cancer)

— A right carotid artery ultrasound based on a bruit,  the swooshing sound the doctor said could … Continue Reading

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healthcare costs healthcare system; high-deductible health plan ineffective procedure waste

Elective Deliveries: A Sign of a Healthcare System Out of Control

My husband is always getting on me about the number of tabs I have open in my browser at any one time. I think one time I had more than 100 open.

Within the past few days, at least 10 of those tabs dealt with the same topic: medical tests and procedures that we either don’t need or that don’t work. There are simply too many for a single blog, so I’m focusing on one here and will write more about others in the coming days.

The lucky winner? Births.

Seems like an obvious medical procedure, doesn’t it? Baby is delivered when mom goes into labor or, if problems develop or mom goes over her due date, labor is induced. So why, as  Kaiser Health News recently reported, are 10 to 15 percent of U.S. babies  delivered early without medical cause, up to 40 percent in some hospitals?

Early delivery increases the risk that the baby will have feeding and breathing problems, infections, and developmental problems, requiring a stay in costly neonatal intensive care units. It also increases the risk that mothers will need caesarian sections (indeed, many of these births are scheduled c-sections).

Why the early deliveries? Convenience for … Continue Reading

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fraud get better health healthcare costs healthcare reform healthcare system; ineffective procedure payment Uncategorized waste