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Tag Archives: medical care
As we approach 1-1-13, we are aware of the fiscal cliff, which every media source is covering. But worse, in my estimation, is the approaching Medicare and healthcare cliff, also arriving 1-1-13.
On 1-1-13, without congressional action, payments for all Medicare services will decrease 30%. What effect will this have on your care?
There is a 25-40% chance your doctor will retire, stop seeing Medicare patients, or stop participating in Medicare (requiring you to pay…
Doctors have been trying for 30 years to develop a chemotherapy sensitivity test to identify the most effective chemotherapy drugs for an individual patient. At the 2012 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, my partner Dr. Linda Bosserman and I presented the results of a national study that showed a new test, the MiCK Drug Induced Apoptosis assay, was able to help physicians choose…
There is an epidemic of vitamin D deficiency in the United States. Sun exposure increases the vitamin D levels in the body, but that not by enough for optimal health. Today, not only are vitamin D levels low in the northern half of the country (where sun exposure is particularly reduced in the winter time – where we’re heading now), but more individuals throughout the country are avoiding sun exposure in order to prevent skin…
It is common to use aspirin to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. One baby aspirin a day is taken by millions of Americans to help to reduce or delay the occurrence of heart attacks. About 25% of Americans take daily aspirin (E. Jacobs and coauthors, J. National Cancer Institute August 10,…
New drugs offer promising benefits but potentially greater risk side effects
Every day we read about new drugs that have been approved by the FDA for different diseases. This is especially common in anti-cancer drugs, where many new treatments are currently reaching the market.
Are new drugs better than older drugs? Each of these new drugs has met the FDA criteria for improving outcomes compared to standard treatments. But many times these standard treatments are…
Every patient has experienced this, leaving a message at the doctor’s office, expecting the doctor to call back. They never do, or worse, they call much too late. You’re frustrated, stressed, angry and just confused. Really, how hard is it to call back with an answer?
Responding to you calls, questions and concerns is part of…
The other day, a patient came to see me and complained about breast imaging center in the Los Angeles area. “You sent me to have a biopsy of an abnormality that was found on a breast MRI scan, and they told me that they would not do it because I had not had my first scan at their facility. They actually wanted me to completely repeat the previous scan, even though I had a DVD…
Can you trust the medicine you’re taking? Thanks the recent fungal meningitis outbreak (allegedly due to tainted drugs), people everywhere are taking more time to examine their pills and potions they ingest, even asking their physicians whether or not they even need the drug. And they should question!
It’s vitally important to be considerate of everything pharmaceutical you put in your body, but it can be difficult to know what to ask. To be more…