• Columbia: On complaint of Sumter police authorities, W.S. Penn was arrested for representing himself as a physician and for selling influenza "cure" he said the government authorized him to sell; it is alleged he sold his "physic" to negroes in Sumter Co. ; Newspaper article ; 1
This Article briefly summarizes the history of the euthanasia debate in the United States, describes the classical arguments for and against euthanasia, examines the terms of the current debate, and concludes that while society may want to recognize a competent patient's right to escape the suffering of a terminal illness, it should do so with humility—and with caution.
Malpractice insurance premiums for physicians have increased at an average rate of over 30 percent per year. This rate is significantly higher than health care cost inflation and the increase in physician costs. Trends indicate that malpractice related costs, both liability insurance and defensive medicine costs, will continue to increase for the near future. Pressures to limit physician costs under Medicare raise a concern about how malpractice costs can be controlled. This paper presents an overview of the problem, reviews options that are available to policymakers, and discusses State and legislative efforts to address the issue.
В данной работе рассматриваются различные аспекты неразглашения врачебной тайны.Physician–patient privilege is a medical and legal concept. It prohibits a physician from divulging to anybody some information about his patients (diagnosis, results of examination and so on). Each physician must obey this ban if he or she treats a patient.In fact, the concept of physician–patient privilege appeared in Ancient India. It voiced that you could fear your brother, mother or friend but never – a doctor. Since those days, doctors have been vowing to keep all patient's secrets and always do it. Physician–patient privilege is one of the basic postulates of the Hippocratic Oath. In fact, each state guarantees to its citizens keeping of the privilege. Although there are situations when it is allowed to provide patient's data without his or her consent, for instance: in order to examine and treat a person who cannot express his or her will due to a bad state; if there is a danger of spreading any infection or provoking an epidemic; if the information is requested by judiciary or law enforcement agency; if a patient is not an adult and physicians must inform parents or legal representatives about his or her state of health; in case of injuries received due to any incorrect procedures; the necessity to do military medical examination.According to legal systems of some countries all people having any information about a sick person are hold disciplinary, administrative or criminal responsibility in case of divulging.When somebody is admitted to a hospital, his relatives and friends want to know about his state of health. Physicians have to resolve conflict situations. On the one hand, it is clear they worry about his or her life. However, on the other hand all these data are included into the concept «physician–patient privilege». In fact, a good physician never says his patient's diagnosis to anybody. In our opinion, physicians can break physician–patient privilege only in case when it is said whether the person will live or not. In other cases, only a patient can decide whom to say this or that information about his or her health. Physicians should look after the sick people; care about their physical, mental and moral health. In return, patients should talk about their problems and trust their physicians. Any offense against the «physician–patient privilege» makes a person feel humiliated. In this case, the patient has a right to apply to a judiciary because of the non-pecuniary damage that was harmed by physicians. To sum up, the most important commandment for every physician is to remember about these ethical postulates!
Since 1957 the courts in most states have moved rapidly toward imposing vicarious liability on a hospital for the torts of employee-physicians. In 1965 the Illinois Supreme Court held that a hospital could be liable for the malpractice of a nonemployee-physician. This comment attempts to describe these trends, to delineate the new rules the courts are applying and to determine the rationale for adopting these new rules. The comment assumes the patient has established that the physician committed malpractice; the only issue addressed is whether the patient can recover from the hospital for his or her injuries. The scope is further limited to the liability of a private hospital; thus governmental immunity, peculiar to state or federally owned hospitals, is not discussed.
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF-A) in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) represent the first major, sustained wars in which emergency physicians (EPs) fully participated as an integrated part of the military's health system. EPs proved invaluable in the deployments, and they frequently used the full spectrum of trauma and medical care skills. The roles EPs served expanded over the years of the conflicts and demonstrated the unique skill set of emergency medicine (EM) training. EPs supported elite special operations units, served in medical command positions, and developed and staffed flying intensive care units. EPs have brought their combat experience home to civilian practice. This narrative review summarizes the history, contributions, and lessons learned by EPs during OEF-A/OIF and describes changes to daily clinical practice of EM derived from the combat environment.
There is only limited evidence on whether certified and uncertified health care providers in India support reforming the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act to expand the abortion provider base to allow trained nurses and AYUSH physicians (who are trained in Indian systems of medicine) to provide medical abortion. To explore their views, we conducted a survey of 1,200 physicians and other health care providers in Maharashtra and Bihar states and in-depth interviews with 34 of them who had used medical abortion in their practices. Findings indicate that obstetrician-gynaecologists and other allopathic physicians were less supportive than non-physicians of nurses and AYUSH physicians providing early medical abortion. The physicians did not think that these providers would be able to assess women's eligibility for medical abortion correctly. In contrast, the majority of non-physicians found task shifting of medical abortion provision to trained nurses and AYUSH physicians acceptable, and they were confident that these providers would be able to provide medical abortion as safely and effectively as trained physicians. Assuming the reforms are passed, efforts will need to be made by government and medical professional bodies to train these new providers to undertake this role, prepare the health infrastructure to include them, and create an environment, including among physicians, that is conducive to enabling non-physicians to provide medical abortion.
Medicine in the setting of the royal courts of Europe form Renaissance to the Enlightment has been recently discussed, but Italian court medicine has been so far very largely neglected. In this article central problems are the relations between court medicine and academic medicine and the social status of the court physician in fourteenth century. Both problems are investigated in two Italian courts: the Visconti court in Milan and Pavia and the Aragonese court in Sicily. The list of the Visconti physicians and astrologers attests that they had all been celebrated university professors and that their condition as personal physicians to Galezzo and Gian Galeazzo was far superior to the acdemic on in honour and salaries. Their role could also be representative and political. This was expecially the case of Ruggero de Camma, who was chosen as personal physician to the Aragonese king Martino II and appointed by him as first protomedico for political reasons. Key words: Court Medicine - Universities - Astrology - Royal doctors - Protomedicato
A brief review of the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) is presented highlighting the program's legislative history, eligibility requirements and incentive payment plan. Specifically, PQRS measures applicable to neuroradiology practice are discussed. Several steps are suggested for individual physicians or group practices to start participation in the program. Resources are also provided for further information on the program requirements and PQRS measures.
Physician reimbursement and the coding to support it are critically important to the sustained health of any physician's practice. This article reviews the recent history of physician reimbursement from the government and third-party payers and physician coding to support reimbursement. Explanations of terminology and documentation requirements are included.
• Movie "Fit to Fight" shown at close of the 13th annual meeting of Medical Association of Southwest, about influenza's effect in the military. • Major John O. McReynolds of United States Medical Reserve Corps: "We can't hope to stamp out this as we would other diseases. You may as well make up your mind that it is going to last for some time. The important thin is for people not to get panicky." • It's decided that closing schools will have little effect on stopping epidemic, though military quarantines are thought effective, as the influenza is so dangerous to young adults ; Newspaper article ; 8
A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Through a variety of programs, the federal government supports the training of physicians and encourages physicians to work in underserved areas or pursue primary care specialties. GAO was asked to provide information on the physician supply and the generalist and specialist mix of that supply in the United States and the changes in and geographic distribution of physician supply in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. To address these objectives, GAO analyzed data on physician supply and geographic distribution from 1991 and 2001."
The purpose of this collective case study was to understand and describe the experience of physicians who use health information technology in medical practice. There are numerous factors applying pressure to the practice of medicine with limited support to physicians practicing medicine. With recent health insurers and both state and federal governments mandating health information technology, physicians are required to implement an electronic health record (EHR) with measurable outcomes and benefits to the delivery of healthcare. This study is significant in that it offers a view into the experience of physicians who use health information technology in medical practice. To gain insight into the experience of physicians and their use of health information technology, I interviewed four physicians practicing in a medical clinic setting. Analysis of the interview transcripts revealed four themes: (a) the change process within the work was the challenge with the EHR implementation; (b) physicians learn best from other physicians; (c) implementation of the EHR impacted the entire team of care providers, not just the physicians; and (d) EHR optimization was reinforced with follow- up training after implementation.
Physicians are increasingly expected to assume responsibility for the management of human and financial resources in health care, particularly in hospitals. Juggling their new management responsibilities with clinical care, teaching and research can lead to conflicting roles. However, their presence in management is crucial to shaping the future health care system. They bring to management positions important skills and values such as observation, problem-solving, analysis and ethical judgement. To improve their management skills physicians can benefit from management education programs such as those offered by the Physician-Manager Institute and several Canadian universities. To manage in the future environment they must increase their knowledge and skills in policy and political processes, financial strategies and management, human resources management, systems and program quality improvement and organizational design.
This Article explains that we need to acknowledge physicians' widespread involvement in ending patients' lives by a variety of means, from withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment to euthanasia. Our inquiry should move from appearance and professional acceptance of practices to the conditions under which society allows physicians to be involved in ending patients' lives.