Dissecting a human body is messy, smelly, and expensive.

In fact, more medical schools are resorting to so-called “virtual” gross anatomy, using sophisticated imaging and computer programs.

This is a mistake, says psychiatry resident Christine Montross, in a NY Times op-ed. And she has a point.

“Someday, [doctors] need to keep their cool when a baby is lodged wrong in a mother’s birth canal; when a bone breaks Read more »

The first company that comes up with a effective drug for obesity is bound to make billions.

Prior failures notwithstanding, a trio of small pharmaceutical companies are trying to come up with the next great obesity pill. That means clinical studies are ongoing.

So, what’s it like to participate in such a trial? Ed Susman, a contributing writer at MedPage Today, was involved in one, and chronicled his experiences over the past Read more »

Representatives from drug companies are undergoing some hard times, as physicians increasingly are closing their doors to them, or seeing them only via an appointment.

Subsequently, the number of drug reps is predicted to fall from about 102,000 at its peak in 2007, to 75,000 by 2012.

There are a variety of reasons for this, including the fact that more doctors simply don’t trust the information that’s presented, to medical schools Read more »

In a surprise, President Obama has signaled a willingness to discuss medical liability as part of the health reform process.

Good for him for standing up to the trial lawyers, a core constituency of the left.

That’s a good sign, as the costs of defensive medicine brought on by the broken malpractice system, should be addressed if there is any hope of reducing health care spending.

Trial lawyers like to say that medical Read more »

If both patients and doctors don’t accept the changes required of their behavior, no amount of comparative effectiveness studies will cut health care spending.

Two prominent medical journalists write as much in their respective blogs.

First, the NY Times’ Tara Parker-Pope notes that patients have to realize that, yes, they should demand the best care possible. However, that means, “we will have to accept that ‘best’ doesn’t Read more »

Will there ever be a scenario where doctors will accept a third-party entity restricting care to patients?

Pauline Chen talks about comparative effectiveness research, and finds that, when recommendations are transparent and based on solid evidence, some doctors will accept this more regulated paradigm.

Dr. Chen is completely right when she observes that there is a “sense that some of [a health insurer's] decisions are based Read more »

It’s been said that hospitalists are the fastest growing specialist field in the history of medicine.

Hospitals are constantly recruiting, and the increasing demand is continually pushing salaries up. But, in the midst of the current recession, what does the future hold?

Writing in Today’s Hospitalist (via Dr. RW), Erik DeLue predicts that salaries are likely to plateau, or even fall. Most hospitals run these programs at a Read more »

With the economy worsening, health reform appears to be taking a back seat.

Or is it?

Bob Doherty sounds the alarm, citing the contentious opposition to reauthorizing SCHIP, which once enjoyed bipartisan support.

Several outlets are also reporting that prominent politicians, including Pete Stark and Max Baucus, have privately admitted that comprehensive health reform will be pushed back until 2010.

MedPage Read more »

Ms Primarolo said: ‘I would urge patients to make an appointment with their GP this week to talk about applying for their exemption certificate.’

An Avon LMC statement reads: ‘While supporting the much-needed move to relieve the financial burden of charges from these patients, GPs have been given no information from Ms Primarolo’s department about how they should implement the planned change.

‘There Read more »

Will American physicians go the way of the Big Three automakers?

Insurance companies are subtly pushing their members towards having their surgeries performed in countries like India or Thailand, in exchange for substantial cost savings at hospitals that are comparable in quality to those in the United States.

Also on another note, many hospitals are using so-called “nighthawk” radiologists from India to interpret many of their Read more »