A few days ago, I wrote about Jane and Max, and Max’s diagnosis of prostate cancer. Max was told he needed a prostatectomy and was trying to decide between laparoscopic and robotic surgery. A comment from “hERB” reminded us that Max might have other options, too — radiation, cryosurgery, hormone depletion and others. The point […]
Prostate Cancer Caveat Part II Read More »
As announced here several weeks ago, my Every Patient’s Advocate columns can now be found in the Knoxville News Sentinel — and today is the debut. This is my official date of syndication! I now have two regular publications carrying my column — and hope to add many more. Find “Take Your Pills Seriously” in
Are you in Knoxville? Watch for EPA! Read More »
Yesterday, I responded to a post at “punctuative!” — called – Patient Advocates aka Healthcare Rangers by Matt Winn. Matt, who is a venture capitalist, was commenting on patient advocacy as a relatively new service provided to patients. My response was simply a thank you — because he cited some of my work. Today there
An attack on patient advocacy? Read More »
The universe has been telling me all week to write more about refusing medical treatment. Several readers of my newspaper column sent me questions about it — without even knowing I had already addressed the subject on my blog. And, several readers of this blog sent me personal comments about refusing treatment, sharing their stories
Refusing Treatment, Advanced Directives, and a Broken Heart Read More »
A question popped up this morning in reaction to my column in today’s Post Standard. The column is short — you can read it here: Five Words Can Make All the Difference The question regards Medical Consumerism — a label that marries the concepts of medical care and the idea of patient as consumer. Turns
Medical Consumerism by Definition Read More »
Last week I “met” Julia Schopick, a patient advocate who has some good information for you at www.honestmedicine.com. After Julia read my misdiagnosis story, she sent me a link to this MSNBC story by Rehema Ellis called “Cancer Docs Profit from Chemotherapy Drugs.” I almost fell off my chair when I read it! If you
Chemo Drugs and Doctor Profits Read More »
OK – so my Latin might be rusty, but a question came up this week that will help you understand even better how a patient needs to advocate on his/her own behalf…. I got a call from the mother of a friend of mine. (I’ll call her Jane.) Jane’s husband Max has been diagnosed with
Prostate Cancer: Caveat Patiens Read More »
You can’t make this stuff up. My friend and colleague Ilene Corina from PULSE (patient safety organization) shared this story and has given me permission to share it with you: ………………….. Ever Wonder: Why Bother? By Ilene Corina I took my son for a skin procedure and the doctor who was working on his face
Infection Control – an uphill battle Read More »
