by Del Meyer One morning when I was in the US Air Force working in the internal medicine clinic, a call came in about 11 AM from the operating room asking me to come to the OR in all haste to manage a cardiac arrest. The chest had been opened and the surgeon was vigorously […]

by Del Meyer Marjorie had pleural and parenchymal tuberculosis as an adolescent. Hence she had parenchymal (Lung) nodules in the apex of her lung and thickened pleura in the lung base on one side. She had been appropriately treated with antituberculous drugs. She then followed the prescribed regimen of follow up x-rays every three months […]

by Del Meyer Almost all physicians are getting into the habit of giving adequate prescription refills and eliminating the need for patients to call in for prescription refills or having special lines reserved for patients to call in. They are learning that phone refills are not only hazardous, but poor business practice. This is accomplished […]

by David Goldschmid, MD From: San Mateo County Medical Association Bulletin, Nov-Dec 2006 Pay for performance. It sounds pretty cool. It sounds like a great idea. Who could say no? You can only imagine hearing Borat say something such as “I like.” There are a couple of issues that strike me as strange though. So […]

by Armand Gelpi, MD From: Sonoma Medicine, the Magazine of the Sonoma County Medical Association, Fall 2006 I enjoy convalescence. It is the part that makes illness worthwhile. -George Bernard Shaw People must wonder if doctors react the same as their patients to expectations of hospitalization, surgery, pain, possible complications-even death-and to the attentions of […]

Let us say that you get sick and go to the hospital. What is there to make sure that you get good care? Hospitals will point to their quality control process. After a patient is discharged, every chart goes through this screening. Most charts pass this screening, but some charts get flagged according to pre-established […]

For thousands of years, medicine was variously practiced as black magic, witchcraft and a form of art. Starting with the renaissance, it became more of a science over a period of many centuries. Here I am referring to Western medicine, specifically the U.S. brand of medicine. A completely new phenomenon took place in this country […]

This communiqué is in the series of updates on my case to members of the medical community and others in Charlotte. For those of you who may not know me or be aware of my situation, please allow me to explain briefly. I received my M.D. from New Jersey Medical School in 1985 and finished […]

On September 1, 1995, Presbyterian hospital called me to their imposing corporate Board Room in Charlotte, NC and dropped a bomb on me. They said they were summarily suspending my hospital privileges at 4 pm that day! Suspension from a hospital is a kiss of death for any physician! I knew that I would never […]

by Ralph R. Reiland In “Die in Britain, survive in U.S.,” the cover article of the February 2005 issue of The Spectator, a British magazine, James Bartholomew details the downside of Britain’s universal health care system. Among women with breast cancer, for example, there’s a 46 percent chance of dying from it in Britain, versus […]