by Verner Waite and Robert Walker It’s common in medicine that asking 10 doctors for an opinion on medical care will result in at least five different suggestions. Someone commented that if you asked the same 10 doctors a week or two later, you might get five new and different opinions. There are no universally […]

by Sharon Kime and Robert Sullivan A doctor who is the subject of a peer review investigation for substandard care should first of all obtain the advice of an experienced health care lawyer. This is not a field for the lawyer who drafted the physician’s will or handled his divorce. Health care law has become […]

by Sharon Kime and Robert Sullivan Physicians in California practice under a microscope. Virtually every physician is subject to legal constraints or governmental oversight – the Medical Practice Act, the Medicare and Medi-Cal laws, as well as contractual obligations under provider agreements with health plans. For many Sacramento physicians, practicing in the “managed care capital” […]

by Sharon Kime and Robert Sullivan Physician discipline is a lot like hunting gazelles in Africa. Recall the wildlife movies you’ve watched. A herd of thousands of gazelles graze peacefully across vast African plain. Creeping undetected in the grass to the right are several lionesses studying the herd, waiting for the opportune moment to lunge […]

We’ve all heard of physician assisted suicide occurring in free democratic countries in Europe, primarily in the Netherlands. In socialized countries such as Europe, life and death matters are a concern of the state. Live patients who are sick consume valuable resources – tax moneys. Dead patients no longer are costly—they no longer consume tax dollars or Euros. Sick patients were never a legal problem until socialized medicine came into vogue.

The other day at the nursing station, I observed the ward clerk reading "Weight Watchers" as she devoured a "Babe Ruth." ... I guess that keeps the scales balanced and the economy moving. It also contributes to the epidemic in America – 50-60% of the population is overweight with 25-33% affected with obesity. We consumed 15% more calories in 1994 than we did in 1970 and today we dine out twice as often. If obesity was an infectious disease, we would call it a national crisis.

Back pain is a common complaint. Most people in the United States will experience low back pain at least once during their lives. Back pain is one of the most common reasons people go to the doctor or miss work. On the bright side, you can take measures to prevent or lessen most back pain episodes. If prevention fails, simple home treatment and proper body mechanics will often heal your back within a few weeks and keep it functional for the long haul. Surgery is rarely needed to treat back pain.

Background on Asthma Treatments The treatment of asthma has changed significantly over the past century. It was treated primarily with oral medications through the first half of the 20th century. The medications are then absorbed from the stomach and bowels and are sent to the lung and every organ of the body. This can produce […]

Editor’s Note: This is a review of Dr. Del Meyer’s 18 years with our medical society publication. He has been a regular contributor to SSVMedicine (formerly Sacramento Medicine) since 1993. Several years ago, he began two online publications, the MedicalTuesday Newsletter and HealthPlanUSA. They have grown exponentially, so that he now must devote most of […]

The Art(?) of Writing(?) Emily Dalton, MD, discusses writing in “Where Have All the Flowers Gone,” in the May issue of the Bulletin of the Humboldt-Del Norte County Medical Society. Last month I attended a conference entitled: Books, Memoirs and Other Creative Nonfiction at Harvard. It’s a great course, and I highly recommend this method of getting […]