With all the difficulties that doctors experienced with HMOs, the California Medical Association decided to start their own insurance company. The initial capital was an infusion of $1000 from any doctor who signed up. Thousands of doctors joined for fear of losing patient referrals, and so Cal Advantage was born. After a year, many of […]

The cost of medical care in the United States is frequently compared with the cost of medical care in other western nations. But does the higher cost of US medicine reflect a higher level of care? Let me give you a comparison. Mr Atkins developed left-sided weakness while at the grocery store. His wife called […]

Most Americans assume that the facts they tell their doctor are confidential and protected. In fact, medical records enjoy less legal protection than video rentals. And Congress has not acted to safeguard the confidential communications between doctors and patients. Instead, it has already laid the groundwork for the national database that would make our medical […]

The anger of the federal government against doctors is played out with a vengeance in the latest Medicare regulations. Since January 1, 1998, the government has decreed the nature, extent, and completeness of every evaluation physicians perform on their patients–whether they need it or not. The examination will also have to be recorded so that […]

Peer Review has become a system of doctors eliminating other doctors from competing against those in power. It was meant to be a confidential means of improving care through objective evaluation and was implemented with the cooperation of the medical societies. But in California, a large medical group that had members on the medicine committees […]

Dr Jones, a physician in a California community, received a notice from the medical board that a consumer had complained that he had taken liberties with a patient. A Mrs Francis complained that Dr Jones had raised her left bra slightly while listening to her heart in order to see her mammoplasty scar. As Dr […]

We’re hearing a lot about practice guidelines these days. It is touted as making a medical practice more cost effective. The primary goal is to improve the bottom line. Otherwise, how can the shareholders and CEO’s command their millions. Phil Alper, MD, reports that in France, the “Order of Physicians” (initially created by the Vichy […]