I grew up watching the TV classic Dragnet, which ran on NBC from 1951 to 1959 and then from 1967 to 1970. Each episode opened with a dramatic four-note brass-and-tympani musical theme and the warning, “The story you are about to see is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent.” I Read more
Primary Care
I’m on the Amtrak Northeast regional train headed from NYC to DC on a recent Friday afternoon. The amplified metallic voice of the conductor is booming, but instead of the usual “Next station stop: New Carrollton, Maryland,” I hear in a plaintive tone: “Is there a doctor on the train?” followed by a request for Read more
Ever since the FDA announced plans to place new warning labels on cholesterol-lowering statins last week due to complaints of memory loss and evidence of diabetes, it seems the phone lines of primary care physicians and cardiologists have lit up. Mario Garcia, M.D., the chief of cardiology at Montefiore Medical Center and professor of medicine Read more
EDITORS’ NOTE: In October, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) openly questioned the value of PSA tests to screen for prostate cancer, saying there is insufficient evidence to suggest the PSA blood test is useful as a screening method and may do more harm than good. The recommendation has created lingering questions for the estimated 30 million men who undergo PSAs every year. This week Read more
In October, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) openly questioned the value of PSA tests to screen for prostate cancer, saying there is insufficient evidence to suggest the PSA blood test is useful as a screening method and may do more harm than good. The recommendation has created lingering questions for the estimated 30 million men who undergo PSAs every year. The Doctor’s Read more of PSA Testing: Back to the Bad Old Days?
Is primary care a waste of talent and of a great education to boot? Those concerned about this question feel strongly that curricula and culture at top-tier medical schools are doing precious little to encourage medical students to pursue primary care. Given the convergence on the medical system of aging baby boomers and potential mandatory Read more
