Doctors don't know everything

In the old days, people used to listen to whatever the doctor told them without questioning it. These days, patients are a bit more skeptical due to the internet and the ease by which medical research can be done at the touch of a button. I am constantly reading medical records and it just amazes me how many time the initial diagnosis turns out to be wrong or how many times physicians disagree as to what is happening with the patient. Sometimes, the doctors are looking at the same exact objective information (e.g., MRI films) and come to very different conclusions, all of which impacts the type of treatment the patient receives. So if you see a doctor and feel unsure or uneasy about things, don't be shy in getting a 2nd (and if necessary) 3rd opinion.

Why are Steve Irwin and Anna Nicole Smith on MedFriendly?

OK, so some of you may have noticed on the homepage for MedFriendly that there are entries for Steve Irwin (the Crocodile Hunter) and Anna Nicole Smith. Umm, isn't this supposed to be a medical dictionary, you ask. Well, yes and no. First and foremost, MedFriendly is a website where people can read about medical information in an easy and enjoyable way. In doing so, and in trying to figure out ways to make the website more unique and fun, I have been experimenting with some entries that relate current events to medical information. By doing this, more people may be drawn to the site and peeople develop an interest in learning more about medicine. If you have other ideas on how to Make MedFriendly better, please let us know.

Independent Medical Examinations

So here is my first blog to provide you with some insights on how things work from inside the medical community. If you are involved in a personal injury and claim to be disabled or to need medical treatment the insurance company deems excessive, you may be sent for an "Independent" Medical Examination (IME). Why did I put the word "Independent" in quotes?

Well, think about the business aspect of an IME from the insurance company's point of view. If the insurance company sends me a patient for an IME and I regulalry (more than 50%) of the time conclude that the patient needs additional treatment or is disabled and entitled to full benefits, do you think the insurance company will keep sending me patients? I think the answer is obvious and is what takes the objectivity out of so many of these evaluations.

The system basically allows insurance companies to find a doctor that they know will side with them on a regular basis, has the legal right to demand you see that doctor, and your future medical care will then demand on those findings. So it is a big problem and the reason why I will not do these evaluations, even though they pay great money. The same problem goes for legal cases. Lawyers know exactly which doctors will say what they want to hear and can basically pay for an opinion if they shop around long enough. It should be note that there are many upstanding and honest doctors that perform IMEs and forensic evaluations, but the main point of this blog entry is that the system is not truly independent and filled with corruption.

I would be interested in hearing stories from others who had an IME and if he/she felt it was actually "independent."

Back in action

Well, it is almost impossible to believe that it has been more than a year since my last posting. The reasons are many and varied and I will go into them here. Basically, there were too many major life events occuring simultaneously that made it impossible for me to even work on anything MedFriendly related. This included having a 2 children within 14 months of each other, moving to a new house, and starting a brand new job. On top of that, emails were flooding into MedFriendly requesting medical information and link exchanges. Many times, I would do extensive research for people and not even get a thank you. It all became too overwhelming. It was sad because I love working on this website and decided to take a year off to reflect on how I would manage things in the future.

One of the 1st things I realized is that I had to cut down on the email volume. Thus, if people want links to MedFriendly or want medical information, there would be an associated fee. For example, see our Ask MedFriendly and link submission sections. So far, this has worked wonders, people are paying for the service, and all sides are happy. Next, I decided to continue to update the site and bring some new, fresh ideas into the mix. One new idea is finding a way to explain medical information related to contemporary issues, such as the death of the Crodile Hunter, Steve Irwin. What medical dictionary has an entry for Steve Irwin on it? I'd venture to say only MedFriendly does. For MedFriendly to grow, it needs to become more than just a dictionary. It will always need to have a medical theme, but there are so many different ways this can be done.

The last thing I needed to work on is what to do with this blog. That's where you all come in. I need some feedback. What do you want to hear me talk about? What would you find helpful? I want to see some interaction and discussion. I can't promise a blog entry every day, but I'll do my best to make sure there are no more significant lapses.