The PMD Critical List: A Med School Class About 'Nothing'

This week's list of must-read news stories for physicians include a look at some of the top issues facing physicians in the year that was and the year to come, as well as news of a doctor’s strike in Europe, and a sitcom’s use in a medical school curriculum.

• Top 10 Issues Impacting Physicians in 2014 (American Medical Association)

Here’s a story from the nation’s most famed doctor group that looks back at the top 10 things that affected the doctor livelihood last year. Key: Can you say Medicare?

• Top 10 Issues Impacting Physicians in 2015 (American Medical Association)

Here’s another AMA story that peers forward to the top 10 factors that doctors face in the New Year. Key: Get ready for more red tape doc.

• Seinfeld Goes to Medical School (NJ.com)

Some think it America’s best-ever TV comedy show. Therefore, many doctors must have loved this brand of entertainment. A Rutgers medical school professor has now incorporated the sitcom into the schooling of psychiatry students. After all, Jerry knew human behavior.

• French Doctors on Strike (The Telegraph)

Physicians in France are hitting the picket line (literally) because their government wants to replicate there the British national health system. The average French GP, who makes about $72,000 (US$) a year, wants less regulation and more money.

• Doctors Don’t Know How to Tweet (Reuters)

In an effort to improve communication, medical conferences worldwide are encouraging physician attendees to go the Twitter social media route to get out the word quickly on important research. But life-saving data and 140 words seldom mix.

• Multiple Pay Cuts Hit Doctors in 2015 (Forbes)

Most doctors probably know about the draconian Medicare pay cuts for their work in 2015. They also face a “tsunami of rules and policies” on cost and quality measurements (medical logistical nightmares) regarding patient care and reimbursement.

• Hospital Germ Wars: Elevator vs. Toilets (MedCityNews.com)

Canadian researchers found that at 3 large teaching hospitals there was “more bacteria colonization on the hospital elevator buttons than even on the facility’s toilets.” One more reason to take the stairs.

• Stay-At-Home “Physician Moms” Provide Telehealth (Health IT Outcomes)

A new healthcare startup, currently made up of all home-based mothers with medical degrees, is a charming concept. Claiming that up to 70% of physician office visits are “unnecessary,” they hope to connect doctor and patient via text—for little or nothing.

• Google Glass Startup Is Saving Doctors Time (Entrepreneur)

A promising report from a seasoned and respected business journal about a new medical record technique. They say: “We save doctors a third of their day.” “Every doctor’s biggest problem is data entry.” “What we’re really talking about is improving the quality of care immeasurably.”

• The Senate’s Good Doctor is Leaving (The Wall Street Journal)

A total of 13 new US Senators will be sworn in this week in the nation’s capitol. Their best model is one who is leaving Congress, Tom Coburn—and he’s a senator and a doctor. It’s a fine tribute to a very capable political clinician.