The way health care services are delivered is constantly changing as technology opens up new avenues for improving access and quality. One of the changes which has occurred in recent years is telemedicine, or health care services offered at a distance. States have...
Month: July 2016
DOCTORS FACE INCREASED SCRUTINY OVER PRESCRIBING PATTERNS
In the past year or so, I have noticed an increased scrutiny by law enforcement officials over the prescribing patterns of doctors. In Philadelphia recently, three doctors were charged in a scheme to sell commonly abused prescription drugs in exchange for cash...
PENNSYLVANIA APPROVES NEW GUIDELINES FOR DISTRIBUTING AND PRESCRIBING OPIOIDS
In an effort to combat the widespread overuse and misuse of opioids, the Pennsylvania State Board of Pharmacy and the Board of Medicine approved new guidelines for distributing and prescribing opioids. The state has worked with organizations including the Pennsylvania...
HOW YOUR USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA CAN AFFECT YOUR CAREER
Today I read an article in a local Philadelphia paper about Jefferson University Hospital firing an employee because of her posts on social media. Although her posts did not mention Jefferson Hospital, her posts were racist in nature. I do not know whether or not this...
Does a federal database pose a threat to your medical license?
There is a public file of physicians’ license records, disciplinary actions and malpractice payments. Called the National Practitioner Data Bank, the file is a federal repository whose records are updated by the institutions that manage doctors, including...