Quote:
Originally Posted by Taltarzac725
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libby_Zion_Law
Just a little information on the Libby Zion Law.
I remember how much some Tort Law Professors at the University of Minnesota Law School disliked the "arrogance" of doctors and some nurses. Documentation is quite important as a defense against lawsuits and the like. I have not really liked the doctors I have seen in the Villages and elsewhere in Florida all that much since moving here in 1996. No Florida doctors seemed to care all that much about the patients. Most seemed deep into their charts, books, etc. than actually looking at the people they are trying to help.
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I agree with a lot of that, but I have a slightly different take on it. I was a resident while the whole Libby Zion case started, so obviously it was of interest to all of us. The Wikipedia article has some faults. Just to be clear, I've never heard of meperidine being called "pethidine"---Everyone would know it better as Demerol. And phenelzine is Nardil, a powerful MAO inhibitor. And while the specific serotonin syndrome reaction to receiving both these drug was largely unknown, we ALL knew never to mix ANY drug with a MAO inhibitor without checking on it first. That being said there would still be two problems. First, serotonin syndrome is pretty rare, and now is listed on a whole array of drugs under side effects on your pharmacy handout---please, nobody get frightened and certainly don't stop any medication, this labeling is overkill for the most part---my wife is on 4 meds that all list this (and they haven't killed her off yet). Second, Libby apparently was wildly out of control, her main complaint at the time was abdominal pain, not "the flu", and she did not tell the physicians what medication she was taking. Plus the cocaine story may have been whitewashed a bit as revisionist history goes
As far as the aftermath goes, the NYS Health Dept is NOT physician friendly--they are out there to hunt heads, not help. The commission made the right decision, but the Board of Reagents made the highly unusual move of overturning their ruling. Perhaps this had something to do with Sidney Zion's friendship with Gov. Mario Cuomo??? Add to that the concept that when you look up a**h*le in the dictionary, there is a picture of David Axelrod
I still think the final result has been the onset of the "shift mentality" in young physicians. They were trained to watch the clock, since the hospital faced huge penalties if a resident exceeded the time limitations. This is why more docs seek employment rather than a private practice---they come, punch a clock, leave, and collect a paycheck. None of the work that goes into a successful practice.
As far as "Florida doctors" (a tremendous overgeneralization) being engaged in documents and computers---that is the new reality nationwide. If I were to make a generalization, it would be that, as a group, they tend to order way too many tests and procedures, but obviously that doesn't apply to every physician. I hope you do find one that you like.