EFPC Philadelphia

Med. School Application Be early! Without good MCAT & GPA

admissions may not look at the rest of the application

Personal Statement Start strong Theme Brainstorm, Plan, Write kaptest.com/ThePulse

http://www.mcat2015.com/what-do-i-need-to-know

“Perils of being an I-patient”Problems:-Weakens patient-physician relationship, which hurts trust in decision making-Alienates patients, who are already feeling alienated “80% of healthcare dollars are spent on 20% of the patients,

who have chronic illness or are receiving end-of-life care”

Time

Hea

lth

We don’t know if recovery will happen, so we treat aggressively. Which is very expensive

Acute episodes

Speaker: Niel Rosen

Examining Evidence How do drug companies influence?1. Speak through others

-Communicate to clinicians through Key Opinion Leaders -Make connections with medical societies

2. Use ambiguous or meaningless phrases and “weasel words”3. Loudest voice in the room4. Control the information

-Many employees of drug companies are editors of journals and/or creators of internet “information” sites

-Ghost write (put name of a doctor on a paper written by someone else) in medical journals and at speaker’s bureaus

-Get on boards that decide treatment guidelines -Sponsor clinical trials

Facts:

-Only New Zealand and the US are allowed to market pharmaceutical drugs-Only 11% of Americans trust what drug companies say-70% of clinical trials are sponsored by pharmaceutical companies. Frequently there is a lack of full publication or full data is not available (if the data is bad, don’t show it)

Speaker: John H. Powers

Examining EvidenceHow do drug companies influence? (Continued)5. Never let a good crisis pass

-”create” diseases so people think they need drugs

- Fear monger and use anecdotal (rare) evidence- Propose solutions that don’t solve the problem at

hand6. Eliminate the opposition

- Attack those who disagree either verbally, publicly, or by ruining their reputation and isolating them7. Have the best government money can buy

-Lobby-Try to decrease regulation

What can you do about it?

Examine the evidence!

See where information comes from and who sponsored it.

Want to know more ways you can help reduce the influence of pharmaceutical companies? Ask Josh Bush (bush0330@umn.edu) to get a copy of the AMSA PharmFree handout

Speaker: John H. Powers

Epiphany Health Epiphany Health

◦ NOT insurance◦ A way for patients to pay doctors directly◦ A new way of providing primary care

Member Benefits◦ Low monthly fee◦ Almost all services provided◦ Most medications offered

Cons◦ Does not cover emergency visits◦ Medicare patients not eligible

More info?◦ http://epiphanyhealth.net/

Speaker: Dr. Lee Gross

The E-patient

Too scared for 2nd opinion Asks questionsStick to current doctor Don’t worry if doctor likes themStop asking questions when they get answers they don’t like

Remember it’s a business transaction – entitled to good service and respect

“Good Patients” “Bad Patients”

Speaker: Barbara Kornblau

History and PhysicalVery important how a physician composes themselves. Body language speaks volumes- Start in neutral position- Move closer/farther based on patient’s

body language and information being shared

Can “touch” a patient in other ways: - Listening- Calling with results promptly- Listening

What to look for in an H&P: CLODIERS- Character- Location- Onset- Duration- Intensity- Exacerbation- Remission- Radiation- Setting- Social effects of symptoms- Symptoms associated with chief complaint