Search Results for "cyberknife"
Selling the Cyberknife on WCCO’s CBS HealthWatch
I’m watching local news on my local CBS affiliate, WCCO, the other night. And I wake up from the daze of crime and creampuff stories to see that there’s a story about the Cyberknife “radiosurgery” system at a local health care provider, HealthEast. I see brief clips with two satisfied patients, an interview with a […]
1/3/2013Cyberknife ads – one example of increasing excess of hospital marketing
We’ve been following claims for Cyberknife “knife-less surgery” for a long time. See search results from our blog. We’ve seen billboards promoting it in the metropolitan health care market we live in. And big East Coast medical centers promoting it at subway stops. But only recently did we start noticing many TV commercials promoting […]
7/22/2011Cyberknife for prostate cancer “still developing and can’t stand on its feet”
We need more stories that raise questions about new technologies. Cardiac electrophysiologist Wes Fisher tweeted this week about a Chicago Sun Times story that he said was a promo piece for ablation for atrial fibrillation but failed to discuss the risks of the procedure. We’ve blogged twice this week about more questions about the explosion […]
8/6/2009Cyberknife insurance coverage in question – a health policy case study
We salute the Philadelphia Inquirer and reporter Stacey Burling for a terrific piece, “Debate surrounds new prostate cancer treatment.” It got a rare five-star (top score) rating on HealthNewsReview.org. Excerpts of the review: This was an excellent, provocative exploration of some of the critical issues involving the tension between treatment options, payment responsibility, patient choice, […]
11/11/2014Pitt urologist peaved by prostate CA ads in NY Times & New Yorker
Pitt urologist Benjamin Davies writes on a Forbes blog, “Prostate Cancer Advertising: Lies And The Damn Lies (Part 1).” He criticizes ads in the Sunday New York Times Magazine and in The New Yorker from last weekend. He writes: I have a rating system for prostate cancer advertisements based on two self-evident tenets. First, cancer advertising […]
6 4/17/2012Fox News’ robotic surgeon medical news contributor
Fox News uses Dr. David Samadi, a New York urologist and “Chief of Robotics” at his NY hospital, as a “medical contributor.” We’ve seen and heard him promote his pet approaches in the past. He did it again this past Sunday, touting his own favorite approach over another approach known as the Cyberknife, along with […]
2 3/12/20122 newspaper stories on 2 different screening issues: one could learn from the other
A Miami Herald story, heralds “Prostate cancer hits younger men.” You know right away how this one is going to play out. The story begins by profiling a 48-year old man with prostate cancer. It says his “doctor ordered the test as a routine practice for his male patients.” There isn’t any discussion about how […]
1/16/2012Salt Lake Tribune shows how to scrutinize new technology claims by local hospital
Kudos to reporter Kirsten Stewart of the Salt Lake Tribune for showing how to avoid local boosterism – so often seen when the local health care industry makes an announcement or holds a ribbon-cutting ceremony. In her story, “Utah doctors tout high-tech cancer treatment,” she helps readers think critically. You should read the full story, […]
1/10/2012Another sponsored health news issue: retired columnist gets column back – now paid by health care industry
3 months ago we blogged about a longtime Tampa Bay TV anchorman shifting – in retirement – to being a paid spokesman for a Medicare Advantage plan. Now we see that former Charleston, SC The Post and Courier columnist Ken Burger is doing promotions for a local health care provider organization, but it’s how this […]
6 12/12/2011A physician and a journalist react to NIH prostate cancer active surveillance conference
Here are two perspectives on last week’s NIH State-of-the-Science Conference: Role of Active Surveillance in the Management of Men With Localized Prostate Cancer. The first is from one of our HealthNewsReview.org medical editors, Richard M. Hoffman, M.D., M.P.H., Professor of Medicine at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and Staff Physician at the […]
8/12/2011Medical center spends $7m on new device, then gets free advertising from local TV news
Believe me, I empathize with a local TV news reporter who is a general assignment reporter asked to cover crime today, courts tomorrow, then an announcement by a local medical center on the next day. Here’s what happens as a result. A Chattanooga medical center invites media in to hear about its $7 million robotic […]
3/23/2010How not to cover new medical technologies in an era of health care reform
Regardless the shape and impact of health care reform legislation, how new health care technologies are communicated to the American public is a major issue. And today a reader sent me a new example of how journalism must improve. The Asbury Park (NJ) Press reports on a local medical center trumpeting its use of two […]
7/20/2006Medical Arms Race
Jeremy Olson in today’s St. Paul Pioneer Press reports on concerns about the “medical arms race” — “relentless drive to buy the newest technology to stay competitive and offer the industry standard in care.” But, as he reports, that comes with high costs and questions about benefit. You’ve seen the marketing for CT scans, da […]
