News in brief - June 2/9, 2003

10% of carotid endarterectomies deemed inappropriate - Study helps predict suit-prone traits - Massachusetts Medical Society picks new leaders - AMA offers CME on physician gifts - Michigan Medical Society names new president - Rx-monitoring bill fails in Florida

10% of carotid endarterectomies deemed inappropriate

More than 10% of the 131,000 carotid endarterectomies performed in the United States each year are inappropriate, according to a report in the June Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Assn.

Researchers reviewed 2,124 carotid endarterectomies performed at six New York state hospitals during 1997 and 1998, and concluded 84.9% were done for appropriate reasons, 4.5% for uncertain reasons, and 10.6% for inappropriate reasons, such as high co-morbidity, minimal narrowing of the arteries, and lack of symptoms.

Results did show significant improvement from studies conducted in the 1980s, which indicated that up to 32% of the procedures were performed for inappropriate reasons.

Study helps predict suit-prone traits

Surgeons with low scores on tests measuring attention to detail, conformity and organizational skills tend to find themselves with high rates of malpractice lawsuits, according to preliminary data from a study of 103 surgeons. Surgeons with a high number of lawsuits also had less effective leadership and management skills, according to the study by the Woods Development Institute. "The assessment seems to accurately predict who has had a claim recently and may be at higher risk for claims in the near future," surgeon Michael S. Woods, MD, WDI's founder, said. "While these results are based upon surgeons, we have reason to believe the assessment will be useful in other specialties too."

Massachusetts Medical Society picks new leaders

The Massachusetts Medical Society last month elected new leadership for the year 2003-2004 at its annual meeting in Cambridge, Mass.

Thomas E. Sullivan, MD, was elected president. Dr. Sullivan, a Danvers-based specialist in cardiology and internal medicine, holds an appointment at the North Shore Medical Center and has a private practice at the Women's Health Center in Danvers. He has served in many roles at the society, including chair of the committee on information technology.

Alan C. Woodward, MD, was elected president-elect. He is chief of emergency services and president of the medical staff at Emerson Hospital in Concord and has served on the society's board of trustees, committees and task forces. Elected vice president was Alan M. Harvey, MD, of Brookline, director of Quality Assurance and Quality Improvement in the Dept. of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine at the Brigham & Women's Hospital.

Also elected to officer posts were: Hywel Madoc-Jones, MD, secretary-treasurer; Varant Hagopian, MD, speaker of the house of delegates; Lee S. Perrin, MD, vice speaker of the house of delegates; and George E. Ghareeb, MD, assistant secretary-treasurer.

AMA offers CME on physician gifts

Continuing medical education on what's permissible and what isn't when it comes to gifts to physicians from industry is now available free from the American Medical Association.

The first course covers basic legal, ethical and professional issues related to appropriate relationships with industry.

Two more courses on the subject are to be released in June.

The AMA's "Ethical Guidelines on Gifts to Physicians from Industry" and "Overview of Ethical, Professional and Legal Issues for Physicians' Relationships from Industry" are available online (www.ama-assn.org/go/ethicalgifts).

Michigan Medical Society names new president

The Michigan Medical Society installed Hassan Amirikia, MD, a Detroit obstetrician-gynecologist and reproductive endocrinologist, as president in April. Dr. Amirikia is the first Iranian-American president of the 14,000-member organization.

For the past six years Dr. Amirikia served on the 38-member MSMS board of directors, representing physicians in Wayne County, and is a past president of the Wayne County Medical Society.

Dr. Amirikia is president of the medical staff at the Detroit Medical Center and is an assistant professor at the Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit.

Rx-monitoring bill fails in Florida

Despite apparent widespread support, a bill to start a prescription-monitoring program in Florida died without a vote in the state's House of Representatives after it was approved by the state Senate. Supporters expect to either reintroduce the bill during a special legislative session this summer that will address medical liability and other health care concerns, or wait until next year to try again.

State Rep. Gayle Harrell blamed the bill's failure to pass on procedural technicalities tied to amendments tacked on at the last moment.

The Florida Medical Assn. was originally opposed to the bill, but after its concerns were addressed its board voted to actively support the bill.

General support is strong because of reports that more people overdose from prescription drugs in Florida than from heroin and cocaine.