Cinematic OpEd Reviews
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This is the professional web site for Delbert H Meyer, MD, a physician practicing Pulmonary Medicine in Sacramento, and a Columnist of the Hippocrates Columns, Med Info Health Line and the Physician/Patient Bookshelf, which are published in several journals. | ||||
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Profile Dr Meyer graduated from Kansas University Medical School and obtained his internship and internal medicine training at Wayne County General Hospital in Michigan. He was a resident in pulmonary medicine at Ann Arbor VA Hospital, a fellow of the American Thoracic Society at Sacramento Medical Center and an NIH Fellow in Respiration at the University of California at Davis. He was Chief of the Pulmonary and Allergy Clinics at Mather AFB Hospital in Sacramento for two years.
On entering private practice, Dr Meyer founded Pulmonary Medicine Associates. During his ten years as Managing Partner and corporate CEO, he expanded to eight pulmonologists, becoming the largest Pulmonary Group in the US. He has been practicing pulmonary medicine in Sacramento for 32 years. His practice experience has included solo, partnership, corporate and managed-care medicine. His hospital experience has included university, federal, military, state, county, prison and private institutions. He is on the senior staff at Mercy San Juan Medical Center in Carmichael, Sacramento County, California and serves on the Clinical Faculty of UC Davis School of Medicine.
His was a visiting consultant to the Deutsches
Krankenhaus in Munich that had 800 pulmonary patients including 400 with tuberculosis, a disease
that is increasing to epidemic proportions. He was a guest consultant at the San Juan Hospital in Lima, Peru’s largest
hospital. He was also a guest consultant at the University of Michigan Veteran's
Administration Hospital Chest Conference.
sMedical Associations Dr Meyer is active in his local Medical Society and is a member of the California and American Medical Associations. He has been a member of the American Thoracic Society and the American College of Chest Physicians, including the California chapters. He has served in offices and on boards in these societies. He was a founding member of the California Association of Medical Directors of Respiratory Therapy, including the National Association. He is a member of the Association of American Physicians & Surgeons and sits on the Editorial Board of their official journal.
Dr Meyer is active in community affairs and a member of the Comstock Club comprised of local business and professional people. He has been president and served on the board of directors of the Sacramento TB & Health Association and was instrumental in effecting its name change to the more relevant Sacramento Lung Association. He has served as chairman of the Board of Education of Town and Country School and expanded the enrollment by 50 percent during his two-year term.
Dr Meyer maintains a faculty appointment with
the University of California, Davis School of Medicine and serves as a preceptor for
medical students. He attends the weekly Medical Grand Rounds at UCD Sacramento
Medical Center at which professors from throughout the world present their
latest clinical and research findings. He also participates in the weekly
Medical Grand Rounds at Mercy San Juan Medical Center, his primary hospital. sClinical Research During his training, Dr Meyer published articles in the New England Journal of Medicine and various research and scientific journals.
He has completed four years as Editor of Sacramento Medicine, the official journal of the Sacramento / El Dorado Medical Society, and continues on their editorial board. He was responsible for a monthly editorial during those four years and wrote a monthly column entitled "Hippocrates & His Kin" for eight years. This column greatly expanded the readership of the journal and produced favorable email responses from several states, as well as Canada and the UK. These 44 editorials and 78 columns can be read on the electronic journal he Founded and on which serves as Editor: www.HealthCareCom.net.
He writes book reviews on medically related
topics or on any book written by a physician, regardless of the topic. He has reviewed legal and medical
novels. These reviews can be found in sequence on an adjacent column on this
page, the Physician/Patient
Bookshelf, as well as in a topical listing on the electronic journal (www.HealthCareCom.net).
He has also written OpEd articles, medical case reviews and patient
profiles on some of his most unusual patients. In addition to Sacramento
Medicine, his
articles have appeared in California Physician, California
Medicine, Sonoma Physician, The Medical Sentinel, St. Croix Review and a number of other medical
journals. He has served on the Editorial Boards of California Physician,
Sacramento Medicine and The Medical Sentinel. Dr Meyer has established three web sites with Online journals. sProfessional Practice / Medical Writing: www.DelMeyer.net This is the site you are currently on with the following
online columns: sPhysician/Patient Bookshelf sMedInfo Health Line sBio-Medical Ethics sThe basis of a medical history and physical examination (in progress) sHow to obtain a web second opinion consultation (in progress) Email: DelMeyer@DelMeyer.net sHealthCareCommunication.Network: www.HealthCareCom.net An Online Journal with the following columns:
A HealthPlan Journal to promote a National
Healthcare Plan for affordable healthcare to bring market medicine to the people
of the United States and the world. sHealthPlanUSA.Network Massive changes in the healthcare environment over the past several decades are of deep concern to Dr Meyer. He feels that many of these changes are detrimental to patients and jeopardize the quality of healthcare. As a result, he has Founded and is CEO of the HealthPlanUSA.Network. This online journal can be seen at www.HealthPlanUSA.net. You may also submit articles on cost-effective or market-based medicine to DelMeyer@HealthPlanUSA.net for consideration by the editorial board.
He has started an informational email exchange, the MedicalTuesday.Network to promote a dynamic dialog with the business /professional community in order to promote healthcare changes. This network, with an active email exchange on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month, continues to double in size almost every month. You may email your interest and contribute ideas to Info@MedicalTuesday.net and be placed on the email list to keep current with the latest ideas.
To stay informed, browse these online sites and
become acquainted with the challenges we face in medicine. You may deposit email comments concerning any of
these issues to DelMeyer@MedicalTuesday.net.
These contributions will give further information and ideas upon which we will
comment and share in the MedicalTuesday.Network.
Because Dr Meyer has had personal experiences in a variety of practice formats and all types of hospital care, he is uniquely positioned to speak authoritatively on a variety of healthcare issues that confront our nation. If you are from the United States, you may register your interest to stay informed at Info@HealthPlanUSA.net.
For 30 years Dr Meyer attended a variety of international conferences from Montreal, London, Amsterdam, Florence and Munich to Lima and Tokyo. He interfaced with doctors from as many as 60 foreign countries concerning the healthcare problems unique to their environment. Most foreign healthcare is government controlled and is even more restrictive than our HMOs, which are showing a loss of subscribers. HMOs have been a dismal failure, much as the socialistic attempts in all major countries.
When Canada implemented their single-payer
national health plan, there was 80% support. Now, 10 years later, only 20% of
Canadians support the government system. If you are from Canada, you may
register your interest to stay informed by sending an email to Info@HealthPlanCanada.net. After 50 years, by most estimates including that of many of their own physicians, the British National Health Service is now a third world healthcare system. If this disturbs you, register your interest and stay informed by sending an email to Info@HealthPlanUK.net.
Doctors from Germany, Denmark, Sweden and other
European countries say that American doctors are too patient oriented. Unlike
their American counterparts, these physicians see patients on a schedule that
benefits themselves. They can afford to do so since there is no alternative care
for the patients. At a recent meeting, these doctors reported a more hostile
environment. If you are from Europe, you may register your interest to stay
informed by sending an email to Info@HealthPlanEURO.net. We have interfaced with doctors from Korea, Taiwan, Japan and other parts of Asia. They have told us that administrators direct them to see up to 12 and 15 patients an hour, or whatever the waiting queue may require. One doctor reported averaging 30 patients an hour. He directed an assistant to write prescriptions and order tests. Personally, he never made an entry into a patient’s chart. If you are from the Pacific Rim, you may register your interest to stay informed by sending an email to Info@HealthPlanASIA.net.
Australian doctors, also in a state system, have their own unique challenges. According to a few doctors from down under, they are less restrictive. Having several patients from Australia, it seems Aussies get most of their care in the United States during their yearly journey to California. You may register your interest and stay informed by sending an email to Info@HealthPlanAussie.net.
When I toured the San Juan Hospital in Lima, Peru, the chest surgeon did not even have a bronchoscope with which to make a diagnosis. (At that time, all eight hospitals in Sacramento had fiber optic bronchoscopes.) In order to get a biopsy on a patient they presented to me, he informed me that he would have to open the chest surgically. At the time of my visit, only two of seven x-ray rooms were operative. They were elated, however, whenever more than one room was functional. There was not one research journal printed in South America when I attended the Pan American Chest Conference. You may register your interest to stay current by sending an email to Info@HealthPlanAmerica.net.
We are now the only country that can
salvage the doctor-patient relationship and bring the best possible healthcare
at the most affordable price to our patients. If we solve our own problems, we
may export our success to the rest of the world. If you are interested in the
Global Viewpoint, you may register your interest and stay current by sending an
email to DelMeyer@HealthPlanUSA.net Dr Meyer is uniquely qualified to speak on a number of topics, from both a national and global viewpoint. He can demonstrate that the greatest cost savings in healthcare occurs from understanding the first encounter of a patient with his physician, in a patient-oriented market environment. The highest costs occur when there is a third party, whether an HMO or government, that dictates the results of the doctor/patient interface. It is frequently counterproductive to optimal patient healthcare, and ultimately results in cost overruns which then force the regulator to enforce constraints, policing, and rationing by the third party. Reaction from the various restrictions inevitably results in even greater government involvement, thereby further compounding the healthcare problems. If you are interested in having Dr Meyer
speak to your organization, please email him the particulars of your group, the
size, composition, the theme of your meeting and proposed dates to DelMeyer@HealthPlanUSA.net. sOffice Consultations Dr Meyer provides pulmonary consultations at his Carmichael, California, office that include a complete pulmonary and medical interview, a complete physical examination, chest x-ray, electrocardiogram and pulmonary function tests as complete as those found in most hospitals. He performs diagnostic procedures, such as fiber optic bronchoscopy, at the adjacent Mercy San Juan Medical Center. You may contact his office at 916-965-5864 for an appointment. consultations are $200, complete pulmonary function tests $250, chest x-rays $80, electrocardiograms $75. The fee for the total evaluation at one appointment is $500. We will accept and bill some insurance plans through the end of 2002. At that time, we will only accept cash, checks or credit card payment at the time of service.
The Harvard Health Study was a large country-wide
endeavor to recruit physicians for clinical studies. There were 44,000 doctors
that participated in determining if aspirin was useful in preventing heart
attacks. Doctor Meyer has been part of the Harvard Health Study since its
inception in 1981. He participated in the initial aspirin study for eight years.
The code was broken in 1989, and it was found that the 22,000 doctors that took
aspirin had far fewer heart attacks than the 22,000 doctors that took the
placebo. He continued the clinical study and is currently participating in the
continuation of the beta carotene cancer study, now in its 18th year,
as well as the antioxidant study, now in its tenth year. In both studies, Dr
Meyer does not know if he is taking placebos or the actual drug. He feels that
ongoing participation in these research studies is an important contribution to
society. sClinical Studies Dr Meyer’s office has been selected as one of 60 pulmonary practices in the United States for the introduction of new drugs into the community through clinical studies. Some of his patients have been on the latest emphysema drugs for up to three years before these drugs reach the open market. His practice has been awarded the honor of having the most accurate clinical research program in the country. He employs a certified clinical research coordinator (CCRC) to maintain this high quality. If you have asthma, bronchitis, or emphysema, you may email your interest to DrMeyer@DelMeyer.net. We are currently participating in the following
clinical studies: Spiriva - a new COPD inhaled bronchodilator which has been released in Europe and, after the current study, should be released in the USA. Please call Alice Contreras at Dr Meyer's office to request an appointment to determine if you qualify as a participant.
Web Medical Consultations are becoming increasingly popular for second opinions. Several of the large clinics have recorded their experiences in the medical literature. These web medical consultations are on a cash basis since they don’t meet the usual insurance or Medicare requirements of a direct patient examination. Web consultations are based on submission of examinations and test results from the patient's primary and/or consulting physician. You must acquire your own medical records to include a current medical history, physical examination, pulmonary function tests, x-ray reports, electrocardiogram, and any available blood tests. If you do not live near Sacramento and would like a second pulmonary opinion, you may want to consider this twenty-first century approach. Distance is not a factor. Dr Meyer has rendered second opinions to patients from other continents. If interested, please contact Dr Meyer’s office at 916-965-5864 or send an email to DrMeyer@DelMeyer.net for an online or virtual appointment or time frame. Please outline your pulmonary problem as you perceive it, indicate when it started, how it’s progressing, what makes the symptoms worse and what makes them better, the tests that have already been done, and the diagnosis and treatment you have been given so far. Include copies of all medical records and tests regarding this problem. You must acquire your own medical records to include a current medical history, physical examination, pulmonary function tests, x-ray reports, electrocardiogram, and any available blood tests and send to: Delbert H Meyer, MD You will then complete a questionnaire that will be emailed to you, after which a phone interview will be conducted prior to rendering the consultative report. Medicare and Medicaid patients cannot apply. Be sure to include your full name, mailing address, telephone number, email address, and whether you can open attached documents in WP, MSW or both. The fee for reviewing the data, conducting the telephone interview and rendering a consultative report is $400. The consultation fee has to be received before the case will be reviewed and a second opinion rendered. Since we are not your treating physician and a personal physical examination will not be conducted, no prescriptions or treatment will be authorized. You may discuss our recommendations with your personal physician. This is strictly a second opinion that will be rendered in writing based on the information received. For medical/legal and licensing requirements, the opinion is rendered in Sacramento County, California. |
