Mischief Maker

Industry also is not immune to her conniving ways. I have already devoted an editorial to target lesion revascularization (TLR), a term she frequently uses to mislead us into believing one device is better than another.

With all the potential for Miss Information to negatively affect our professional judgment and outcomes, I question the government’s insistence that we all use electronic medical records. The premise for widespread use of an EMR is that if a surgeon has easy access to patient records from another state, he or she will not have to repeat costly tests or procedures. However, how do we know if Miss Information has rendered these tests unreliable? I was recently placed in a clinical quandary when an insurance company insisted that it would not pay for a confirmatory duplex scan on its client. I was aware that the patient had the scan performed at another lab where Miss Information would notoriously exaggerate the degree of stenosis to support unnecessary endarterectomies.

I have tried to make myself immune to Miss Information’s depravity since I know how insidious her efforts can be. However, it is possible that even some of my writings may be contaminated. Accordingly, I must sadly acknowledge that some of the “stories” I relayed above might not be completely factual. You will have to decide which, if any, Miss Information got hold of. Good luck!

Dr. Samson is clinical professor of surgery (vascular) at Florida State University Medical School, is president of Mote Vascular Foundation, and an attending vascular surgeon, Sarasota (Fla.) Vascular Specialists. Dr. Samson also considers himself a member of his proposed American College of Vascular Surgery.