Tuesday, May 28, 2024

Hsieh Forbes Column: Should Doctors Be Required To Tell The DMV If You Have Dementia?

My latest Forbes column is now out: "Should Doctors Be Required To Tell The DMV If You Have Dementia?"

This is another example in which a well-intended law may create perverse unintended consequences. As a friend noted, "Mandatory reporting laws of any kind are fraught with danger. One reason is that, from the patient's point of view, they can blur the lines between talking to your doctor/nurse and talking to a cop."

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Don't Swallow Magnets

My latest Forbes column is out: "Why You Shouldn't Swallow Magnets".

I discuss who should (or shouldn't) swallow magnets. Hint: If you are reading this, it's not you.

Thursday, February 1, 2024

Hsieh Forbes Column: How Much Basic Math And Health Statistics Should Legislators Know?

My latest Forbes is now out: "How Much Basic Math And Health Statistics Should Legislators Know?"

How much basic math do legislators know?

The Royal Statistical Society asked 101 members of the U.K. Parliament in 2021, “If you toss a fair coin twice, what is the probability of getting two heads?” The correct answer is, of course, 1/4 or 25%.

However, only 52% of the MPs got the answer correct. On the bright side, this is an improvement from 2011, when only 40% of the MPs got the answer correct.

My first thought when I learned about this study: I would love to know how U.S. congressmen would perform with the question...

 

Sunday, October 29, 2023

Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Hsieh Forbes Column: Some Physicians Receive Thousands Of Dollars A Year From Drug Companies; Should You Be Concerned?

My latest Forbes column is now out: "Some Physicians Receive Thousands Of Dollars A Year From Drug Companies; Should You Be Concerned?"

I discuss the federal Open Payments database which tabulates financial interactions between physicians and drug/medical device companies. I also discuss how patients should be cautious about interpreting what they learn about their doctors, and whether such payments constitute a conflict of interest.

Friday, August 25, 2023

My latest Forbes column is now out: "A Celebration Of Dr. Robert Bartlett, The ‘Father Of ECMO’"

I offer a tribute to Dr. Robert Bartlett, an innovator and a legend of US surgery. (And a former professor of mine when I was a student at University of Michigan Medical School.)