Bullying is a problem within health care.Stung by a physician's rebuke, Theresa Brown, an oncology nurse, takes to the op-ed pages of the New York Times to address the issue.In it, she cites several vignettes that paint doctors poorly:
But while most doctors clearly respect their colleagues on the nursing staff, every nurse knows at least one, if ...
Eric Cropp was a pharmacist who was sent to prison for a mistake that resulted in the death of a child.This was a high profile case, but it was just one of many examples of a disturbing trend I’ve seen in the U.S. in recent years: a person commits a mistake–with no malicious intent and without being under the ...
When I was a little girl, attending the circus was the highlight event of the year. I remember looking forward to it each year – perhaps because it was something fun, and each year something new. Never the same show twice. Very busy behind the scenes, yet at the same time, quite organized and appearing smooth on the surface.In the same way, the clinic can be a truly hectic scene. ...
Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians.
A 67-year-old businessman is evaluated during a routine health examination. He has a 30 pack-year history of smoking, but quit 5 years ago. He consumes two or more alcoholic beverages on most days. He is asymptomatic, but performs no regular physical exercise. He takes no ...
As a specialist, one of the saddest truisms about practicing medicine in the private world has always been how little one’s clinical skills determines referrals. Unfortunately, as our present healthcare climate pushes "providers" to consolidate along the lines of major hospital networks this injustice will only worsen.A decade-or-so ago when I started private practice it was obvious that referrals came to me because of my association with an established ...
One year after passage of the Affordable Care Act, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has unveiled two programs that will most certainly be transformative for U.S. healthcare, affecting both quality and safety.With the announcement of the first-ever National Quality Strategy in March, HHS signaled a strong commitment to improving the quality of healthcare.In essence, ...
I am deeply conflicted about how we as a society have come to use physicians, medical science and advanced technology in our lives.Everything has its place in life, but we have given modern medicine with its focus on the chemistry and physics of illness too prominent of a place. We’ve forgotten that we are not treating diseases; we are helping people with diseases.Many readers, especially those with lifestyle diseases, can ...
I’ve read a number of recent articles on social media and medical professionalism. The post in the New York Times about physicians and Facebook prompted me to think about my own presence online.Dr. Ryan Greysen, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation clinical scholar at Yale School of Medicine, says he is concerned about the professionalism of “the new generation of ...
"She’s a really interesting patient!"The doctor visiting the lady in question at home is correct. Nothing about her illness either has been routine. The progression of her disease has confounded her regular doctors for months. Nothing about her condition is normal. Medications have not worked as expected. The original diagnosis -- Parkinson’s -- is in question. All my training and expertise is inadequate, for I am an ENT surgeon, not ...
An excerpt from The Inner Pulse: Unlocking the Secret Code of Sickness and Health.by Marc Siegel, MDThe Pulse of Recovery People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within. --Elisabeth Kübler-RossThe inner pulse can keep beating—loudly—long after doctors, researchers, and their monitors predict ...
by Mellanie True HillsI have heard from thousands of atrial fibrillation patients who have shared their afib experiences with me. For so many of us, the diagnosis and treatment of afib is confusing and scary.To improve communication between patients and their health-care providers, and ultimately, provide better care, I recently shared with doctors at the Western Atrial Fibrillation ...
After all the ridiculous fear-mongering about "death panels," Congress dropped a proposal to encourage end-of-life planning from the health reform legislation passed last March.But the administration had in fact quietly included reimbursing doctors for end-of-life counseling along with a host of new Medicare regulations. The provision, which authorizes payment for “voluntary advance care planning,”
Little more than a decade ago, most people had never heard of the word genomics; today it is used frequently. It is indeed a revolutionary science that is and will transform medical research and medical care. To better understand how this new science will markedly change medicine, it is convenient to consider it through a few categories:
We all like lists. US News & World Report has told us for years which colleges are considered the top in the nation. Castle Connolly tells us which are the “Top Doctors” in our community and Car & Driver gives us a ranking of cars by type.In The Order of Things, Malcolm Gladwell pokes serious holes in some of our most revered rankings and lists.If ...
Content drives conversations. Conversation engages your customers.Engaging with people is how your company will survive and thrive in this newly social world. In other words, online content is a powerful envoy for your business, with an ability to stir up interest, further engagement, and invite connections. Why hasn’t the healthcare industry focused more on better content that drives engagement and creates trust?Creating and sharing relevant, valuable information that attracts people ...
Primary care is a unique field of medicine.Primary care physicians (PCPs) are the gatekeepers to specialized care, provide preventative care, and most importantly, they have the ability to manage patients with multiple chronic conditions. Thus, primary care physicians are in prime position to become the point men in the I realized last week one of the hardest mindset transitions that I'm having to make as a medical student. It has to do with not really feeling like I belong, and the need to really make my patients ... well, MY patients!As a medical student, you can actually function reasonably well without ever having to actually see a patient.You can read ...Medical students are part of each patient’s health care team
On the night of October 4, 1984, a young girl named Libby Zion was admitted to New York Hospital in Manhattan for fever, agitation and strange jerking movements. No one knew that her death the next morning would, 27 years later, drastically change the quality of physician training, for better or worse.When Libby was evaluated in the emergency room that night, neither the ER physician nor her family physician Dr. ...
There are many aspects to being a doctor. Just as important are the many aspects that go into being a patient. Of course, the difference is that one has been perceived as being a position of power and the other one has not. I don’t believe this distinction is useful or true in today's world.Patients and doctors work ...
So now, in addition to the many other bits of medical meddling we have from CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services), there’s this.Reimbursements to hospitals, from Medicare, will be partly tied to patient satisfaction scores. We’ve seen payments already being tied to ‘quality indicators,’ as dictated by the federal government; rewards for doing a better job on care for heart attacks, pneumonia, etc.. At least that’s quantifiable, whether ...
According to a recent study from the Archives of Internal Medicine, primary care physicians are referring more patients to specialists than ever...
One of the reasons there is such a movement against vaccines is the democratization of information, perpetuated by search engines like Google....
In a widely circulated CNN article, many radiologists have been found to cheat on their board exams: "Doctors around the country taking an...
Are doctors really going broke? According to this piece from CNN Money, some are: "Doctors list shrinking insurance reimbursements, changing regulations, rising...
As physicians, we are often called upon to be advocates for our patients. Sometimes they have no other person to turn to....
Mike was a runner, outdoors-man, and fitness nut. This was not so much as for health reasons as for "feeling good", but...
William Osler famously said (among other things): “Listen to the patient. He is telling you the diagnosis.” I was doing my obstetrical...
The little boy, who looked to be about two, darted away in a fit of giggles. His young mother, who seemed thoroughly...
For health care professionals, patient engagement is the holy grail of health care. It is the key to patient adherence – a...
This is a response to Deb Discenza's article requesting a one page informational sheet informing a patient about hospice or palliative care. This would...
So, Megen at Not Nurse Ratched wrote post recently about therapeutic presence. The following passage really caught my attention: "Question is: are...
People often ask me how I became a hospice volunteer. For the record, nobody is more surprised than I am. You know...
A social media movement is happening before our eyes with action starting to take shape. The #occupyhealthcare movement has begun within to...
The triple aim of health care, as defined by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is: improving the experience of care, bettering...
The storyline is familiar. An organization is challenged to achieve better results without spending more money. An executive is committed to obtaining...
Why are cancer organizations waiting until it starts to rain before they suggest buying an umbrella? “Join my Medicare Advantage plan and...
Many clinical decisions in older persons are dependent on life expectancy. For example, as life expectancy declines, cancer screening is likely to...
“To Err Is Human” is the title of the now famous book from the Institute of Medicine on patient safety published about...
Professor Gunter Dueck, is a calm and eloquent german mathematician who’s also the CTO of IBM Germany. He studied mathematics and philosophy...
Robotics has the potential to revolutionize the delivery of healthcare. It can help extend the delivery of information, expertise and clinical care...
As a physician, technology cannot replace you, but it can make you more efficient and effective. This was the message from Richard...
Looking ahead to the next several months, I’ve found myself frequently wondering how many physicians will make this their year to take...
The physician’s decision to first dive into social media can be stress-inducing. Issues of time management, maintaining professionalism, and determining a return...
The impact of social media on medicine could arguably be compared to the impact of the industrial revolution on the human condition....
