Dr. Barth Green co-founded Project Medishare, which has worked in Haiti for two decades. He led the first team of U.S. physicians to Port-au-Prince after the earthquake and, together with the University of Miami’s Global Institute, spearheaded the development of a 240-bed tent hospital that is now the country’s largest functioning urgent care hospital. His group is working with the U.S. government to establish Haiti’s first rehabilitation hospital. Green ...
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I am very blessed. The hospital where I practice, while concerned with patient satisfaction, does not worship at its altar.
That is, so far our administrators seem to understand that people will occasionally be angry or unsatisfied, and that such dissatisfaction is within the realm of real life. We still have people storm out of the emergency department, prattling on about lawyers and lawsuits, promising to go to another hospital in ...
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Are hospitals victims of hospitalists' success?
Interesting observation from cardiologist Dr. Wes, writing in Better Health. He notes that hospitalist services are so busy that they are limited in the number of patients they see. That's similar to the caps many medicine programs have on their residents.
Who, then, takes care of the patient?
It won't be the primary care doctor, who has divorced himself from inpatient care (besides, as ...
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I just finished rotating at a community hospital where one of the most interesting things I’ve enjoyed is stopping by the Doctor’s Lounge. I can always count on a getting coffee there and hearing some good conversation – doctors asking for input on interesting cases, laughing, sharing stories, both personal and professional, and catching up on each other’s busy lives. In fact, I ran into an old friend of mine ...
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A recent editorial in the Boston Globe addressed the dearth of primary care physicians. The piece concluded: “Federal funding for new residency slots should follow reforms that address the underlying reasons - principally money - that lead doctors to choose to specialize.”
Money is certainly important. But there is another obstacle to attracting primary care doctors that is more subtle, though perhaps equally important. Consider the following story.
Recently I had ...
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Every now and then, I read and enjoy a book, but only later fully appreciate it as its lessons and insights slowly become apparent. Judging by the number of times I’ve said, “That reminds me of Gawande’s observations about ___” over the past month, The Checklist Manifesto is one such book.
In this short, deceptively simple volume, Atul (who I count as both friend and inspiration) discusses the history ...
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Originally published in MedPage Today
by John Gever, MedPage Today Senior Editor
Tube-feeding patients with advanced dementia -- a practice whose effectiveness has been questioned by two widely cited literature reviews -- is most common in larger hospitals and those run for profit, researchers said.
The odds of a feeding-tube insertion in a hospitalized patient with advanced dementia were about 50% greater ...
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The ER is the portal of entry to our hospitals now, for better and for worse.
On the plus side, this means that most patients being admitted to general medical and surgical services have a workup at least started and are triaged appropriately to their destination.
A good ER evaluation should answer the following questions:
1. What’s the nature of the illness?
Are we dealing with the heart, the brain, or an abdominal organ? ...
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The organizations that rate hospitals and doctors have proliferated as the internet has become mainstream over the past 5 years. I'm sure you have seen some of these: U.S. World & News Report, Consumer Reports Health, Health Grades, Leapfrog, Hospital Compare, Americas Best Doctors and 100 Best Hospitals.
My local magazine lists the "top doctors" along with full page paid ads and promos that are very compelling. The questions is, do ...
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Originally published in MedPage Today
by John Gever, MedPage Today Senior Editor
Four out of five surgeons agree: Laparoscopic procedures cause substantial discomfort and pain for the surgeons who perform them.
More than 80% of surgeons completing an online questionnaire reported pain or stiffness in the hands, neck, back, or legs after performing minimally invasive surgeries, according to Adrian Park, MD, of the ...
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"A comprehensive and extremely useful roadmap for doctors."
-Eric Topol, MD, author of The Creative Destruction of Medicine
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Past 6 Months
Dear lawmakers: This is what it’s like to be a doctor today
Matthew Moeller, MD | PhysicianA gun owner responds to Sandy Hook
Edwin Leap, MD | PhysicianIs Chris Christie too obese to run for president?
Jeffrey Parks, MD | PhysicianPrimary care doctors may no longer be needed
Doug Olson, MD | PhysicianWalgreens moves into primary care, and it’s our own damn fault
Kevin Pho, MD | Kevin's TakeIndependent nurse practitioners are not the primary care solution
Reid Blackwelder, MD | Physician