It was bound to happen.
By “it,” I mean that the small group of specialty hospitals (usually orthopedic or cardiology-focused) across that country that are owned by doctors were going to have their “See! We Told ‘ya so!” moment.
Doctor-owned hospitals. How many are there? Two hundred and thirty-eight of them in the whole country (out of more than five thousand)–somewhere between four and five percent of the total in the U.S. (numbers courtesy ...
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A loyal reader sent me a doctor-written column with the provocative headline, “My Patient, Killed by The New York Times.”
First, keep in mind that the website that posted this, Mediaite, is all about the media covering (really fawning and dishing) itself. The purpose of this story, with its provocative headline, sad outcome, and mea culpa tone, is to generate “buzz.”
Then understand that this is a story of one patient who made ...
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She was 94-years old with advanced Alzheimer's. She thought it was 1954 and asked if I wanted tea. Not a bad memory for someone in a hospital bed with a broken left hip.
She'd fallen at her assisted living facility. It was the second time in as many months. She'd broken her collarbone on the previous occasion.
Over the past year, she'd lost 30 pounds. This is natural in the progression of ...
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I’ve always had nagging doubts about filling out death certificates. An excellent article in American Medical News explores the “inexactitude” of the custom. Doctors are never taught how to fill out the documents. The article quotes Randy Hanzlick, MD, chief medical examiner for Fulton County, GA:
Training is a big problem. There are very few medical schools that teach it,” he said. “For many physicians, the first time they see it ...
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By now you’ve probably heard of the concept of “concierge medicine.”
To me, it’s an idea that’s Win-Win-Lose:
Win: Doctors. Those in concierge practices have chosen to forgo the traditional business model in favor of charging annual fees that range from $1500 to $15,000 per patient. How much you pay depends on the market, exclusivity factors, and amenities, like comprehensive annual physicals with add-ons like a dermatology appraisal and nutrition consultation. Concierge ...
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Does your doctor use a computer instead of a paper chart?
Chances are that she does. The rate of adoption of electronic medical records (EMRs) over the last three years has been very steep.
The main driver of this is a government subsidy from a part of the 2009 Stimulus Act (called the HITECH Act) that incentivizes doctors and hospitals to make the conversion to electronic record-keeping.
The push has been ...
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A patient I'll call Mildred came to her appointment and handed me a report from a medical screening fair at her church. She wanted to know what to do about it. The print-out said that she had a "mild" blockage in her carotid artery. They told her to discuss it with her primary care doctor (me).
You may have seen the advertisements in your local paper, or even on your local ...
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Health care reform is a locomotive barreling down America's tracks. In two years, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will cover some 30 out of 50 million of us that currently lack health insurance. Political beliefs aside, it would seem that supplying insurance to protect the health of more people is a societal good. Though the costs of reform will be debated for years to come, one major question remains that ...
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The use of computers in everyday medical practice has finally reached the tipping point.
The HITECH Act, part of the 2009 federal stimulus bill, has been the final kick in the pants that U.S. health care has long needed to make the conversion to digital. The act states that, by employing electronic health records (EHRs) in a fashion known as meaningful use, doctors are individually eligible for ...
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Health care reform is a locomotive barreling down America's tracks. In two years, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will cover some 30 out of 50 million of us that currently lack health insurance, provided neither the Supreme Court nor a new president overturns the law. Political beliefs aside, it would seem that supplying insurance to protect the health of more people is a societal good. Though the costs of reform ...
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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
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