Would patients benefit from experts who never meet them?
One recent morning, my grandma awoke with abdominal pain. She was taken to a good, local community hospital and diagnosed with acute ischemic bowel. There are various causes of ischemic bowel, but regardless of cause, getting the right care quickly determines whether such patients live or die.
After speaking with her physicians, I called some friends. A quick discussion with colleagues in radiology, surgery, and gastroenterology helped me know that the …