Robert Pearl is a plastic surgeon and author of ChatGPT, MD: How AI-Empowered Patients & Doctors Can Take Back Control of American Medicine and Uncaring: How the Culture of Medicine Kills Doctors and Patients. He can be reached on Twitter @RobertPearlMD.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), sometimes called “Obamacare,” dominated health care media coverage this year. And rightly so. It is the most significant change in American medicine in more than half a century. But the legislation is just one aspect of a complex and highly fragmented system. It is also just the beginning (not the end) of the process to fix U.S. health …
A woman comes to the doctor with depression, fatigue and insomnia. A co-worker stays late in the office even when there is not much to do. A sales associate appears tired and distracted.
For each of these individuals, domestic violence — physical, sexual, verbal, emotional or psychological abuse against an intimate partner — could be the underlying cause of distress. Historically, domestic violence has been viewed as a criminal issue — …
What first comes to mind when you hear the word “hospital”?
Your reaction may depend on your past experiences. You may feel gratitude for the birth of a child or the treatment of acute appendicitis. You may feel sorrow, remembering a loved one who passed away on a hospital bed.
Regardless of our experiences, many of us assume the closer our hospital is to where we live, the safer and better off …
In every strength lies a weakness and in every weakness a strength. This maxim has held true throughout history — from biblical days to the battles of modern times.
And it holds just as true in the information technology (IT) “arms race” that’s playing out in American health care today.
In Malcolm Gladwell’s newest work David and Goliath, he suggests that when we fail to …
If you knew you were going to be admitted to the hospital for a serious and unexpected medical problem, which day of the week would you pick?
It sounds like a silly question. You don’t get to pick the day you will become sick, of course. It’s unexpected. And why should it make a difference? Isn’t a hospital with a 24 hour nursing staff and on call physicians the safest place …
Imagine two men in their early 60s. A year from now, both men will be dead.
Changing how doctors, patients and the media perceive prevention could save lives and billions of health care dollars.
Today, each is scheduled for an initial consultation with an orthopedic surgeon and will undergo hip replacement surgery. Patient A will die on the operating table from a surgical complication. Patient B will undergo the procedure without incident. …
In his beautifully written, recently published novel “And the Mountains Echoed,” Khaled Hosseini presents a series of stories in which individuals are faced with near-impossible choices.
Impossible choices permeate Khaled Hosseni’s latest novel. Studies show many doctors struggle to help their patients through their most difficult choices.
As difficult as the decisions in the book seem, it turns out the …
When the next phase of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) kicks into gear January 1, 2014, each state will be required to offer its residents access to health care insurance through an online marketplace, often referred to as a “health insurance exchange.” These exchanges are now open for business on Oct. 1, 2013, allowing individuals to sign up online, by phone or in-person, with health insurance coverage starting next year.
Until now, buying health …
A Bank of America ATM can figure out who you are and how much money is in your account in seconds. It can spit out cash in virtually any currency from nearly any spot in the world — even if you’re a Chase customer. It’s a technological convenience we’ve all come to expect.
Hospitals and doctors’ offices are starting to replace hard copy patient records with computerized heath systems. Some U.S. …
The notion that doctors can be replaced by technology has sparked a series of brawls between doctors and technologists over the last couple of years. Today, both sides continue to throw punches in the press and online.
As health care technologies become more sophisticated, the opportunity to automate medical decisions becomes more seductive. Yet, physicians are unwilling to throw in the towel. They point to the importance of human interaction and …
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