December 24th, 2010 by Bryan Vartabedian, M.D. in Better Health Network, Opinion
Tags: 33 Charts, Advice For Parents, Better Healthcare, Better Medical Care, ChronicBabe, Clinical Habits, Clinical Resolutions, Digital Content For Parents, Doctor-to-Doctor Communication, Doctors, Doximity, Dr. Bryan Vartabedian, Endoscopy Biopsy Results, General Medicine, Jenni Prokopy, Medical Charting, New Years Resolutions, Pediatrics, Physician Referrals, Referring Doctors, Social Health Media, Texas Children's Hospital
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Jenni Prokopy (aka Chronicbabe) put us to the challenge for this week’s Grand Rounds by asking for our 2011 clinical resolutions. I have to admit that I’m not one for resolutions because I can never take them seriously. But admittedly there are things that I need to tighten up. So here goes:
1. Clear my chart rack every afternoon. This is key because my creative mind operates better when my charts are done. Of course this means no more tweeting “47 charts” or “33 charts” when I’m behind. Had I made this resolution for 2009, this blog wouldn’t have a name.
2. Cultivate innovative communication channels with my referring docs. While I need to be consistent and compulsive with my referral letters, I want to improve mobile, real-time communications between me and my referring docs. For example I’d like to get my local community on Doximity so that I can launch a quick, HIPAA compliant, encrypted SMS messages on my iPhone the second I see a patient. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at 33 Charts*
December 24th, 2010 by BobDoherty in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Humor, Opinion
Tags: ACP Advocate, American College Of Physicians, Bob Doherty, General Medicine, Healthcare Economics, Healthcare Policy, Healthcare Politics, Healthcare reform, Holiday Season, Twelve Days of Health Reform
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Today’s blog will be my last for 2010, as I will be taking a break to spend the Christmas and New Year’s holidays with family and friends.
In keeping with a tradition I started two years ago, I again have taken the liberty of mangling a beloved holiday song, story, or rhyme to give a humorous (I hope!) perspective on current politics. In December, 2008, I adapted “Twas the Night Before Christmas” to convey President-elect Obama as being a not-so-jolly old elf besieged by lobbyists demanding stimulus gifts. Last year, I depicted the GOP as the Grinch trying to stop “ObamaCare” from coming.
Today, I’ve re-written the “Twelve Days of Christmas” carol so that it is the government bestowing “gifts” (based on actual provisions of the Affordable Care Act) that the new Congress may later take away. (Of course, in the real world, the ACA’s changes won’t take place over 12 days, but over many years.) Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The ACP Advocate Blog by Bob Doherty*
December 23rd, 2010 by Felasfa Wodajo, M.D. in Better Health Network, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: Accelerator Apps Network, Dr. Felasfa Wodajo, EHRs, Electronic Health Records, Health 2.0, Health IT, Healthcare IT, iMedicalApps, Medical Apps
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At this past October’s Health 2.0 meeting in San Francisco, many great new ideas about the future of healthcare were presented with a special emphasis on technology. For a great overview check out the keynotes by Jeff Goldsmith & Tim O’Reilly. The conference, organized by Matthew Holt & Indu Subaiya started in 2007 and bills itself as the “the leading showcase of cutting-edge technologies in healthcare.” Those not lucky enough to attend the conferences can follow along on the Health 2.0 blog.
Besides exploring the overarching themes of the future of healthcare in general and health IT in particular, many innovative companies, young and old, gave on-stage demos at the conference. One demonstration in particular stood out for me. This was the demo by the Accelerator Apps Network which showed the future of interconnected companies and applications seamlessly exchanging patient information. The Health 2.0 Accelerator Apps Network is a non-profit industry consortium launched by the Health 2.0 company. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at iMedicalApps*
December 23rd, 2010 by BenKavoussi in Opinion, Quackery Exposed
Tags: Acupuncture, Al-Hijamah, Ben Kavoussi, California Department of Consumer Affairs, CAM, Chinese Bloodletting, Chinese Medicine, Complementary And Alternative Medicine, DCA, In Need of Real Medical Attention, Medical Quackery, Medieval Treatments, Misdiagnosis, Pseudomedicine, Public Health, Public Safety, Real Medical Attention, Real Medical Conditions, Science and Medicine, Science Based Medicine, Three-Edged Needle, Undiagnosis
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In November 2010, the California Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) finally decided to act responsibly and forbid the prevalent practice of Chinese bloodletting by licensed acupuncturists. The practice became a concern for the DCA when allegations of unsanitary bloodletting at a California (CA) acupuncture school surfaced.
The incident allegedly occurred during a “doctoral” course for licensed practitioners. The instructor was reportedly demonstrating advanced needling and bloodletting techniques. During the process, he took an arrow-like lancing instrument that is called a “three-edged needle” (三棱针), sharpened it with sandpaper, cleaned it with alcohol, and then asked a student-volunteer to roll a towel around his neck. The instructor then cleaned the student’s temporal region with alcohol, and punctured a superficial blood vessel with the arrow-like instrument. The student then held his head over the garbage can, gushing blood for awhile. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Science-Based Medicine*
December 22nd, 2010 by Lucy Hornstein, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: AAFP, American Academy of Family Physicians, Being Happy, Creating Happiness, Dr. Lucy Hornstein, Emotional Well-Being, Family Medicine, General Medicine, Happiness In Life, Happy People, Mental Health, Musings of a Dinosaur, Personal Freedom, Secret To True Happiness, The H Card, To Be Happy
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The most moving speaker at the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) convention I went to in Denver a few months ago was a doctor with Stage 4 cancer who had survived well past all expectations for his disease. While talking about achieving happiness through balance in life, he pulled out of his wallet a card made for him by his daughter, a preschool teacher.
“This is the C card,” he told us. “It says: ‘I have cancer. I can do whatever I want.’”
What a great idea, I thought. As much as it resonated with me, though, I couldn’t help but feel there was more to it than that.
Recently I was comforting a dear friend who had lost her mother. Remembering this handout from the AAFP, I held her close and said: “You’re a mourner now. You can do whatever you want.” I might as well said: “You have the M card.”
There’s this crotchety old guy in his eighties whom I’ve known for years. He does whatever he wants. I don’t think he actually carries a card in his wallet that says: “This is the O card. I am old. I can do whatever I want,” but he might as well. He is indeed old, and so he is entitled. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Musings of a Dinosaur*
