June 29th, 2010 by Steven Roy Daviss, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips, Opinion
Tags: Chatting With Neighbors, Chocolate, Coffee, Conversation, Definition, Description, Discussion, Education, Emotional Health, Emotional Well-Being, Healthy Relationships, Medications, Mental Health, Mental Illness, No Right Answer, Psychiatry, Psychology, Psychotherapy, Social Health, Talking To Others, Therapist, Therapy Sessions
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Years ago I had a student who repeatedly asked me how psychotherapy works. “How is it different than a conversation?”
When I think of psychotherapy, I think in terms of the talking itself as being the aspect that helps — and yes, of course it can be used in conjunction with medications. I think of it as being structured — in terms of time and place and frequency — and being all about the patient. And whether or not it’s actually discussed, some of what works is about the relationship — most people don’t get better talking to someone they despise, and the warmth, empathy, feeling listened to and cared for, well, they’re all important. And I also think of it as being a process over time. These are all parts of my definition, however, and they may not be parts of yours. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Shrink Rap*
June 29th, 2010 by DrWes in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: 3-For-1 Doctor Swap, Augusta Health, Cardiologists, Cardiology, Community-Based Program, Complicated Surgical Cases, Doctors Under Contract, Exporting Clinical Expertise, Finding A Doctor, Fishersville, Health System Consolidation, Imbedded Specialists, Loss Of Hospital Privileges, Physician-Employees, University Health System, University Hospitals, University of Virginia, University Specialists
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As doctors increasingly become physician-employees, there’s no longer a need to share resources with university specialists:
Three University of Virginia cardiologists have been told by the Augusta Health board they will lose their hospital privileges next week, impacting the 2,500 patients the doctors serve.
Augusta Health officials [Crow] told the doctors in a letter that they won’t be able to treat their patients in emergencies or otherwise at the hospital in Fishersville. Crow’s statement said the board is limiting cardiology department participation to doctors “under contract to Augusta Health.”
Augusta Health has four cardiologists on staff, and will soon have a fifth, he said. Limiting cardiology participation to the hospital’s own doctors will allow Augusta Health “to build a strong and financially viable community-based cardiology program,” Crow said.
Universities have a long history of exporting their clinical expertise in the hopes of capturing more complicated surgical cases from their imbedded specialists. With more and more health systems consolidating (note the 3-for-1 swap above), the days of collaboration and shared resources between health systems are ending and patients are finding access to doctors more challenging.
-WesMusings of a cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist.
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes*
June 29th, 2010 by JessicaBerthold in Better Health Network, Humor, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: Aleksandra Lachut, Attending Physicians, Bonified Doctors, Clinician-Educator, Doctor-Doctor Relationship, General Medicine, Kimberly Manning, Life At Grady, Life Happens, Long Term Relationships, Medical Colleagues, Medical Education, Medical Interns, Medical Residents, Medical School, Medical Students, Nature Of Time, Physician Transition, Professional Contact, Reason-Season-Lifetime, Reflections Of A Grady Doctor, Relationships Fostered In Medicine, Remembering Others, Staying Connected, Teaching Hospitals, Uncertified, Untrained
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A version of the following post by Kimberly Manning appeared on the blog Reflections of a Grady Doctor:
May and June mark the end of our academic year in medical education. The medical students either advance to the next level or become sho’ nuff and bonified doctors — albeit uncertified and untrained — but doctors nonetheless. The interns exit the novice stage and become residents — one week asking someone senior what to do, the next telling someone junior what to do. And of course, the senior residents and fellows finally get the stamp of approval that officially releases them from the nest. It’s kind of bittersweet for folks like me — the surrogate mommies and daddies that helped guide them along this path to becoming full-fledged physicians. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at ACP Hospitalist*
June 28th, 2010 by Emergiblog in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: American Nurses Association, ANA, Chief Nurse Officer, Definition Of Nursing, Knowledge Base for Nursing Practice, Non-Endorsement, Nursing Organization, Office Of The National Nurse, Reluctance To Endorse, Social Policy Statement, The National Nurse Act, U.S. Public Health Service
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To the American Nurses Association,
I am a member of the American Nurses Association (ANA) and a dedicated supporter of HR 4601 The National Nurse Act. For the life of me, I cannot understand ANA’s reluctance to endorse the National Nurse Act. The infrastructure already exists, in fact the position already exists. The Act seeks to have the Chief Nursing Officer of the U.S. Public Health Service designated as the National Nurse.
There is nothing political about this –- the nominating procedure for the position does not change. It is not a presidential appointment, nor is it a Cabinet position. And it costs nothing to implement -– it’s already funded. It takes no resources away from other nursing initiatives and competes with no other nursing organization. But more importantly, it gives the public a visible nurse leader as our healthcare delivery system transitions to one that focuses on health and the prevention of disease.
And yet, the ANA doesn’t endorse the Chief Nurse Officer of the U.S. Public Health Service being known as the National Nurse. Why? Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Emergiblog*
June 28th, 2010 by BobDoherty in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion
Tags: Accountability, ACP, American College Of Physicians, Bob Doherty, Family Medicine, General Medicine, Healthcare Policy, Healthcare Politics, Healthcare reform, Internal Medicine, J. Fred Ralston FACP, Kicking The Can, Lame-Duck Congress, Medicare SGR Cut, Medicare SGR Debacle, PCP&S, Physician Payment Cut, Primary Care Physicians, Procrastination, SGR 6-Month Extension, U.S. Congress, U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, U.S. Senators
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After months of dithering, delaying, denying, and defaulting on a decision, Congress ended up…doing as little as possible to address the Medicare physician pay cut problem.
Thursday night the House of Representatives acceded to the Senate’s bill to provide physicians with a 2.2 percent update retroactive to June 1. This respite, though, lasts only through the end of November, when physicians and patients will again face another double-digit cut. And if the past is prologue, a lame-duck Congress then will wait until the very last minute to enact another short-term patch, or worse yet, allow the cut to go into effect on December 1 and then pass some kind of retroactive adjustment.
You know that the situation has gotten ridiculously bad when the President says this about the bill he just signed into law:
“Kicking these cuts down the road just isn’t an adequate solution.”
And when Speaker Pelosi (D-CA) calls it “inadequate” and a “great disappointment” and the best that any had to say about it was this from SFC ranking member Charles Grassley (R-IA):
“This action was critically needed so there’s no disruption in services for anyone.”
But it’s too late. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The ACP Advocate Blog by Bob Doherty*
