June 5th, 2010 by Edwin Leap, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: Busy Schedule, Family Medicine, Family Trip, General Medicine, Life-Inflicted, Life's Battle, Mental Health, On Leave, Personal Sabbath, Primary Care, Psychology, Reflect, Reload, Rest and Relaxation, Self-Care, Stress Management, Struggle, Take A Break, Travel, Vacation, Work-Life Balance, Workaholic, Working Overtime, Working Too Much
No Comments »
Here on this balcony, in Hilton Head, South Carolina, the wind is cool, the air typically thick with humidity, my wife reading a novel by my side. Inside the rental, our children are winding down after days of sun, sand and sea. Their bodies scrubbed pink by salt water and ocean breezes, their faces glowing with sun. My daughter’s lovely blonde hair is more blonde than usual.
I am on leave, in a sense. I am not, however, in the armed forces. Furthermore, I am not at a conference or working at all (except for a little writing, which is as much breath as work.) I am, in fact, celebrating my 20th wedding anniversary on a trip suggested and planned by my love.
I have accomplished little that the world would view as substantial this week. I have viewed it as a kind of sabbath. I have enjoyed my family, played on the beach, eaten far too much and delighted in every single, solitary minute…and Oreos.
“Sabbath,” “on leave,” “R&R” — however one describes it, we must remember to do it — we need it — because life is a kind of battle. Many well-educated, peaceful post-moderns think that’s far to bellicose a description, but the truth remains: Life is a struggle that rises to the description of battle with stark regularity. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at edwinleap.com*
June 4th, 2010 by DrWes in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Humor, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: Airline Industry, Customer Service In Healthcare, Extinction, Family Medicine, General Medicine, Human Assistants, Internal Medicine, Medical Appointment Check-In, Medical Office Staff, Medical Receptionists, Pathology, Patient Satisfaction, Patient Socialization, Patient-Centered Care, Primary Care, Prothromin Times, Regular Blood Draws, Routine Lab Tests
1 Comment »
Medical receptionists beware — your days are numbered.
This little gizmo was placed in one of our facility’s lobbies this week. (No, it’s not being used to get your boarding pass at the airport, but it’s amazing the parallels healthcare is taking with the airline industry.)
Instead, it’s used to check in patients presenting to have their blood drawn for prothromin times. Just swipe your credit card, confirm your appointment, sign your name, and away you go!
On seeing this, one doctor exclaimed: “But INR checks are my patients’ only chance to get out and socialize!”
Fortunately for now there are still human assistants there to help patients learn how to use the new device.
-WesMusings of a cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist.
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes*
June 4th, 2010 by Toni Brayer, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Health Tips, News, Opinion, Research, True Stories
Tags: Clinical Educators, Deadly Medication Mistakes, Family Practice, Hospital Admissions, Journal of General Internal Medicine, Medical Errors, Medical School Students, Medical Training, New Medical Interns, New Medical Residents, Patient Safety, Pharmacology, Primary Care, Protecting Patients, Teaching Hospitals, The July Effect, Young Doctors
No Comments »
From Dr. Toni Brayer at Everything Health:
We medical folks have always known that July is the worst time for a patient to be admitted to the hospital. It has nothing to do with nice summer weather or staff vacations. Although it cannot be proven, we think the answer to the mystery of July hospital errors is human — yes, it’s the new interns.
A new study published in the June issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine looked at all U.S. death certificates from 1979 to 2006. They found that in teaching hospitals, on average deadly medication mistakes surged by 10 percent each July. The good news is they did not find a surge in other medical errors, including surgery or in non-teaching hospitals. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at ACP Internist*
June 2nd, 2010 by KevinMD in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Research, True Stories
Tags: California, Cost Of Providing Primary Care, Family Medicine, General Medicine, Grossly Underestimated The Cost, Healthcare Economics, Internal Medicine, Medicare, No Insurance Accepted, Patients' Perception, Pay What It's Worth To You, Pay-What-You-Can Program, Primary Care Appointment, Primary Care Visit, uninsured, Value To Patients
1 Comment »
How much is a primary care appointment worth? Not much, it appears.
Physicians in California decided to embark on an innovative idea, asking patients to simply pay them what they thought the visit was worth. Here’s how it worked:
On the day of the events, no insurance was accepted. Care was provided only to the uninsured, who were asked to pay what they could afford. Laboratory tests were provided at cost, and patients who needed additional services were referred to various public resources. Practices also handed out lists of generic medications available for reduced prices at large, discount pharmacies.
Physicians who accept Medicare are not allowed to include Medicare beneficiaries in any pay-what-you-can program.
Although patients did value the visit, they grossly underestimated its cost. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at KevinMD.com*
June 2nd, 2010 by AlanDappenMD in Better Health Network, Opinion, Primary Care Wednesdays, True Stories
Tags: Christian Science, DocTalker Family Medicine, Dr. Alan Dappen, Failing Health, General Medicine, Internal Medicine, Medicine and Religion, My Brother's Keeper, Primary Care, Primary Care Wednesdays, Progressive Pneumonia, Refusing Medical Care, Severe Shortness of Breath, The Science of Medicine
4 Comments »
Today my brother Arthur helped someone stay alive a little bit longer. He wouldn’t be happy with how I used his story, but he’s dead enough to not hear it.
Art had an enormous IQ which helped him dance through school, standardized testing, and academic awards like a hot knife through butter. But life requires many skill sets, genius being just one. My brother’s biography in many ways mirrors that of the Unabomber’s — move for move — until one decisive moment when Jesus walked into Art’s life.
Forever and irrevocably from that moment forward, Art became God’s logic pugilist. Heretofore, all of his training in science and math was used to prove that the truth in the Bible could be found only in literal interpretation. Read more »
Here on this balcony, in Hilton Head, South Carolina, the wind is cool, the air typically thick with humidity, my wife reading a novel by my side. Inside the rental, our children are winding down after days of sun, sand and sea. Their bodies scrubbed pink by salt water and ocean breezes, their faces glowing with sun. My daughter’s lovely blonde hair is more blonde than usual.
