Yearly Archives: 2014

How Do You Judge a ‘Good’ Hospital?

“Dad, what hospitals are good?” Working for the Pennsylvania Medical Society, traveling to many hospitals, and speaking to physicians across the state, I was flummoxed when my son, a surgeon to be, asked me that question. There are so many ways to measure good. My readers know that one of my favorite phrases is “the…
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Beware of the Phrase: ‘Just Sign Here Doctor’

“A verbal contract isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.” Samuel Goldwyn It’s time to renew a prior blog, because it’s that time of year, and, this time, I’ve also created a short webinar with tips and tricks especially for your first contract after residency. We live and work in a world in which we…
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Why Technology Makes Me a Smarter Physician

I have always had ectopic brains. Those are the external resources we use to reference stuff that physicians need to know. As a resident, it was pockets full of manuals – the Washington Manual, Handbook of Pediatrics, etc. Frankly, I always had trouble remembering a lot of the micro-minutiae that come with practicing medicine. My…
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‘You Make So Much Money’ … Or Do You?

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released Medicare physician payment data. As the pundits, the press, and analysts pore through the data, it reminds me of the need for context and, yes, the devilish details. I once had an attorney tell me I obviously made too much money. Of course, this was…
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