“Why shouldn’t I order that mammogram?” The physician on the case wanted to catch the patient up on some health maintenance. She had failed to get the mammogram recommended, was in the hospital for an unrelated issue, and was here anyway. The medical director tried to talk him out of it. In a DRG paid…
Read more
How Do I Find a ‘Good Hospital?’
My parents are at an age where hospitals become a part of their life. The travails of being in your 80s include the occasional surgery, hospitalization, and encounter with health care – both in-patient and out-patient. Seeing them “inside” you can get a feel for a hospital from its staff and the way things seem…
Read more
I Can’t Take It Anymore
The issue of physician burnout and the toll it takes on productivity, loss of skilled physicians from the profession, and worst of all, suicide, is not new. But it is getting worse. Have any of you felt it? I have. And I distinctly remember the last time I saw a colleague who days later would…
Read more
Why Aren’t You Listening to Me?
The CDC recently published an infographic showing facts about patient education There are some provocative statements: “50 percent of patients walk out of the physician’s office not knowing what they were told or are supposed to do.” “Physicians often over estimate the topics and duration of what they have talked about with their patients.” “Telling…
Read more