“He made me wait way too long, and then I felt rushed.” I discovered this negative review, now several years old, when I recently Googled myself. No glowing comments about the time I paid a late-night visit to an inpatient who had taken a turn for the worse. Nothing about the patient I asked to…
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The Unintended Consequences of Today’s Health Delivery Model
Efforts in the name of efficiency and cost reduction have unintended consequences. When I was in practice, I admitted, or at least followed, all my patients in the hospital. There were no issues of aftercare, because I discharged them with appointments to see me within a day or two (rarely more). I knew what medications…
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Health Information Exchange-a 21st Century Upgrade Opinion
Not long ago, I injured my knee and discovered something else in the process: a severe sprain in the medical information system. Here’s the story: The emergency room took X-rays and an MRI and referred me to an orthopedist. He reviewed the tests and sent me to a specialist. But my specialist—an expert in his field—suddenly…
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Why the fuss over observation status? A typical conundrum
This post was originally published on 8/14/2013 This is an example of why observation status has caused such headaches for physicians and patients. You’re a hospitalist at Joe Smith County Health System. At 5 p.m. Monday, you hear this from an ER doc: “Hi, this is Gus in the ER. I’ve got a patient for…
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