Jeff Brown, MD

Jeff Brown is a family physician.

February 3, 2010Feb 3, 2010

Originally published in HCPLive.com by Jeff Brown, MD A quick look at a newspaper will tell any doc just how important physician leadership has become, and increasingly so, in having a say in our economic futures. But our titular leaders…

Originally published in HCPLive.com

by Jeff Brown, MD

A quick look at a newspaper will tell any doc just how important physician leadership has become, and increasingly so, in having a say in our economic futures. But our titular leaders are in a historically weak system complicated by being only one group of voices struggling to be heard in the rush to deal with national health care reform. There are many docs …

Physicians

Teaching doctors the art of negotiation

Jeff Brown, MD

January 22, 2010Jan 22, 2010

Originally posted in HCPLive.com by Jeff Brown, MD When I am in a civilian situation and someone asks me what I do, if I am feeling whimsical, I sometimes answer "I'm in sales." Think about it - almost all of…

Originally posted in HCPLive.com

by Jeff Brown, MD

When I am in a civilian situation and someone asks me what I do, if I am feeling whimsical, I sometimes answer “I’m in sales.”

Think about it – almost all of our professional interchanges can be seen as: 1) trying to talk someone out of doing something, like smoking, or 2) trying to talk someone into something, like exercising. Using a broader brush, you …

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Teaching doctors the art of negotiation

Physicians

Doctors owe their patients some fiduciary responsibility

Jeff Brown, MD

January 7, 2010Jan 7, 2010

Originally published in HCPLive.com by Jeff Brown, MD Fiduciary responsibility is the obligation for people entrusted with financial affairs to act in their client's best interest, theoretically being both transparent in their dealings and accountable for them. Typically, this applies…

Originally published in HCPLive.com

by Jeff Brown, MD

Fiduciary responsibility is the obligation for people entrusted with financial affairs to act in their client’s best interest, theoretically being both transparent in their dealings and accountable for them. Typically, this applies to CPAs, lawyers, financial advisers and the like. Would that it were also true for our legislators, but that’s a story for another day. To the point, physicians do not usually think …

Physicians

How doctors can afford to have a vacation

Jeff Brown, MD

December 22, 2009Dec 22, 2009

Originally published in HCPLive.com by Jeff Brown, MD Now this is a fun topic. I've always liked writing, "For a vacation" on a script pad for those stressed out patients who need to go on one. Even a weekend away,…

Originally published in HCPLive.com

by Jeff Brown, MD

Now this is a fun topic. I’ve always liked writing, “For a vacation” on a script pad for those stressed out patients who need to go on one. Even a weekend away, or in this economy, a “staycation.” It’s good for the soul. And it’s a good use of medical authority to help your patients.

…

Physicians

Why it’s important to brand your medical practice

Jeff Brown, MD

December 7, 2009Dec 7, 2009

Originally published in HCPLive.com by Jeff Brown, MD You might be thinking, "Why should I consider branding or marketing?” And your reasoning might go something like this: 1. As a doctor, I already have a powerful, built-in identity; 2. My…

Originally published in HCPLive.com

by Jeff Brown, MD

You might be thinking, “Why should I consider branding or marketing?” And your reasoning might go something like this:

1. As a doctor, I already have a powerful, built-in identity;
2. My practice is full;
3. Even if my practice isn’t full, Congress is in the process of putting 40 million more insured people into the available patient pool over the next few years.

…

Policy

How the health care system is corrupting doctors

Jeff Brown, MD

November 7, 2009Nov 7, 2009

Originally published in HCPLive.com by Jeff Brown, MD I had the same reaction . . . shock at seeing an almost obscene claim about our profession in a national newspaper. But it got me thinking, which no doubt was its…

Originally published in HCPLive.com

by Jeff Brown, MD

I had the same reaction . . . shock at seeing an almost obscene claim about our profession in a national newspaper. But it got me thinking, which no doubt was its intended purpose. While we are thinking and feeling our way through this wide-ranging debate on health care, we might as well examine …

Physicians

An obsession with making money can be a sign of physician burnout

Jeff Brown, MD

October 29, 2009Oct 29, 2009

Originally published in HCPLive.com by Jeff Brown, MD Physician burnout has a tremendous effect on the financial bottom line and is far more common than docs want to talk about. When I say the bottom line, I am referencing studies…

Originally published in HCPLive.com

by Jeff Brown, MD

Physician burnout has a tremendous effect on the financial bottom line and is far more common than docs want to talk about.

When I say the bottom line, I am referencing studies that have been done on “workaholics,” another softly defined term, that show in spite of increased hours and apparently focused activity, productivity in …

Physicians

The high cost of hiring, and firing, a doctor

Jeff Brown, MD

October 26, 2009Oct 26, 2009

Originally published in HCPLive.com by Jeff Brown, MD One area we need to look at is the surprisingly high costs of hiring and firing people who work with us. And as always, I rebuke our training programs for their ostrich-like…

Originally published in HCPLive.com

by Jeff Brown, MD

One area we need to look at is the surprisingly high costs of hiring and firing people who work with us. And as always, I rebuke our training programs for their ostrich-like attitudes, ignoring how important managerial and organizational competence is to the quality of medicine that we practice.

We know that recruiting a …