I peeked. Several months ago, I met a 60-year-old woman with shortness of breath. Her hospital stay was a whirlwind. She had lost weight, and a test detected her stool had blood in it. This was an ominous sign. Within a few hours, she underwent a colonoscopy that revealed she had colon cancer. The colorectal surgery team whisked her away from my general medicine team. I soon left that hospital for …
When doctors stalk their patients
Years ago as a first-year medical student, I wrote a piece titled “Be an Innovator in Medical School.” The content was meant to be a starter guide for medical students interested in creating change at their institution or community. Now, at the tail end of medical school, I reflect on lessons I have learned along the way.
1. Do what moves …
7 things this med student learned about being an innovator
Every year 300 to 400 physicians commit suicide. More than 10 percent of doctors are thought to have depression, a frequent precursor to suicide. Rates of depression and suicide
Does medical student debt lead to suicide?
Disruptive technology is a term used to describe new technology that disrupts the status quo. These technologies displace existing technology—dramatically changing the production, delivery, or use of a product or service. For example, 3D printing is an innovative method of producing three dimensional objects using digital prototypes and will change manufacturing as we know it. Although the term is traditionally used in a positive light, this technology, as its name …
Disruptive technology in medicine has the ability to heal or harm
There has never been a more hectic time to be in the business of healthcare. Healthcare reform has brought many players to the table. And the “game” is bound to have winners and losers. This game is analogous to the board game Monopoly — a number of health care companies are buying up property (i.e., hospital and smaller providers) to position themselves as winners in the new shared savings payment …
The gamble of the ACO monopoly game
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (aka STEM) represent the fields in which the U.S. continues slip in their ranking worldwide. These fields are crucial for the U.S. to remain competitive in an increasingly global market. Workers in these fields spur innovation, have very stable job security. Students in these fields earn more money than non-STEM graduates. Indeed, improved STEM education is a priority of the Obama administration.
Despite the benefits of pursuing study in these areas, …
The lack of underrepresented minorities in STEM
The practice of medicine is changing structurally, technology, and financially at an unprecedented rate. Scientific advances in genomics, electronic medical records, an increased focus on quality improvement, and changes in the health insurance structure are a few of the areas in which the landscape of medicine is changing. However, in many of these processes physicians seem to be bystanders. Medicine requires innovative physicians to be part of this change. At …
Be an innovator in medical school
Primary care is a unique field of medicine.
Primary care physicians (PCPs) are the gatekeepers to specialized care, provide preventative care, and most importantly, they have the ability to manage patients with multiple chronic conditions. Thus, primary care physicians are in prime position to become the point men in the Read more…
The future of primary care in an ACO model
There is a lot of buzz over the creation of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).
An ACO is a network of health care providers and hospitals that collaboratively manage patient care and prospective budgets. Perhaps the biggest draw of ACOs is the potential to create innovative ways to improve quality and decrease costs. To …
Accountable Care Organizations and the need to innovate
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