Val Jones, MD

What is the source of deteriorating patient care?

Val Jones, MD

Tech

June 6, 2014

For the past couple of years I’ve been working as a traveling physician in 13 states across the U.S. I chose to adopt the locum tenens lifestyle because I enjoy the challenge of working with diverse teams of peers and patient populations. I believe that this kind of work makes me a better doctor, as I am exposed to the widest possible array of technology, specialist experience, and diagnostic (and logistical) conundrums. …

Can locum tenens work solve physician burnout?

Val Jones, MD

Physician

May 13, 2014

It’s no secret that most physicians are unhappy with the way things are going in healthcare. Surveys report high levels of job dissatisfaction, burnout and even suicide. In fact, some believe that up to a third of the US physician work force is planning to leave the profession in the next 3 years — an alarming statistic.

Direct primary care practices are touted as the best …

Why an elite academic medical center may not provide the best care

Val Jones, MD

Physician

May 7, 2014

A well-to-do patient recently boasted to me about an expensive insurance plan that he had purchased to “guarantee” that he had access to the best health care in the United States. Coverage included access to elite academic centers (all the usual suspects) and a private jet service for emergencies. He was utterly confident that his investment was worth the price, but I withheld my own misgivings.

Hospital quality data suggest that …

How to fix the problem of patient handoffs

Val Jones, MD

Physician

April 22, 2014

One of my biggest pet peeves is taking over the care of a floor full of complicated patients without any explanation of their current conditions or plan of care from the physician who most recently treated them. Absent or inadequate verbal and written “handoffs” of patient care are alarmingly common in my experience. I work primarily as a locum tenens physician, traveling across the country to “cover” for my peers on vacation …

Explain the reasoning behind new prescriptions

Val Jones, MD

Meds

April 8, 2014

A Canadian study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine suggests that about one third of new prescriptions (written by primary care physicians) are never filled. Over 15,000 patients were followed from 2006 to 2009. Prescription and patient characteristics were analyzed, though patients were not directly interviewed about their rationale for not filling their prescriptions.

In short, patients were less likely to fill a prescription if the treatment was expensive, but certain …

A 10-step process to finding a good doctor

Val Jones, MD

Physician

March 25, 2014

Most people, including physicians, rely on personal references to find a good doctor. But what do you do when you’re far from home, or you don’t know anyone with firsthand knowledge of local doctors? My parents recently asked me to recommend a physician for them in a state where I knew none of my colleagues personally. This is the 10-step process that I used to help them navigate their way …

An interview with Team USA’s chief medical officer

Val Jones, MD

Physician

February 7, 2014

I am a huge fan of the winter Olympics, partly because I grew up in Canada (where most kids can ski and skate before they can run) and partly because I used to participate in Downhill ski racing. Now that I’m a rehab physician (with a reconstructed knee) I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to interview Team USA’s chief medical officer, Dr. Gloria Beim. As we enjoy the Sochi Olympic …

Should we follow a Mediterranean diet?

Val Jones, MD

Conditions

January 27, 2014

shutterstock_124650742

We’ve known for quite some time that weight loss can reduce the risk of developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. However, a healthy diet alone (without weight loss) may also help to reduce risk. In a recent Spanish study (published in the Annals of Internal Medicine), 3,541 men and women ages 55-80 at risk for diabetes were followed for …

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Should we follow a Mediterranean diet?

Can social media help measure physician quality?

Val Jones, MD

Social media

January 13, 2014

I am consistently bemused by those who recommend more rigorous or more pervasive standardized testing as the primary means for insuring physician quality. The vast majority of physicians have already passed through a complex gauntlet of multiple choice exams, extended credentialing and certification processes, and lengthy tests of knowledge and skill. And yet, some physicians (to put it bluntly, sorry friends) are very bad at what they do.

Intellectual …

The downward spiral of the stubborn patient

Val Jones, MD

Physician

December 16, 2013

Over the years that I’ve worked in acute inpatient rehab centers, I have been truly vexed by a particular type of patient. Namely, the stubborn patient (usually an elderly gentleman with a military or armed forces background). I know that it’s not completely fair to generalize about personality types, but it seems that the very nature of their work has either developed in them a steely resolve, or they were …

Mean patients: Do they contribute to physician burnout?

Val Jones, MD

Physician

November 8, 2013

shutterstock_115741207

As I sat in my orthopedist’s exam room, the discussion quickly turned from my chief complaint to his: “I don’t know why I’m doing this anymore,” he said. “Medicine is just not what it used to be, and I don’t enjoy my work anymore. The bureaucracy and regulations are bad enough, but what really gets me is the hostility. My patients …

The one little question that could save your life

Val Jones, MD

Physician

October 31, 2013

I realize that my blog has been littered with depressing musings on healthcare lately, and so I thought I’d offer up one very positive and “actionable” suggestion for all you patients out there. In the midst of a broken system where your doctor is being pressured to spend more time with a computer than listening and examining you, where health insurance rates and co-pays are sky-rocketing, and where 1 in 5 patients have the wrong …

How do hospitals feel about locum tenens?

Val Jones, MD

Physician

October 23, 2013

I recently wrote about my experiences as a traveling physician and how to navigate locum tenens work. Today I want to talk about the client (in this case, hospital) side of the equation. I’ve had the chance to speak with several executives (some were physicians themselves) about the overall process of hiring and managing temporary physicians. What I heard wasn’t pretty. I thought I’d summarize their opinions in the form of a mock composite …

3 products that your dermatologist won’t like

Val Jones, MD

Conditions

October 15, 2013

As a light skinned, be-freckled woman with a history of pre-melanoma, I have been sternly instructed to keep my dermatologist on speed dial. Every six months I dutifully return to his office for inspection — nervously eyeing the biopsy tray as I sweat through my paper gown, legs dangling from a vinyl exam table.

In preparation for my most recent trip, I decided to be “an empowered patient” and …

Intelligent information synthesis is the basis of error prevention

Val Jones, MD

Physician

September 20, 2013

As I travel around the country, working in the trenches of various hospitals, I’ve been struck by the number of errors made by physicians and nurses whose administrative burden distracts them from patient care. The clinicians who make the errors are intelligent and competent — and they feel badly when an error is made.

However, the volume of tasks required of them in a day (many of which are designed to fulfill …

The sad state of EMRs: How they are doing more harm than good

Val Jones, MD

Tech

August 30, 2013

I used to be a big believer in the transformative power of digital data in medicine. In fact, I devoted the past decade of my life to assisting the “movement” towards better record keeping and shared data. It seemed intuitive that breaking down the information silos in healthcare would be the first logical step in establishing price transparency, promoting evidence-based practices, and empowering patients to become more engaged in their …

A comprehensive locum tenens guide for physicians

Val Jones, MD

Physician

August 19, 2013

I’ve been traveling around the United States working as a locum tenens (in Latin, “place holder” – a more elegant name than “temp”) physician. We’ve all heard of traveling nurses, but more and more physicians are also “living la vida locums,” as it were. There are actually over 100 agencies who find/provide temporary physician coverage for hospitals who need to fill gaps in their full timers’ schedules. You can find out more about …

Val Jones, MD

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