I recently attended a conference in Savannah, Georgia sponsored by the Association for Prevention Teaching and Research.
Since I haven’t spent much time in Georgia outside of Savannah and Atlanta, the welcoming plenary on improving health outcomes for the state’s rural and underserved populations was eye-opening. According to Dr. Keisha Callins, Chair of the Department of Community Medicine at Mercer University, Georgia ranked 39th out of 50 states in primary care physician …
For the most part, the sexism in medicine is not subliminal at all — it’s quite overt. Unless you’re a female physician, you probably are unaware that it’s still an ever-present reality for us. I want to note that there are very good men out there who are trying their best to be advocates for equality in our field even though they cannot fully appreciate the female physician plight. My …
He entered the hospital on Monday morning with a list of patients running through his mind. From the time he received a sign out of 22 patients from his colleague on Sunday evening, he was planning his workday. It was a ritual of his to pray and sleep early on Sunday night to prepare him for what lie ahead. What lied ahead was a busy week of inpatient medicine — …
Doctors have been bemoaning changes in the practice of medicine for years and with good reason. It’s harder and harder to make a go of it in private practice. In recent years our area has lost several small practices — Hal Grotke’s Redwood Family Practice closed, Dr. Garcia retired, Teresa Marshall’s solo office shut its doors, Eureka Internal Medicine transitioned to Humboldt Medical Specialists (which then became St. Joseph Hospital …
My husband is a doctor. Similar to any other career, this is what he spends most of his time doing. It’s also our family’s livelihood — how we pay our mortgage, our bills and send our daughter to preschool.
He went to through seven years of training after college, often working all night or even 24-plus hour calls. He’s had to miss family dinners, birthday parties, nights of putting our daughter …
Throughout training, I had an idea. And that idea was — I would be a great academic physician. I had the right training. I had done research from college through fellowship. I had received research grants from medical school through fellowship, published numerous papers and started defining a niche. Everything was going great.
Academia — here I come!
Then attending-hood arrived. I looked for positions in academic centers. I was limited by …
America seems to have a more divisive tone now compared to recent years. New Orleans has seen protests spark over the removal of Confederate monuments. Images are all around us with one that seems to have people quite divided — the Confederate flag.
I often have a sense of curiosity when I see this flag flown on people’s front porch, flag pole or on their car. I wonder if the person …
Many years ago, three doctors formed an internal medicine practice and were proud of the thousands of patients they accumulated.
They were fine physicians and very dedicated to the masses who walked through their clinic doors. They saw patients in the office, rounded at two hospitals, and visited a number of nursing homes. This was truly a full-service practice.
Around 2005, Dr. A was starting to fatigue. He was well into his …
The concept of “First, do no harm,” which is embedded in the oath that kicks off the careers of most new doctors in America, has become something of a surrogate for the practice of medicine. But it’s something of a false promise. Doctors routinely cause their patients harm. The oath we should be taking is, “Help others with …
Like so many people, he seemed to have this need to run half a dozen minor bodily symptoms past me, while I worked my way through the agenda of screening colonoscopy, whether or not to test his PSA, calculating his ten-year cardiovascular risk, talking about alcohol use, screening for depression and so on.
Recently, a new mother of twins in Columbus, Ohio, sent a text message to her doctor:
“Adam and I would like to introduce you to Ava Jain Cullum and Piper Jain Cullum. Their middle name was a no-brainer since we are so thankful for the huge role you had in getting them into this world … Both girls are doing fantastic. We are over the moon excited to have them in …
I look up and see seventy-one-year-old Herman Katz hurrying across the waiting room with outstretched arms. Herman Katz is the bane of my existence. During my short stint at the VA, I have had him in my examining room …
Innovative technologies and shifting public expectations are altering the practices of many industries, particularly those that provide a service. Medical practices should take heed and recognize these trends or risk losing patients and market share to others more open to adopting new strategies.
How does one differentiate a high-performing medical practice from another that’s falling behind? And what are the forces that drive the discrepancy? What strategies can your practice implement …
I once participated in a discussion about a research study that was drawing data from charges submitted to Medicare and patient outcomes. The head of the project was referring to the financial data as costs, and I simply asked, “Isn’t this really charges, what Medicare is being charged by the hospital?” The response was a sort of non-answer, and then the person concluded, “It probably doesn’t really matter whether we …
“Choose your battles carefully,” goes the old saying. My physician colleagues would do well to heed that advice. For the past several years, physicians in many states have been engaged in battles with nurse practitioners in their respective states who are seeking to remove antiquated regulations. These regulations preclude nurse practitioners from practicing to the full extent of their education, as recommended by the Institute Medicine report: Read more…
As Southern states entertain legislation granting nurse practitioners independent practice rights, there are some finer details which deserve careful deliberation. While nurse practitioners are intelligent, capable, and contribute much to our healthcare system, they are not physicians and lack the same training and knowledge base. They should not identify themselves as “doctors” despite having a doctor of nursing practice (DNP) degree. It is misleading to patients, as most do not …
Mr. O was my new patient but had been known to our practice for several years. He was 74 years old. He had been complaining of “dizziness” for some time. He came in for his visit accompanied by his home health aide. He was born in the Dominican Republic, and he spoke Spanish with limited English proficiency. I scanned his former notes and saw that his aide typically provided translation. …
It happens to us all. I was frustrated with one of my patients about two years ago, angered because she did not want to help herself. She kept requesting help for her mental disorder, and when the help was given, she would literally run away. She would start then stop taking a medication that even she had to admit did help her. Medication was just not for her she would …
Amidst the mid-morning rush at clinic, I’m saying goodbye to a patient whose visit just concluded. In the corner of my eye, I see a woman sitting in the area where patients wait after they have gotten their vitals. She is shifting continuously in her seat. Suddenly, the woman springs up out of her chair and walks toward the nurses’ station. The patient I am speaking with remarks, “Oh! Wonder …
