Can a consumer (patient) really comparison shop for their health-care needs? It seems there are entrepreneurs who want to help. Check the specifics at this website. It will not take long. In this age of monopoly-money like health care charges, isn’t the notion of comparison shopping a joke? Sure, you might find one doctor charges […]
We all know about “Doctor Time.” No matter how hard I try, the clock seems to out sprint me. Morning rounds in the hospital go longer than expected, a colleague stops you with a question, a son forgot his lunch, or something else. The list is long. In fact, as a very well educated patient, […]
Life sometimes gets in the way of daily posting. Specifically, the treadmill of life sometimes roars too fast. But, as I strolled through the hospital this morning there was this plain piece of white paper taped to the wall around the nurses station. Although, I am not overly religious, and even highly conflicted about which […]
A beautiful young fan yells encouragement to me during a cyclocross race. She repeatedly hollers the word, “focus!” The beneficial effects of cycling are seemingly infinite. There is the fitness, and the well known accompanying cardiovascular benefits. Blood pressure is lowered, arteries more elastic, waistlines shrink and as long as one can avoid moving trees, the […]
When does Medicine in America rock? When things like this happens… The call came during one of the earlier cases to see this patient who had complete AV block. As her BP was normal, the report described her as“stable.” (Note: cardiac output requires an adequate heart rate, so just because one’s BP is stable, does […]
My late grandmother, Nellie, coined the term “chiseler.” I thought of her today at the oral surgeon’s office. It turns out, my wife, Staci, and I garnered a 50% discount on the removal of the 5 pesky baby teeth. How? It was a three pronged attack… I came from the hospital in between cases […]
I know a boy with these pesky baby teeth. They just won’t come out. The orthodontist recommends removal of these five persistent remnants before placing 5000 dollars worth of braces. So the next stop is the oral surgeon’s office. The oral surgeon’s receptionist says it’s cash up front before the procedure. She looks sad as […]
The interview, such as it was, happened on the walk in from the doctor’s parking lot. As early morning approachability of doctors varies widely, one is especially cautious about starting conversations at this time of day. He had recently changed his very busy Internal Medicine practice to a concierge style practice. Maybe because of this, […]
Today was one of those days where you are hopelessly behind schedule, always thinking 3 tasks ahead, and wondering when the finish line will appear. After bemoaning the misuse of ICDs yesterday, today I found two pretty sweet examples of how implantable titanium and silicone can enhance and extend the lives of real patients. The […]
At the risk of exposing my naivete, or being too much like the geeky student who sits in the front of the classroom, I can’t help but welcome the upcoming policing of cardiac device implants. As recently written by Dr Wes, government policing agencies, the DOJ and RAC folks, are planning to focus on […]