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General Cardiology General Medicine Health Care Health Care Reform

A scary new medical intervention…

This is a story about a new medical intervention. It’s an important story because it affects all doctors—and therefore all patients. 1. It’s expensive. Of course. 2. There is no credible evidence that it works. But its marketing is aggressive. 3. The overwhelming majority of physicians disapprove of it. 4. Cheaper alternatives exist. 5. The […]

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Doctoring General Medicine Health Care Reflection

Struggling with the (relative) value of humanistic medical care —

I just arrived in San Francisco. I am here for the 2014 Heart Rhythm Society sessions. The meeting begins today. A poster session this evening is overflowing with notable studies. Stay tuned. I’ll be working hard for theheart.org to bring you the best stories. First, though, here’s a little appetizer. On the eve of the […]

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General Medicine

Board examinations, again…

It was a brightly lit wide open room with many cubicles arranged on the periphery.  The test takers were grown-ups, but all carried that worried student look.  The secretary at the desk who checks you in makes TSA people seem jovial.  No personal effects were allowed, including a full-fledge divorce of the cell phone. Mysteriously, […]