Doctor Communication

When Patients Read What Their Doctors Write

Article:  When Patients Read What Their Doctors Write  by Leana Wen, MD from Reader’s Digest (and NPR) What a great empowerment tool for patients!  Read this article about how Dr. Wen works with her patients during visits to make sure their electronic records are accurate. Smart Patient Takeaway:  This is a great tool for patients […]

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Sometimes It’s Better to Just Say No

Story One: When I was a child (and we’re talking a lo-o-o-ng time ago – when doctors made house calls)… if I got an earache, I would suffer.  REALLY suffer. Mom would drip some warm oil into my ear, and then stuff some cotton in behind it. She’d give me an orange flavored baby aspirin

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Time to Put a Stop to Drive-by-Doctoring

As many of my readers know, I speak at meetings and conferences fairly frequently, and most often to groups of patients and caregivers. The focus of the talks I give is usually on a patient empowerment topic – ranging from how to communicate with your doctor, to how to stay safe in the hospital, to

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Who’s Really a Patient? Skewed Opinions Result from Inside Information

That seems like a fairly simple question, don’t you think?  Who really is a patient? But the answer is actually more complex than you might realize. Among the possibilities: 1.  anyone who has ever accessed medical care is a patient – which includes everyone, no matter what their relationship is to the healthcare system (so,

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A Dose of Reality – Today’s Doctor Appointment

Please note that this column first appeared in the Syracuse Post Standard October 11, 2011 ……………………………….. In the “old” days, we could phone for a primary care doctor’s appointment in the morning, be seen right away, spend enough time with the doctor, leave with a treatment plan, and usually feel better within a day or

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An Open Letter to Hospitals

Please note that this column appeared in the Syracuse Post Standard on September 13, 2011.  It addresses the recently issued New York State Hospital Report Card.  You don’t need to be a resident of Central New York, or even New York State to gain benefit from this column.  Resources for you are found below. ………………………….

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Don’t Let Your Medical Test Results Fall Through the Cracks

(as published in the Syracuse Post Standard August 30, 2011) A few years ago, I changed primary care doctors. The one I left had good credentials. Over the span of a few years and several visits, she had seemed competent and was friendly. But on my final visit, there had been a change that caused

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Trisha Torrey
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