Now that this year’s anniversary of 9-11 is past, and we have considered our collective sadness and outrage over those events of six years ago…. We must consider now how it is we are honoring those heroes who DID survive — the emergency personnel who jumped into the fray to help their fellow human beings, […]
Post 9-11 Travesty is Sicko Read More »
Still in Sarasota, FL visiting my parents and almost dropped my teeth at a story Dad told me last night. See what you think. Several years ago, Dad began receiving materials about heart health from the local pharmacy, part of a national chain. He tossed them; in his mid-70s, Dad’s heart was going strong (still
Prescription Dangers = ID Theft Possibilities Read More »
I’m spending a few days visiting my parents in Florida and brought along Dr. Jerome Groopman’s book, How Doctors Think. This is my second reading of this incredibly eye opening and wonderfully useful book. I’m a major fan. This time I’m actually highlighting and post-it noting and starring and turning down page corners. It will
Docs: It’s OK to Say You Don’t Know Read More »
I’m spending a few days visiting my parents in Florida and brought along Dr. Jerome Groopman’s book, How Doctors Think. This is my second reading of this incredibly eye opening and wonderfully useful book. I’m a major fan. This time I’m actually highlighting and post-it noting and starring and turning down page corners. It will
Docs: It’s OK to Say You Don’t Know Read More »
You’d be amazed at the email and postal mail I receive from patients who have been hurt by the medical system. Perhaps not at the numbers — I receive a handful each week. Instead, you’d be amazed at what they ask me to do. I’ve put the people who write to me about medical errors
Blamers and Fixers: Which One Are You? Read More »
An article in US News and World Report quantifies the number of deaths and injuries that result from doctors’ handwriting and the abbreviations they use on prescriptions. Reassuringly, those errors cause only a small percentage of the 7,000 American deaths attributed to medication errors each year. It turns out that there are thousands of those
Drs Abr Can Mk U Sckr Read More »
See if this doesn’t leave you shaking your head…. a story in the New York Times about access to dermatologists: If you have a mole, and suspect skin cancer, you’ll have to wait an average of 26 days to get an appointment with a dermatologist. If you want a botox injection to eradicate your wrinkles,
Of Melanoma, Botox and Rocket Science Read More »
I don’t write often on trusting one’s intuition for making health care decisions. I should do it more often. Here’s why: A few years ago I read Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink — an analysis of how we use our unconscious, our intuition, and how accurate it turns out to be. At the time I remember feeling
Blink, Intuition, Gut Reaction: Spot On Read More »
