It’s a simple question, but it has stirred some controversy. It’s the word “friendly.” Colleague and fellow passionate advocate Bart Windrum got (as my mother would say) his blood in a bubble after reading an article about engaging a patient advocate to help you navigate your healthcare, recently published in a Tampa newspaper. In a …
Advocating – What’s “Friendly” Got to Do With It? Read More »
A friend and colleague, Franny, shared her story with me and caused my jaw to drop. Then, I realized it didn’t really surprise me at all. Having suffered months and months of treatment for his brain cancer, Asa’s life was almost lost due to the arrogance of the resident who was in charge of his …
A new post by my blog guest Anonymous, poses a question, “Informed consent is just a cruel joke, isn’t it?” This gentleman, who underwent surgery, was given Versed as anesthesia, despite stating that he did not want to be given any drug that would render him unconscious. So, not only did he deny consent, he …
Betsy McCaughey, director of RID (Reduce Hospital Deaths) reminds us in her latest Wall Street Journal article that those hospital germs, the ones that cause death and debilitation, are everywhere. In her most recent article, she points to doctors’ and nurses’ scrubs, coats, ties — their clothing. MRSA, C.Diff. and other infectious pathogens cling to …
More Infection Warnings – Tools to Prevent Germy Spread Read More »
Not sure what it looks like where you live, but it’s cold outside where I live in Upstate NY, and we’ve got plenty of the white stuff on the ground. Whereas some friends might curl up with a good book, I tend to gravitate to puzzles and thought provokers when I’m indoors and have some …
No commentary needed here. See what my friend Susan shared with me about her recent experience: I had a routine colonoscopy, then 5 days later, I began to hemorrhage and passed out on the street corner. Some passerbys helped me and called an ambulance, but I ended up in the St XXX’s ER, one of …
What Can We Learn from Susan’s Horrendous Hospital Stay? Read More »
One important theme in the information I share with patients, is to help them better understand their frustrations with healthcare as a basis for understanding how to get past those frustrations. Point-of-view is always a good place to begin. Understanding the point of view of whatever it is that stands in your way can help …
Frustrated by a Hospital Stay? Doctors Are Frustrated, Too Read More »
When I received my cancer diagnosis in 2004, and proved I didn’t really have cancer at all, it was the first time I had ever heard or known about that form of misdiagnosis. It’s backwards from those we hear about more frequently. Most of the time we hear about a “missed diagnosis” — meaning someone …
Have You Been Diagnosed with Cancer? Are You Sure the Diagnosis is Correct? Read More »
