Information and Critical Thinking for Your Health
(Snippets from the frontline) “Overutilization” monicker I am a geriatric doctor caring for elderly and bedridden patients. Keeping them out of the hospital is a challenge as they face problems … Continue Reading →
(Snippets from the frontline) We are born equal, but… When crimes are alleged, those who are poor, of color, undereducated, and legally ill-represented find themselves in prison. Those who are wealthy … Continue Reading →
(Snippets from the frontline) Permission denied I received a phone call from a hospital case manager that my patient did not meet criteria for further admission and should be discharged. … Continue Reading →
(Snippets from the frontline) Seeing, chewing, hearing Medicare does not pay for glasses, dental work, nor hearing aids. If you are a senior and can’t see, chew, or hear, what … Continue Reading →
(Snippets from the frontline) Recognizing death I know when someone is sick and might die. Whether a person is in the emergency room, hospitalized, or on the street, recognizing imminent … Continue Reading →
(Snippets from the frontline) Life: On a finger tip It was Code Trauma, knife to the heart. He came in after an apparent robbery with the knife still protruding from … Continue Reading →
(Snippets from the frontline) Freebies Your loved-one is admitted to a hospital, rushed through a battery of tests, treatment started, then “efficiently” discharged to a nursing home. The doctor is … Continue Reading →
(Snippets from the frontline) Cradling the heart I met him when he went on Medicare over 30 years ago having raised 3 kids as a single dad. With a Brooklyn … Continue Reading →
(Snippets from the frontline) HAL The original television show Star Trek takes place 200 years in the future with the eminent Dr. McCoy using advanced technology to body scan patients … Continue Reading →
(Snippets from the frontline) Fear the ICU A Medicare fact: When you are admitted to a hospital, they are payed a flat fee no matter how sick you are or … Continue Reading →
(Snippets from the frontline) Mammas don’t let your babies grow up to be doctors Becoming a physician requires intellectual agility intertwining book-learned material with hands-on training. Medical school prerequisites sort … Continue Reading →
(Snippets from the frontline) Healthcare: Running for office Nowadays, America is in a continuous election cycle where candidates perpetually run for office. Questions and answers are on a merry-go-round, with … Continue Reading →
(Snippets from the frontline) \_(( * ? * ))_/ Patients and families are lost. “Why was my father sent home from the hospital with a pulse of 30; my mother … Continue Reading →
(Snippets from the frontline) Surviving the onslaught Sometime in the future… “Hey great, great, great grandpa. What was it like to be a doctor in America?” With a crackly yet … Continue Reading →
(Snippets from the frontline) Overdosing elder seniors “Something’s wrong with grandma!” We expect age to diminish health, but who would have thought the overuse of medication might be just as … Continue Reading →
(Snippets from the frontline) Mother-daughter connection Her charm and charisma befitted her royal name, Victoria, declaring “I migrated from the Garden State to the Golden State.” Indeed, after her husband … Continue Reading →
(Snippets from the frontline) Caring for furry friends My neighbor’s cat had a stomach hairball and needed it removed by a veterinarian using an endoscope. After many phone calls, the … Continue Reading →
(Snippets from the frontline) Being a second responder Since starting medical school 40 years ago, I have been on the hospital receiving end of first responders as they transferred care … Continue Reading →
(Snippets from the frontline) The beat goes on We continually hear about salaries, bonuses, and compensations of major company CEOs unfairly outpacing those of the common worker. This is especially … Continue Reading →
(Snippets from the frontline) Housecall pidgin talk “Whatsa matter you?” was the greeting from my 89 year old Hawaiian patient. “I no like da bed!” She had battled bladder cancer … Continue Reading →
(Snippets from the frontline) Physician, heal thyself Put it on the table; talk about it at meetings; stop ignoring the fact: Our profession has been taken over by business, and … Continue Reading →
(Snippets from the frontline) Conveyor-belt medicine Can business convert medicine into an assembly line model without sacrificing quality? I can see it manufacturing a car, but can it be applied … Continue Reading →
(Snippets from the frontline) Death panels exist Our mother is in her nineties and went to the emergency room for the stomach flu. Before we arrived, the ER had already … Continue Reading →
(Snippets from the frontline) Controlling the media He is a Vietnam veteran; the first in his family to graduate high school and go to college; and the first to become … Continue Reading →
(Snippets from the frontline) Getting old sucks Gray hair and wrinkles are just part of it. Slower mobility, loss of balance, and skin “barnacles” diminish confidence and creates inhibition, … Continue Reading →