Category: Editorials

(Snippets from the frontline) The homeless senior Think about it.  What would you do if you can no longer afford your home, and must move out onto the street?  What … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) An American right Hospitals compete against each other for your healthcare.  Full page ads tout their newest, cleanest, safest facility with the best doctors, latest technology, … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) One question too many It was 1980, and as I entered the ER in a West Los Angeles hospital for my medical student shift, the waiting … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Crime scene Hospitals should do no harm.  But when administrators intentionally and maliciously create a dangerous environment, the hospital is a crime scene. I’ve been on … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Losing sleep…and experience Several years ago, I realized getting up in the middle of the night to answer phone calls or going into the hospital to … Continue Reading →

(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 →