Category: Editorials

(Snippets from the frontline) To protect and to serve Keeping a medical practice afloat is not easy as every day there is more paperwork and hoops to jump through.  Many … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Home Health Care vs. Home Care:  Aging in place You break your hip.  After hospitalization, Medicare provides 20 days of Home Health Care including nursing with … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Public trust When those in responsible positions take money for personal benefit, public trust is threatened: – Votes of elected politicians swayed by special interest dollars: … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Dodging bullets He fell and couldn’t get up, requiring hospitalization. A surgical procedure corrected the problem. On discharge, medications were changed including stopping a water pill … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Advice to new doctors Learning the art of medicine for 40 years allowed me to accumulate an abundance of clinical experience while being of service to … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Dissecting Life Expectancy statistics Life Expectancy for Americans is decreasing. This is a trend. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) publishes data annually along with interpretation … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline)   The indignity of getting old   Eventually, we all get there.  Some say it starts at 40; most hope not until 80:   We see … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Embarrassed Gradually over 6 weeks, her symptoms worsened. Being a diabetic two decades, this 70 year old was sensitive to bodily changes. Now with progressive and … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Gatekeepers My senior neighbor, an avid walker, developed a knee problem with pain, swelling, locking, and popping.  She went to an HMO primary care doctor who … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) The business takeover of medicine For centuries, American doctors were guided by the Hippocratic Oath caring for their patients.  About 30 years ago though, business saw … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Because they can… Raise drug prices Increase rent Boost gasoline costs Inflate health insurance including premiums and deductibles Kick you out of the hospital after 4 … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) In the nick of time She is an 88-year old diabetic discharged from the hospital two days earlier after a three-day stay. Her admitting sugar was … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) The simple path of life Stewart had a green thumb growing seasonal flowers bringing color and sweet aromas to his home.  “When I was in the … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Doctors as lie detectors His story was perfect, right out of a medical textbook. He needed pain medication for his unremitting migraine headache, but it was … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Too-big-to-fail should go to jail Thousands and thousands died. Many suffered along with their families. Homicide charges were never filed, and only a slap of the … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) The “glitch” He was ill requiring a stay in the ICU for sepsis. Still weak, yet recovering enough to eat, the “four-day rule” of hospitalization was … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Let’s put grandma in a nursing home! Older adults abhor the thought they might be forced into a nursing home. Yet, they might not have a … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Be a corporation, avoid jail time If a person commits a crime, they can be arrested, go to court, and even face prison time.  If a … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Doctor statistics She was diagnosed with breast cancer, and statistically the chance of survival was good.  It meant involvement of medical professionals to help beat the … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Two problems, one solution Government is rapidly attempting to rectify the homelessness problem by building permanent housing for those in need.  As a geriatric doctor, I … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Practicing evidence-based medicine Evidence-based medicine is the foundation for decision-making when you seek care from a medical professional.  It has evolved over centuries from the scientific … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Paramedic on the frontline She’s a paramedic being treated for Valley Fever, a fungal lung infection common in our area.  Obsessively, she followed symptoms while monitoring … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Looming on the horizon Older adults have always feared being forced into nursing homes.  Now their greatest fear is homelessness. I have provided housecalls to patients … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Hospice care:  Follow the money Two criteria are needed for a patient to go on hospice: A terminal diagnosis; Two doctors verifying the need for hospice … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Paying for future care of older adults Taxes from working-age adults support many services and entitlements for those of the older generation. The sheer number of … Continue Reading →