It appears there is a shortage of the high dose influenza vaccine for those over 65. Hmmm… Could this be part of a plot to bump off Medicare recipients to save money? Get our awesome newsletter by signing up here. We don’t give your email out and we don’t spam you. Tweet
Good surgeons versus good bedside manner.More than two decades ago, our regional hospital started an open heart surgery program. The new heart surgeon had a stellar record and we all met with him as the program readied for its launch. A common statement was circulated among the doctors: “He’s a really nice guy. I hope that means he’s…
This is not too far fetched. Tweet
For many years, hospital systems in our area did not like owning medical practices. Now, a huge acquisition binge is taking place. Groups, both big and small, are getting bought by hospitals. To increase their sale value, the groups try to stay together. Restrictive covenants are the big tool. The hospital will take over the job of enforcer…
Using our office computer, I logged onto the website of our town’s surgical group. I got what I thought was a weird dialog about running cookies and I clicked out of it. Suddenly the browser started acting odd and then normalized. In a few minutes, the problem became clear. Malware was on my machine. This one was…
When I finished medical school in the 1980s, it was often easy to determine prognosis: Metastatic cancer of most types: Less than a year Cardiac ejection fraction of 15%: Less than a year Critical aortic stenosis in someone older than 80 (making them poor operative candidates): Less than a year Now, everything is so different.…
A doctor joins a group. Things seem to go well. The doctor becomes popular in the community. After a few years, things are not so well. Maybe it’s the doctor’s fault. Maybe the group is in turmoil. Maybe it is just a bad fit. The doctor leaves. Now there are issues: Restrictive covenants; Practice financial deficits; New competition; Unresolved anger issues on both sides. Patients call. They…
Doctors are selling their practices! In some areas, it feels like no practices are doctor owned. It’s depressing. The days of private practice seem to be dying. Big multispecialty groups are the future! Everyone works with the same Electronic Health Record. Efficiencies of scale allow us all to work smarter. No one gets lost in the system. Bigger is better! Aligned…
Neurosurgery is VERY DELICATE!!!Remember those days of medical school? Remember when you followed the Neurosurgeon to the Operating Room?Back in 1991, I did this animation on an Amiga 3000 computer. Tweet
Over the years, I’ve watched primary care doctors leave their practices and become hospital administrators. The reasons are obvious: The paycheck and benefits are way better than being in clinical practice. Do these practitioners-turned-administrators bring any benefits to the hospital? More than anything, the benefit is those of us in regular practice still remember they were once…