Author's posts
My journey through the parable of American health care
The parable of the Chinese farmer is a story with many versions. In shorthand, it goes something like this: a farmer’s horse escapes – the neighbors say, “How terrible!” The farmer says, “Maybe.” The horse returns, b…
Physician burnout reimagined
While preparing yet another talk about burnout, I had a brainstorm. I created a counterpoint PowerPoint (or tongue-in-cheek complementary model) to The Stanford Model of Professional Fulfillment. Perhaps it was a particularly irreverent or flippant sta…
Why our quest for self-improvement is failing: Uncovering the immunity to change in health care
I signed up for yet another program in my relentless quest for self-improvement (and perhaps recovery from decades of physician hood). This one features Dr. Lisa Lahey, co-author of Immunity to Change. This is my second encounter with the book (when th…
If a program doesn’t care for fellows, could a union?
In my self-righteous youth, I bristled at the thought of physicians unionizing. Certain our collective altruism and professionalism would prevail. Unions were for oppressed laborers, not well-regarded, well-paid professionals. Reading the recent paper …
