Author's posts
Why meaningful patient connections matter in medicine
Connecting with another human being in a meaningful way allows a physician to practice the art and the science of medicine. Showing you care helps to gain trust, and helping to alleviate pain and suffering establishes a bond. When you give of yourself …
Global aspirations for value-based health care
The authors of the New England Journal of Medicine Catalyst article urge countries to allocate 1 percent of their health care budgets toward establishing standards and processes for assessing the value of health outcomes. What matters most to patients …
Employer health plans need a makeover
Are you satisfied with your health benefits plan? That’s one of the many questions asked of over 2,000 employers, running large and small businesses, by the annual survey from KFF. Approximately 153 million workers and their families receive heal…
Youth vs. experience: Who wins in medicine?
Harvard researchers who recently wrote an essay analyzed data from Medicare to draw conclusions about hospitalists and surgeons who treat hospital in-patients for non-elective admissions. The researchers grouped the physicians by age to determine which…
Navigating the levels of knowledge, skill, and passion to create a high-value patient-doctor relationship
An excerpt from Standing Up & Speaking Out for Patients & Doctors: First Steps Toward Focused Healthcare Solutions. The casual observer, the season ticket holder, the player, and the coach have very different levels of knowledge, skill, and pas…
Caught in the middle: How health insurance companies influence cancer drug selection
Patients may find themselves caught in the middle between their health insurance company and their oncologist when it comes to selecting the drugs used to treat their cancer. Why is this? The American Cancer Society explains biologic drugs (derived fro…
Why perfectionists in medicine need to practice compassion
I recently read the article, “Perfectionism will kill you.” Our perfectionism is often worn like a badge of honor. It signifies our complete commitment, at times at the expense of others. Wanting to do your best job is what drives “go…
Why is collaboration missing in health care?
An essay posted by Fareeha Kahn, MD (“A hospitalist’s struggle to find teamwork in academic medicine“), raises an important issue. The problem of lack of collaboration is not unique to academic medicine. The problem is the result of m…
