In a recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine, a rheumatologist at a teaching hospital lamented about “hospital problems,” a phenomenon where patients are not allowed to stay in the hospital when they no longer have a medical n…
Category: Hospital-Based Medicine
The complexities of healing and faith
As a physician, there are moments during the day when you must deliver a disheartening diagnosis to your patient: pancreatic cancer, ALS, leukemia, and unfortunately, the list goes on. The patient must face the harsh realities that are now placed befor…
The impact of certificate of need laws on rural health care
Rural communities have a problem. Their health care options continue to shrink, as medical facilities close or consolidate. The trend has accelerated in recent years, but Westfield Memorial Hospital in Western New York wants to expand. The tiny facilit…
Continuous work coverage in health care: challenges and solutions
Two scourges of 24 x 7 x 365 coverage may be lost on-the-job sleep and soured on-the-job peace for workers, especially for health care workers. Traditionally, attending physicians have had the privilege of call rooms while providing coverage for overni…
Hospital as a river: Navigating uncertainty and empathy
The hospital is like a river. Patients float downstream into our care, stay in sight for a moment, and leave after we have done everything we can to help them. Regardless of why they arrive or how long they stay, every person in the hospital will alway…
Navigating the broken medical system: challenges faced by foreign medical graduates
As I sit here contemplating the beginning of this unsent letter, I find myself questioning its intended recipient and purpose. The truth is, I don’t have the answers just yet. Perhaps, by the end of these few paragraphs, some clarity will emerge….
Battling COVID chaos and recruiting doctors
An excerpt from Our Hospital. Kush Kare Hospital in Columbia, New York, was the flagship of Kush Kare Private Equity Inc., a for-profit chain of hospitals across America. A for-profit that was listed on a lot of lucrative trading routes. Clearly its wo…
Patient complaints prompt hospital to reevaluate doctor’s bedside manner
Tom, a doctor friend, recently told me he was reprimanded by Michael, his hospital’s medical chief of staff, after two patients lodged complaints against him. One instance involved a man whom Tom informed of a cancer recurrence. When the man crie…
Teaching moments in medicine: Balancing autonomy and comfort
Late last year, I decided I needed to get my health checked up on. I went through the motions, trying to make an appointment with the doctor that was assigned to me. Nothing was available for months. I called every other day, asking about cancellations…
A love letter to the doctor I was
I recently returned to the hospital where I had first worked as an attending. Everything felt different. It seemed darker and smaller, reminiscent of the feeling when you revisit your elementary school, and the water fountains appear almost touching th…
