“I implore you — even if it’s difficult — if you don’t like your doctor, take the time and find a new one! How do you do that? Check your insurance for who they cover, and then ask your friends who they see and like. Google the physician. Google …
Category: primary care
You’re not as smart as you think you are — and neither is your doctor
In a world rife with admonishments like “Do your own research” and “trust your intuition,” I don’t hear about anyone reading up on human fallibility. Picture this scene: a lecture hall in a respected medical school. The students are early in their educ…
Why clinicians can’t keep ignoring care coordination
Traditional referral intake systems haven’t changed significantly in the past 30 years. Rather, they are still based on paper and fax referrals that often get lost in the shuffle of busy days and patient care needs. This reliance on old-school methods …
Physicians are hurting. This is what makes them human.
It is said that everything that moves has a breaking point. Engineers understand this concept, and they have developed intricate methods to understand when metals will reach their breaking point if they sustain repeated back and forth stress. It become…
Can doctors have personalities? [PODCAST]
“When I teach medical students who rotate with me at my clinic, I ask them to write about the single most negative and single most positive emotional experiences they have had in their 3 to 4 years of training thus far. Commonly, I see fear as a …
Tomgirl and tomboy: Rethinking gender stereotypes
One night my godson seeming anxious came to me and asked if there was such a thing as a “TomGirl”? He coined a term that addresses so many issues of our time. Questions about gender stereotypes and the negative idea of the word feminine. A few years…
How medical notes will change if patients get to see them
On April 5, 2021, the federal government mandated that health care providers provide free electronic access to patients’ clinical notes, as part of the 21st Century Cures Act. This includes 8 types of notes spanning outpatient and inpatient arena…
Getting messy in the game of health care
“We can’t sit in the stands – we have to get messy and play on the field.” The casual observer, the season ticket holder, the player, and the coach have very different levels of knowledge, skill, and passion for a professional sport. The casual observe…
I was thinking about retiring, and COVID-19 gave me a push
Last March, I was working in a small primary care practice on the west side of Denver. COVID-19 came to town. On Thursday, March 12, we were told the schools would be closing. On Friday, we were told that clinic staff had to wear masks — and the …
The doctor-patient relationship has become transactional. It can lead to disastrous consequences.
I love Bruce Lee. From his martial arts skill and athletic prowess to his philosophy, he was a cultural icon. There are hundreds of anecdotes and stories, some based in fact and others in fiction, that are a testament to the value he placed in the purs…
