Ain’t Nobody’s Fault But Mine

The politics of rhetoric Over the past few months as campaigns have saturated the media, it’s occurred to me that the rhetoric of politics – whether from the halls of Congress or from candidates from whatever hue or political persuasion — has taken on a new tone. There’s a pervasive sense of assigning blame for […]

Patient Safety and the Purse Strings

Will medical errors stop because hospitals (and doctors) don’t get paid? The State of Pennsylvania just announced that it would no longer make Medicaid payments to hospitals for serious, preventable medical errors, following the path laid out by the Federal government’s Medicare no-pay policy announced last August. Of course, both programs mean they will no […]

Stay warm, but stay healthy

As students move indoors this winter, taking health precautions is a good idea As the start of a new semester begins, students across the country will be returning to their college campuses with the winter months upon us. As the students try to keep warm indoors, the breeding and spreading of sickness becomes very real, […]

Medical Mall Madness?

Be careful about having procedures done while out shopping Before heading out to the mall you may want to do a little research first. Who knows, you may end up coming home with not only new designer shoes and the hottest dress but — oh, yeah — a plumper face and smoother thighs as a […]

Patient Advocacy — a Complete 360

A Health Care Professional on the Outside Looking In Dodging your responsibility as a patient advocate for you or your family member could have devastating results. As a health care professional on the front lines of the health care system, I understand exactly how important it is for patients and their families to take charge […]

Policy vs. Market-based Reform

RHIOs as a Case Study In Health Affairs, a Harvard team has published an important review of the current state of RHIOs (Regional Health Information Organizations), many of which are failing. Of 145 efforts identified in 2006, nearly one in 4 had closed by early 2007, only 20 were actually exchanging clinical information and most […]

From Each According to His Ability, to Each According to His Gene

Imagine a day when a genetic test not only will determine your risk for a particular disease, but also the ideal medication and the ideal dose to treat that disease. For those who receive a blood-thinning agent called warfarin, that day has already arrived. One third of people who receive warfarin, known by the trade […]

keep looking »