Blogs
The Lead
Transitional Care Programs Are Ripe For Innovation
May 24, 2013 | by Michael Cetta, M.D. | Comments
Transitional care programs are ripe for innovation for forward-thinking providers who are willing to do the difficult work of making these programs a success. For hospitals, even seemingly modest success, such as preventing a few dozen readmissions, can yield a financial benefit – and preventing more than that could save a hospital millions of dollars.
The Traps Of Treating Pain
May 22, 2013 12:22 pm | by Abagail Zuger, M.D. | Comments
Doctors hate pain. Let me count the ways. We hate it because we are (mostly) kindhearted and...
Medical Mistakes Occur At All Levels Of Care
May 20, 2013 9:25 am | by Itzhak Brook, M.D. | Comments
I was not aware how common these errors are until I became a patient myself after being...
Why It’s Risky To Pay For A Proprietary Health IT System
May 17, 2013 9:13 am | by Edmund Billings, M.D. | Comments
While it may seem that the financial problem created by expensive, proprietary health IT is...
Ten Mistakes Practices Make In Implementing Information Technology
May 21, 2013 10:02 am | by Rosemarie Nelson | CommentsSimply acquiring technology is not enough; it is essential to implement the technology effectively to achieve those types of results. Here, then, are the top 10 mistakes practices make in implementing information technology — and how to avoid making them.
Let's Move Forward
May 15, 2013 10:13 am | by Mike Schmidt, Editor, Surgical Products | CommentsI hope that the FDA’s efforts investigate robotic surgery will not slow or dissuade brilliant individuals and forward-thinking companies from developing more useful solutions for the operating room. I have no desire to see hospitals, surgeons, and OR staff members balk at these solutions in favor of re-embracing traditional or old-fashioned practices and attitudes.
Medical Devices Fall Short For Children
May 14, 2013 9:45 am | by Laurie Tarkan | Comments“Innovation in medicine is driven by need, but also by the market,” said Dr. Michael R. Harrison, the director emeritus of the Fetal Treatment Center and the director of the Pediatric Device Consortium, both at the University of California, San Francisco. “Big markets have lots of folks developing devices, but small markets like the pediatrics market don’t.”
Will The da Vinci Robot Go The Way Of Laparoscopic Surgery?
May 13, 2013 9:37 am | by Richard Patterson, M.D. | CommentsOne obvious question: is the robot another “laser”? There is a more fundamental and important question. Granting that the pace of traditional development and evaluation of products may not excite investors, are we going to cede that vital function to those for whom scientific probity may not match their interest in the equity market?
The Advantages Of Having A Connected EHR
May 10, 2013 10:07 am | by Donald Tex Bryant | CommentsMost clinical providers are aware of the more common capacities of EHRs. However, there are many capacities that are being underused that can be of great assistance in providing safe care that avoids waste and identifies best practices. Electronic communication with providers outside of one’s clinical setting, clinical decision support, and improving the body of knowledge of best practices are three capacities of modern EHRs.
Beneath The Surface
May 8, 2013 9:19 am | by Bruce Campbell, M.D. | CommentsIt is almost 7:00 a.m. and I carry my briefcase and lunch bag from the car to my office. I nod to some of the night shift employees heading home. Another day has begun. I type my password and check the computer, reminding myself of the twenty patients I am scheduled to see today in the cancer clinic. A few new consults with untreated or recurrent cancers occupy the longer appointment slots.
Left Wondering
May 7, 2013 9:15 am | by Mike Schmidt, Editor, Surgical Products | CommentsNo recent internet headline or cleverly-worded web teaser caused me to click my computer mouse on it faster than one that linked to a video discussing a Consumer Reports study on hospital safety. Strangely enough, it wasn’t the subject matter that grabbed my attention. It was the tone of the headline: “Hospitals Get Low Safety Scores In New Study.”
Is A Board-Certified Surgeon A Safer One?
May 6, 2013 9:28 am | by Chris Porter, M.D. | CommentsAm I safe surgeon, or merely a board certified one? I usually spend Tuesdays fixing elective hernias. But the other day I was asked to clear a c-spine, handle an unexpected gynecologic finding, manage a pediatric trauma, resuscitate a septic ICU patient, and opine on a neck dissection. No, I wasn’t in Africa or 1985; I was sitting in front of a computer monitor.
The Changing Face Of Medical School Admissions
May 3, 2013 9:31 am | by Pauline Chen, M.D. | CommentsMedical schools have traditionally relied on undergraduate science grades and the MCAT to decide which applicants to interview. They based this approach in part on numerous studies that found good correlations between science G.P.A. and MCAT scores and subsequent medical school performance. But more recent studies have also revealed that MCAT scores are significantly influenced by a student’s race, gender, and socioeconomic background.
Perspectives On Robots In The OR (Part 2)
May 1, 2013 9:38 am | by Michael Berthelot, CEO and President, Pro-Dex Inc. | CommentsWhile there are some ways in which robots can replace human involvement during surgery, it’s unlikely that robots will completely replace human surgeons. This is because human intuition, reasoning, and experience will continue to be invaluable. Robots offer doctors and surgeons a more advanced form of decision support, make them faster, and even allow them to work remotely.
Perspectives On Robots In The OR
April 30, 2013 9:05 am | by A.J. Smith, Director of Product Marketing, Honeywell Sensing and Control | CommentsRobotic technologies combined with improved sensors and sophisticated intelligence will make inroads into many aspects of medical care, including surgical centers and operating rooms. With a proven ability to automate actions with outstanding repeatability and reliability, the opportunity exists for robots to move into non-critical and routine medical procedures.
A Plea For A Universal, Unified EMR
April 29, 2013 9:51 am | by James C. Salwitz, M.D. | CommentsWill a universal EMR save dollars? Not right away, but in the near future, absolutely. Will it improve the safety, quality and efficiency of medical care and thereby save lives. Definitely. Is there any reason to maintain our system of primitive individual medical isolation? None at all, continued delay would be ridiculous.
Attorneys And Physicians Share Common Goals?
April 26, 2013 9:37 am | by Skeptical Scalpel | CommentsA recent American College of Surgeons Bulletin article states that surgeons and liability attorneys want similar things for patients. "Both surgeons and patient attorneys are committed to patient well-being and the relief of patient suffering." Really? So for liability attorneys, it's not about the money? I see; it's about "relief of patient suffering."
Maintaining Board Certification Every Two Years
April 24, 2013 8:50 am | by Dr. Wes Fisher, M.D. | CommentsRemember the good ol' days when taking a single board certification examination from the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) was good enough to call yourself "board certified" in a medical specialty? Those were the days.
EMR Designers: Your Actions Can Kill
April 23, 2013 9:56 am | by Jordan Grumet, M.D. | CommentsAttention technologists, CEO’s, and health care consultants: your decisions can be as dangerous as a nurse with a syringe of over-concentrated heparin. When EMRs are implemented that take physicians eyes and minds away from the patient without demonstrable improvement in quality of care (and cause excess spending), patients can die.
