Bureaucratized shift-work is not good for doctors and it’s not good for patients. I don’t know what the solution will be. Primary care doctors are asking to be paid by the hour, not for piece work. That might help. The wealthy can afford concierge doctors. Maybe something will come out of the medical home concept. If doctors and patients get unhappy enough, perhaps a creative solution will evolve.
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Among medical specialties, some are more prestigious than others. You can generally tell which ones are more prestigious by how well they pay. Surgery and cardiology, for example, rank at the top of the prestige scale. Psychiatry and dermatology are near the bottom.
One ...
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By
Jan -
December 24, 2009
Source: Wunderground
When did we start calling the whole day before Christmas "Christmas Eve?" I thought Christmas Eve was the evening before Christmas. But no. Senators voted on health care reform at 1:00 AM on Thursday December 24th. To me, that's still Wednesday night, but ...
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Categories:
Aging Dying & Death,
Health & Medicine,
Politics & Issues -
Tags: aging, climate change, clinical medicine, corporations, death, doctor/patient relationship, exercise, health care, health news, medical profession, medicalization, politics, risk0 Comments -
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By
Jan -
October 27, 2009
Source: Urban Acupuncture
I'm generally sympathetic to the benefits of alternative therapies. That's not surprising given I've studied, practiced, and taught alternative therapies, in addition to having a PhD in the History of Science and Medicine. There are times, however, ...
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By
Jan -
October 20, 2009
Source: Palliative Care Foundation
This past summer, thanks in large part to Sarah Palin, we were inundated with sound bites about death panels, pulling the plug on grandma, and saving the government money by dying a little sooner.
Palin's emotionally manipulative Facebook ...
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By
Jan -
October 17, 2009
Source: The Witch Doctor
Nearly half of students in US medical schools are female. Studies show that, compared to their male counterparts, women doctors are friendlier, spend more time with their patients, and are less likely to be sued.
According to Jorge Girotti of ...
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By
Jan -
September 8, 2009
Source: Classic TV History
I collect stories of how the doctor/patient relationship has changed over the last half century. There's a new generation of doctors and patients who've only known the 12-minute office visit. For them, an extended, personal conversation between a patient ...
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By
Jan -
September 2, 2009
Source: Bill Moyers Journal
Here's a second installment from the documentary Money-Driven Medicine. The producer, Alex Gibney, is an Oscar-winning filmmaker (Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room). ...
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Source: Salvation Army
"After I had berated the patient for his obvious failure to comply with my recommendations to correct his 'misbehavior,' he said, 'You know, doctor, there is more to life than good health.' These words have helped me rein in my sometimes overzealous ...
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