Making a List and Checking It Twice

Looking through the open cockpit door as I boarded a Southwest flight, I noticed the pilot and copilot huddled over a clipboard. I had plenty of time to watch; a delay in boarding caused by a passenger trying to shove a steamer trunk into an overhead bin caused our line to grind to a halt. […]

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Keeping the Madmen Healthy

Could it get any better at the top? Corporate executives seemingly have many perks; private jets, golf club memberships, and events held at exotic locations. Companies and their boards justify these perks, due to the stresses and strains of the job and the need to keep their top executives healthy; otherwise these companies risks declining […]

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The Doctor Will See You NOW!

If you’re looking for the front door of a hospital and assume it’s under the grand awning, straddled by ornate Corinthian columns and under a brightly lit sign reading “St. Elsewhere,” you’d be wrong. Most hospital administrators might not like to admit it, but the front door is really through the emergency room. By far, […]

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EMR and the Falling Patient

Is Mom at risk of falling? Electronic medical records (EMR) efficiently capture physician’s keystrokes—yes or no—to this question and tuck it along side other data about our so–called medical lives. The physician’s judgment has to take into account many factors: is the patient elderly and ‘frail,’ do they have an orthopedic or neurological problem causing […]

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Through Thick and Thin

To whom do we complain? I thought about this question while watching a talk given by Dr. Deborah Rhodes at a recent TED conference. Dr. Rhodes, the Director of Mayo Clinic’s Executive Health Program, spoke about the possibilities and politics of screening for breast cancer. She discussed her work with engineers on developing a new […]

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Hear No Evil

Is it possible to change one’s thoughts? According to one author, it’s not only possible but is the most effective, dramatic way to positively change our behavior. Spencer Lord, writing in his new book “The Brain Mechanic,” explains that cognitive behavioral therapy helps us understand how we can control our response to stressful events. As he […]

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See No Evil

The new year is here and it’s already great. I knew it would be great when I overslept (thanks to an iPhone alarm glitch). Stumbling out of bed in the dark, I rushed to the shower and almost immediately struck my foot on an immoveable object—the bathroom scale. Like a scene out of a Hitchcock movie […]

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The Neverending Story

We’re hearing a lot about the use of electronic medical records (EMR) in medicine. The government is all for it—providing financial incentives for those with EMRs and disincentives for those still relying on paper charts to make their way through the world. Most health professionals, especially new physicians in training, simply can’t imagine a world […]

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2010 in review

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health: The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Fresher than ever. Crunchy numbers The Leaning Tower of Pisa has 296 steps to reach the top. This blog was viewed about 1,000 times in 2010. If […]

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Top Ten Tips for 2011

We should all have a wish list for the new year. Looking back at the year in medicine, I’ve chosen what I believe are ten goals, that if we were to meet them, could fundamentally change our lives for the better. These apply to both men and women and are in no particular order: Have […]

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