Dr. Wes
We’ve hit the jackpot with A Million Hearts
A million hearts or a million dreams?
Yesterday, Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H., and Donald M. Berwick, M.D., M.P.P. used the bulliest of scientific pulpits, the New England Journal of Medicine, to announce their "Million Hearts" initiative aimed at "preventing" heart attacks and strokes.
When the electronic medical record died
It’s never supposed to happen of course. But it happened today: the computer froze and could not be resurrected – a brief interlude to the daily clinic routine.
The reactions are predictable:
"Damn it. What the hell’s wrong?… Let’s try to re-boot…. (a long pause) … A switch turned off, then on… Come on, baby!!!!!… Shoot, still nothing!"
Elementary, my dear Watson
Should Watson, IBM’s artificial intelligence computer seen on Jeopardy, be classified as a medical device?
We should ask ourselves that question now, especially since your insurer might be using Watson to mine your electronic medical record to determine if your claim will be paid.
Data security: A rising problem for electronic health records
It was kind of funny reading this recent article from the New York Times that focuses on a relatively small health data breach from Stanford Hospital’s emergency room:
On Medicare’s wearable cardiac defibrillator “reconsideration”
I know what you’re thinking. "Did he fire six shots or only five?" Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you’ve got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky?
Well, do ya, punk?
Infection rates with cardiac devices: Increasing or new norm?
On closure
The chief complaint, the history and physical, the differential diagnosis, the proper testing, the treatment.
The cost of our medical licensure complex
You could see the frustration in his eyes as he spoke to his fellow resident.
"I had to fork over eight hundred and thirty five dollars," he said slowly in a disgusted tone, "… and that doesn’t even include the $300 state license fee we have to pay later…."
So much for starting our EKG conference on time.