The Kate McMahon Lecture Delivered by Dean Robert H Ebert MD
This is the full text of the Kate McMahon Lecture delivered by Dean Robert H Ebert MD of Harvard Medical School at Simmons College, Boston, on October 19, 1967. Much has been written in recent years about medicine and the physician. In keeping with the “Madison...
Another Hurdle Cleared at the Supreme Court!
Thanks to the Supreme Court, healthcare reform has cleared another hurdle.  At 10:21 AM yesterday, as I was writing this week’s letter a banner appeared on my screen: NPR:Breaking News–Supreme Court Rules Obamacare Subsidies Are Legal Just seven words but...
The Moral Injury of Avoidable Death
Last week I passed on a story my friend Dr. Doug Beers told me about a case of avoidable death as a result of medical “overkill.” It was a distressing story, but Doug recently told me another story that disturbed me more. We were sitting on the dock at my place on...
Overkill Can Be Deadly
Dr. Doug Beer, my former colleague and longtime friend, told me a story about the way healthcare overkill can actually kill a patient. Doug, who practices internal medicine at Emanuel Hospital in Portland, Oregon, and I were talking about cancer treatment during a...
Joys and Sorrows of Healthcare Professionals
Healthcare professionals find both joy and sorrow in their work. Many of us carry scars. I think it helps to tell the stories we carry with us from our experiences in the present system, even when they are not feel-good stories. It gives us ways to think about...
Everyone Gains from Lean
Everyone, whether they are senior management, middle management, line management or the hands-on employee has much to gain from Lean. Lean can buffer the impact of chronic issues of emotional fatigue and performance pressure. It also helps with the stress of...
Born Too Soon for Lean
Lean arrived a little late for me. Even now, the Triple Aim is still more of a goal than a reality. When I think back over the system of waste in which I practiced medicine, I am left with the regret of the lost time spent licking envelopes, making calls for...
Pioneer ACOs’ Successful Efforts
Recently the Boston Globe published the much-anticipated results of the independent actuarial accounting of the results of the first two years of the Pioneer ACOs program of CMMI.(Click here to read the whole article.) I find it impossible to read this without wanting...
Medical Practice & the 8 Wastes
As I reflect in early retirement on my years of practice, I am a little surprised that I am losing the names of many of my patients. I saw thousands of patients in more than a hundred thousand office visits and stood at the bedsides of thousands more in hundreds of...Case Study – Elizabeth Mcarthy
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