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...
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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