Doctors and the Information Technology Paradox
Healthcare IT has great potential, but the lack of compatibility and conformity is making its role as a cost- and time-saving savior improbable.
'Why I'm Leaving Private Practice'
Cardiologist David Mokotoff writes about why he has decided to retire; and why he won't miss the constant overseeing of his work by faceless bureaucrats, politicians, and third-party payers.
Guns, Doctors, Patients, and the Second Amendment
The president wants physicians to ask patients about their gun ownership. To me, this is not the best use of our time or the solution to avoid future tragedies.
Single-payer Healthcare is the End Game of Reform
As the Affordable Care Act moves forward, it is inevitable that consumer-driven healthcare is its goal. Here's why.
The Problem with Pay-for-performance Incentives for Physicians
Pay-for-performance is an increasingly popular, yet largely unproven, concept for rewarding the providers of healthcare. They can be helpful …or harmful.
Living on the Cusp of Retirement as a Physician
After contemplating a career that is seeing diminished autonomy, I've selected the date I'll retire from private practice medicine.
Doctors as Patients: The View from the Other Side
As a physician, undergoing the same procedures you order for patients can provide insight, empathy, and a lot of compassion.
Universal Health Insurance May Not Lead to Universal Healthcare
As long as we view health insurance, rather than access to healthcare, as a right in this country, the problem will only get worse.
Technology and the Older Physician
I believe I've kept up with the technological advances in medicine, and am convinced that the benefits outweigh the risks.
Running a Medical Practice: Does Government Help or Hurt?
The goals for most federal government mandates are well intentioned, but the execution of them, and impact on physician offices, are counterproductive.
Meaningful Use More Like Meaningless Tasks
While a big proponent of the EHR, I am not an advocate of meaningless rules and criteria … to be 'incentivized' by Medicare.
The 'July Effect' in Healthcare
July is a good time to remember that all of us in medicine need to help design true quality measures to strike a balance between learning and good patient care.
Medical Practice Purchases: Health Reform Creates Déjà Vu
No matter the fate of healthcare reform, hospitals buying up private practices will continue, to the detriment of physicians and patients.
In Obesity Battle, Hospitals Need to Lead by Example
Healthy choices are the key to reducing obesity. But this isn't always an easy task - even for physicians and patients in the hospital.
Even Physicians Have a Hard Time Finding a Good Physician
Despite what friends and families think, physicians rarely have insider knowledge on the "best" physician and have trouble getting that information themselves.
Patients, Doctors Both Face Medication Side Effect Info Overload
With the mushrooming litigation climate, and the advent of the Internet, patients are now bombarded with copious information about their care, and in particular their medications.
Sleep-deprived Physicians: Good for Training, Bad for Patients
I do agree that a more humane training schedule for medical students, interns, and residents was long overdue. But as the saying goes, “the devil is in the details."
Bureaucracy: A Leading Contributor to the Death of Private Practice
It seems that every decision we make as doctors …is questioned or blocked by a bureaucrat, allegedly on behalf of the patient to keep medical care “cost-effective.”
The Uncertain Future of American Medicine
This latest scheme to “reform” American healthcare won’t directly affect me. However, I fear for the effects on patients and future doctors.
Dear Mr. Hospital CEO: Here's How to Boost Patient Satisfaction
Here are eight recommendations for every hospital CEO or administrator about what patients remember and appreciate about your facility and their stay.
The Problem with Healthcare Core Measures
In another shining example of the law of unintended consequences, what began as a well-meaning policy in healthcare has lost all sense of logic.
Medical Practice Christmas Season Feels More Grinch-Like
In the minefield of government regulations and compliance worries regarding gifts, we’ve stopped saying thank you this holiday season.
The Other French Paradox: Why Are Americans So Obese?
A trip to Europe provides perspective on the size of Americans and whether it is what’s in our food that’s making us obese, vs. how much of it we consume.
Physician Empathy Can Benefit from Seeing the Patient Perspective
Nurses and doctors often dread taking care of a physician or his family, so I tried to be as unobtrusive as possible.
One Physician’s Exam Room Epiphany
Instead of being just an objective observer of illness, I have started to identify with my patients.
Dough or Diagnosis? Finding My Plan B
Cardiologist David Mokotoff feels at home whether he's prescribing a Mediterranean diet for his patients or snapper with orange brandy sauce for his family.
Dealing with Demanding Dan
Cardiologist David Mokotoff remembers a patient who was demanding, abrasive, and obnoxious - and whose estate sued him for malpractice. The doctor’s biggest regret: That he hadn’t done better by old Dan.