Dr. Wes

EKG Du Jour #25 - The Exercise Enthusiast

2012-01-26T20:49:00.000-06:00

He was a 65 year-old previously healthy avid exercise enthusiast on no medications who was referred for evaluation of two near-syncopal episodes. The first episode occurred approximately 10 minutes after he stopped exercising on a treadmill. He felt he had to grab the wall to prevent himself from falling. The second occurred after riding his bike home from the gym. Just after riding his bike

Doctors Helping Doctors (and Their Patients) Via Social Media

2012-01-26T08:43:00.002-06:00

It was supposed to be a closed meeting attended by doctors who had a large amount of experience dealing with patients with St. Jude Riata leads, a defibrillator lead that recently garnered an FDA Class I advisory (recall) status due to it's high failure rate. Only 55 doctors and a few industry personnel were brought together to try to determine what to recommend to the rest of us who must deal

Medcity News: Ten Cardiologists to Follow on Twitter

2012-01-25T17:19:00.000-06:00

Thanks to MedCity News for their recognition today. Good folks, all. -Wes

Some Downsides of Social Media for Doctors

2012-01-25T13:00:00.006-06:00

With the preponderance of optimistic takes on physicians participating (some even suggesting we have an obligation to participate) in various forms of social media through blogging, Twitter-ing, and Facebook-ing, perhaps one of us should take a moment to acknowledge that there are some downsides to this practice for doctors and nurses. Increasingly, I have been thinking a lot about this topic

Medical Grand Rounds at USAToday This Week

2012-01-24T10:00:00.005-06:00

Be sure to check out this week's Grand Rounds hosted by Val Jones, MD over at USAToday's Healthy Perspective blog. Because of the number of submissions included (55!), Grand Rounds will be divided in to four posts - one at 10am (Health Tips), 1pm (True Stories), 5pm (Myth-Busters & Controversies), and 8pm (Healthcare Costs) today. So check back often to healthypov.usatoday.com to digest some of

Congressman Mark Kirk Suffers Stroke

2012-01-23T12:39:00.004-06:00

From the Chicago Tribune today: A Kirk spokesperson says the 52-year-old senator checked himself into Lake Forest Hospital. He was transferred to Northwestern, where tests showed he'd suffered a stroke. A statement from Kirk's office says the surgery was successful and that doctors are "very confident" in his recovery based on his age and health.My guess: if the surgeons are "very confident" in

Honesty Is the Best Policy

2012-01-23T10:38:00.000-06:00

It goes without saying: if procedures have complications, be truthful with the public and with patients. Otherwise, some might publically question your outcomes. If that happens, noone is likely to benefit. -Wes

Blogging As Therapy

2012-01-22T08:37:00.000-06:00

Thank's to Dr. John Mandrola, my secret's out. -Wes

Caption Contest: Taking It to New Heights

2012-01-18T12:50:00.002-06:00

Click image to enlarge Yes, it's a porta-potty and yes, this is the view outside our clinic lunch-room. Now, you pick the picture's caption. The winner will be chosen by our office staff later this week. What's the prize? Sorry, our new Physician Payment Sunshine Act limits the prize to bragging rights only. Good luck! -Wes

Chowing Down On Microchips

2012-01-17T11:45:00.000-06:00

Imagine a "smart pill" containing a microchip that tells a computer when you've taken your medication. Reality? You bet:UK-based retail pharmacy chain Lloydspharmacy has inked an exclusive deal with Proteus Biomedical to launch Proteus’ first commercial product, Helius, an offering that includes sensor-enabled pills, a peel-and-stick sensor patch worn on the body, and a mobile health app. The

Grand Rounds Is Up

2012-01-17T08:51:00.000-06:00

... over at Codeblog - tales of a nurse:Whereas in the past the host would post nearly every link they received, it appears that we are now moving towards more curated content. I said in my previous post that I wasn’t going to institute a theme, but I was definitely more drawn to the personal-story type posts.Enjoy. -Wes

Oops: Transplant Heart Dropped On the Way to the Recipient

2012-01-15T12:50:00.000-06:00

... and it was caught on video: Talk about the "10-second" rule! Heh. -Wes

Large EMR's: The Back Story

2012-01-15T10:37:00.000-06:00

I was surprised to see the backstory of EPIC Systems of Verona, WI, appear in the New York Times this morning. EPIC is one of the "biggie" electronic medical record systems that boasts 260 customers covering some 127 million patients' medical records by 2013. The article covers how the company was started and makes sure to mention the fact by Judith Faulkner, EPIC's CEO, that “to the best of

My Health Care System Starts a Blog

2012-01-13T18:01:00.000-06:00

This post represents post number 3000 to this blog. (Not all have been published - some sit as kernels of brilliance to bestow upon my readership at a later date when the time is right or after I rework them a bit). As striking as that may seem to some, I must say that this effort was finally acknowledged by my institution in an indirect fashion: they launched their own blog today. Very cool.

Fisher House Reaches LeapFrog Status

2012-01-13T07:38:00.000-06:00

PRWeb (Chicago, IL) – Following an unprecedented first winter snowfall, the Fisher household achieved LeapFrog status attaining complete snow removal by no later than one hour before family members were scheduled to egress the premises. “This represents a landmark achievement by any house in the neighborhood,” says Mortimer T. Schnerd member of the 12-member LeapFrog assessment team. For the

Duly Notified

2012-01-11T06:50:00.000-06:00

Warning: You are entering the chart of a deceased person What? What happened? They called me about him. Said he was sick. He stared again at the message. Warning: You are entering the chart of a deceased person Should I open the chart? (Screw it - I need to find out what happened!) But what if I do? (I'm not trying the alter the chart. Really. It's not my fault no one called me to

Eliminating Waste in Health Care

2012-01-10T14:40:00.001-06:00

It's the new rage: eliminating waste in health care:Nine medical specialty societies are joining with the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation and Consumer Reports to curtail waste in health care and improve patient outcomes. As much as 30% of U.S. health care is squandered on unnecessary tests, procedures, hospital stays and other services, according to the Congressional Budget Office

It's Time to Look Critically at Board Certification

2012-01-07T23:37:00.000-06:00

From Edwin Leap, MD:Unfortunately, the rank and file is very unhappy. There is remarkable discontent, and considerable anger, among the lesser physicians. That is, the test takers, the physicians in practice subject to the new rules, the ones who have to add one more rule, one more activity, one more form, one more check to their already busy lives. That discontent, that anger, that frustration

Better Health Says Goodbye

2012-01-07T09:07:00.000-06:00

Sad to see it go:2012 will mark Better Health’s 4th year anniversary of group medical blogging. I began Better Health with the hope of organizing “voices of reason” in the health blogosphere so that our ideas would enjoy greater circulation and be more influential. We were the early adopters of social media – some of the first physicians, nurses, patient advocates, and scientists to join together

Fun In the Coed Cath Lab Locker Room

2012-01-06T18:29:00.000-06:00

I have to admit, when I saw our curtained changing area, it made me hesitate momentarily: Fortunately, it was just the work of some creative techs: ... having some Friday fun in the coed cath lab locker room. -Wes

How to Stop Incenting EMR Note Bloat

2012-01-05T21:58:00.000-06:00

It happened again today: an elderly lady with critical aortic stenosis with all it's cool findings: late peaking harsh, palpable murmur, Gallavardin phenomenon, LV heave - the works! And what did the electronic medical record from the intern picking up the patient say?"CV - Irreg rate and rhythm, no murmurs, clicks or rubs." No doubt this was a documentation macro that was not edited or else

Tough Guy Does CPR Hard and Fast

2012-01-03T21:05:00.001-06:00

While it might not be quite as funny as the Portugese Cardiology Foundation's Big Belly People video which takes a stab at the obesity epidemic, the British Heart Foundation does a pretty good job getting the "hard and fast" message out for "hands-only CPR" using British tough-guy Vinnie Jones in its new TV ad: Heh. -Wes

Giving Thanks to a Rule-Breaker

2012-01-02T06:41:00.000-06:00

The call never should have been made. It broke every proscribed rule. After all, I was not on call. Thanks to the wonders of computer technology, it was very clear that I was being covered by my colleague. And yet, despite this, it came. “Dr. Fisher, I’m so sorry for calling you at home, but I received a call from Ms. X, the wife of your patient Mr. Y. who said she really needed to speak

Health Care's New Playbook

2011-12-30T10:34:00.000-06:00

It is tough playing man-to-man when coaches on the sideline keep insisting your team plays zone. Such is it with health care. For doctors, the man-to-man defense never ends. Stay with them. Glue to them. Move with them. Run with them. Defend against the bounce pass, or the dribble to avoid the admission. Hands up! Watch their waist, ignore the head fake. You shift your coverage to

Where Medicine and Aviation Meet

2011-12-27T07:11:00.000-06:00

From Cory Franklin, MD in today's Chicago Tribune:The tragic tale of Flight 447 should not only be a case study in aviation but also in medicine. Medicine is becoming less of a hands-on science and more dependent on sophisticated tests and high-tech scans. As in aviation, there is an overall benefit; diagnosis and treatment are better than ever. But the same problem bedevils medicine, perhaps