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Doctoring Reflection

Right Care — There is always something to do

Some of my most poignant moments in medicine happen after the ablations and devices are finished. That’s when I go visit with patients up in the medical wards. My legs are fried from standing all day. So I sit, a key move because then you are ready to listen. One good thing about computers in […]

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Doctoring General Medicine Health Care Health Care Reform Healthy Living Knowledge

Another thing to fear in healthcare: Getting an Xray

I head to Chicago this weekend for the 4th Annual Lown Institute Conference. The Lown Institute seeks to catalyze grassroots movements for transforming healthcare systems and improving the health of communities. For those of you who want to be on the right side of the street of history, Dr. Bernard Lown, a cardiologist, activist, and […]

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Doctoring Health Care Health Care Reform Knowledge

Right Care Action Week — Change what we fear

Last night I talked with one of my partners about a few terrible cases of medical harm from unnecessary procedures. He said, “John, people get this stuff done to them because they fear not being healthy. People are scared.” My answer was that people should fear healthcare more than they do disease. That sounds like […]

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Doctoring Health Care Health Care Reform Knowledge

Right Care Action Week — Let’s make the invisible visible

Seven out of eight patients in his clinic one afternoon had unnecessary care. This from Dr. Atul Gawande, who may be the most respected physician in the world. And he works at Harvard. Overuse wastes resources. Overuse causes harm. Overuse fosters underuse. We must make it visible. The public needs to know. Here you go: […]

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Doctoring General Medicine Health Care Health Care Reform ICD/Pacemaker Knowledge

Right Care Action Week — Be skeptical

Right Care seeks to be smart care. In the first part of my career, I rarely looked critically at the evidence. I was too busy; and I was more trusting of the vertical hierarchy of medicine. Eminence-based medicine seemed normal. Listen to the experts, for they are experts, went my mindset. Then something happened. When […]