Show 54 Wrap-up

Thanks so much to Symtym for coming on the show 54 (Download show here). I feel bad because he had this great opening planned. But, with the audio/video lag - the effect was lost, and he had to go to a landline and could not use skype from his end. Bummer, I kind of had the grand entrance mapped out in my mind. Oh well, maybe next time. (See video post above)

So, if you didn't know, he shared in his interview as a part of "mid-life crisis," he went and completed law school. And, now, he is awaiting his results after he recently took the bar. A question came up in the chat room if after law school - if he now sees some things differently like documenting in the chart, or privacy issues, or EMTALA issues. Check out the show for his answers.

Thanks to Theresa, Grunt Doc, and the Medical Quack for calling in and talking with Symtym. The show really gets animated about 50 minutes into the show. One of the best parts of the show is this type of interaction - more so than the chat room.

After about the 60 minute mark, Kevin Haynes called into the show. He is a service officer for the American Legion. And, he shared the story of a staff sergeant who is diagnosed with colon cancer. The staff sergeant is younger than I am and has two little girls. The local community has come together to help this family.

What Kevin wanted to do was to thank Grunt Doc and the readers of his blog for the help that they gave this family. The family were planned to go to Disney, but did not have the funds. Kevin sent an e-mail to GruntDoc who subsequently put it on his blog and the family was able to go on vacation.

I was very moved by this story, as well as the people in the chat room. Thanks Kevin for calling into the show and sharing their story. I'm going to try to have Kevin back to follow-up on this story. The organization that helped out is called Christian Youth Corps, Inc. I encourage all my Doctor Anonymous readers not only to read more of their story, but perhaps to share their story on your blog as well - like GruntDoc.

Finally, we had another great Ustream post-show tonight. We mainly talked about the story that Kevin shared. I also announced that I'll be at a conference next week in Dallas. And, that I have four shows in four days next week. What am I, nuts? Just maybe. Have a great weekend and week everybody! Happy Halloween!

Dr. A Show 54: Symtym

Thursday, October 30th, 2008 at 9pm Eastern Time

Just featured by the ACP Internist, The Doctor Anonymous Show is scheduled to welcome Tim who is an ER doc and author of the blog "Symtym: A Physician meandering medicine, law, and technology." Although, I have to admit that I'm a little confused - especially when I read this twitter saying that he is working tonight. I do know people like Dr. Val, Ramona, and ScanMan were very much looking forward to hearing from Tim. (Update: As sometimes happens on twitter, there was a little miscommunication. Symtym confirms his appearance to Dr. Val and to Medical Quack)

In addition to our conversation with Tim, we'll also be talking about said recognition for this show and my upcoming conference next week where I will be taking the show on the road and possibly doing FOUR shows in FOUR nights next week. What was I thinking? Finally, who knows? Maybe I'll have a Halloween costume on tonight.

If you do listen live, you can even take part in the chat room. It is truly "The show within the show." You can even call in and say hello. A great opportunity to interact with medbloggers you've only read about. And, you will be able to see me on the live webcam during the show! See you tonight!

For first time Blog Talk Radio listeners:
*Although it is not required to listen to the show, I encourage you to register on the BlogTalkRadio site prior to the show. I think it will make the process easier.

*To get to my show site, click here. As show time gets closer, keep hitting "refresh" on your browser until you see the "Click to Listen" button. Then, of course, press the "Click to Listen" button.

*You can also participate in the live chat room before, during, and after the show. Look for the "Chat Available" button in the upper right hand corner of the page. If you are registered with the BTR site, your registered name and picture will appear in the chat room.

*You can also call into the show. The number is on my show site. I'll start taking calls about halfway into the show. There is also a "Click To Talk" feature where you do not need a phone to call into the show - only a microphone headset. Hope these tips are helpful!

Show 54 Preview

The Doctor Anonymous Show is pleased to welcome Tim to show number 54 which will be Thursday, October 30th, 2008 at 9pm eastern time. (see video post above) His blog and website is called "from Symtym: A Physician meandering medicine, law, and technology." Tim is an Emergency Department physician, and you can get a little glimpse of his day by checking out his twitter feed. I did want to highlight a recent post called "Pay Faux Performance: Trauma":

Thirty year old female has heavy shelving fall on top of head causing a scalp laceration. Due to ER crowding, the patient is seen rapidly by the physician–in–triage and has CT head and neck ordered. She is then placed in the waiting room for two hours, without a cervical collar, waiting for an exam room.

Should not the ordering of CT of the neck raise the possibility of neck injury? Is not the standard of basic trauma care to have the neck immobilized and the injured placed supine? Is this defensive medicine raising a faux concern and rendering a faux performance?

Cannot catch the show live? That's ok, because each and every Doctor Anonymous Show is available for download on my BlogTalkRadio page. And, if you have iTunes, you can click here to subscribe to my iTunes feed. So, that you, the Dr. A loyal listener can check out the show anytime! Plus, if you listen live, you can participate in the chat room, and even see my shining face on the webcam. How cool is that? I know. See you for the show!

First Snow of 2008

As I twittered yesterday, the first "official" snow around here already happened. But, now, here is "official" documentation of the thing. I tried to take an iPhone picture of the thing, but that was an epic fail. However, I did have my trusty flip mino, and turned it on. What I got is the video above. I mean it's not even Halloween yet. Yeesh! So, if you like snow, here you go! If not (like me), then, oh well....

Election Day 2008

I can't believe that we're this close to election day now. Personally, I just want to get this thing over with so that we can get on with our lives. I mean, it's felt like years since this whole process started - probably because it DID take years for this thing to build up and will come to its pinnacle (hopefully) on November 4th. Unfortunately, many out there, including the Columbus Dispatch, state that attorneys will again be involved in this national election - especially here in Ohio.

Anyway, the video post above is just my public service announcement for all my Doctor Anonymous readers and listeners. Again this year, I chose to vote via absentee ballot. According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, I will be one of over 200,000 people who will cast votes early in Northeastern Ohio. So, don't forget to vote on November 4th!

Prez Health Care Policy Analysis

With 9 days left until the election, I'm actually starting to see articles that actually analyze the proposed policies of each of the presidential candidates. Imagine that? How about having an election based on differentiation of policy as opposed to personalities, or hype, or personal attacks, or anything else that you can think of.

Anyway, in today's Wall Street Journal online, the following is an excerpt from an article entitled, "Obama vs McCain: It's All About Your Money." In this article, there is analysis of policy issues like economic relief, income taxes, social security. Something this blog is interested in is the issue of health care. Here is that section below:

Sen. Obama proposes income-related subsidies for health insurance through a new national exchange, along with expanded access to Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program, and mandatory care for children. He would require employers that don't offer health coverage to contribute a percentage of payroll toward the national plan, with small businesses being exempt (and eligible for refundable tax credits on 50% of premiums).

Under this plan, premium payments for families would fall by about $185 and direct payments for health services by $253. The Lewin Group projects the Obama plan would reduce the number of uninsured by 26.6 million people in 2010, from 48.9 million.

Sen. McCain wants to replace the current income-tax exemption for health-insurance premiums paid by employers with a refundable tax credit of $5,000 per family ($2,500 for individuals). Any unused credit could be deposited into a Health Savings Account. His Guaranteed Access Plan (GAP) would allow people denied coverage to obtain insurance through state-run high-risk pools administered by private insurers, according to a report issued by the Joint Center for Political Economic Studies. Sen. McCain wants to allow people to purchase insurance across state lines, which could reduce the effectiveness of state regulations.

Under this plan, premium payments for families would increase by about $379 and direct payments for health services by about $105. "This would be more than offset by a net increase in tax subsidies of $1,570" and wage gains resulting from employer savings, the Lewin Group says. The Lewin Group projects that the McCain plan would reduce the number of uninsured by 21.1 million people.

The entire article is very good and I recommend it. However, in the specific area of health care, either candidate does not fully disclose how they will fully pay for their plan. We know that Congress approved at least $700 billion is going to banks and investment firms. 

But, what about health care, and I'm not talking about insurance companies, attorneys, and other people who don't work on the front lines of medicine. What about the docs? Oh yeah, both campaigns accusing the other side for proposing future medicare cuts. Yeesh, I should have studied to be a banking CEO....

Halloween & Diabetes

I always wondered what it was like to be Halloween and you're a kid with diabetes. This question was asked by some people (including me) last week to our buddy Kerri from the blog SixUntilMe. In her video post above, she answers this question. Also check out the comment section. She already has more than 20 comments sharing their story. The diabetes blogging community is so great!

In addition, she's wondering what everyone is dressing up as for Halloween next week. Me? I haven't figured that out yet. I asked that question on my post-show last night and people wanted me to dress up as Kermit the Frog or some other kind of muppet (I couldn't remember exactly)

The best thing about Kerri's video above is the editorial comments at the bottom of the screen. It's kind of like that "pop-up video," if anyone remembers that. Or, maybe that's her inner voice coming through on the screen. Anyway, entertaining nonetheless. Also, Kerri recently said that she has a Flip Mino camera on the way. So, hopefully, we'll be seeing more video posts soon. YAY!

Show 53 Wrap-up

Thanks so much to Carrie for being on Show 53 tonight (don't forget to rate the show!). (Download the show here.) We started the interview by talking about how she came to choose nursing as a career - and specifically the career of working with neonatal patients and their families.

We then discussed when and how she was diagnosed with her chronic illness of daily headaches. Through this experience, Carrie has become quite the advocate for patients with chronic headaches and chronic pain. (Check out the video post above)

We then talked about her love of music. She even has a blog specifically talking about her music over on wordpress. You can even download some songs that she recorded herself. I played a few pop songs that she covered, but she also has classical music over there as well. Definitely recommend that you check that out and take a listen.

Finally, I shared my intro from the Somewhere in Vegas show earlier this week. That was great fun to do. Thanks again to Marq for giving me the opportunity for that. Following the show, I went for about 30 minutes over on my ustream channel. It is so interesting because the after show is gathering as much people (almost) as the show itself. Thanks to all of you who support the show, the after show, and the blog. I really appreciate it. Have a great weekend!

Dr. A Show Tonight!

Thursday, October 23rd, 2008 at 9pm Eastern Time

The Doctor Anonymous Show is happy to welcome Carrie from the blog "NeoNurseChic" on this show tonight. Don't you love when guests do their own promos? Make sure you check out Carrie in her video post above as she mentions what she is going to talk about on the show - including her struggle with chronic disease, her blog (Carrie is a nurse who works in a neonatal intensive care unit), and anything else that comes up during the show.

If you do listen live, you can even take part in the chat room. It is truly "The show within the show." You can even call in and say hello. A great opportunity to interact with medbloggers you've only read about. And, you will be able to see me on the live webcam during the show! See you tonight!

For first time Blog Talk Radio listeners:
*Although it is not required to listen to the show, I encourage you to register on the BlogTalkRadio site prior to the show. I think it will make the process easier.

*To get to my show site, click here. As show time gets closer, keep hitting "refresh" on your browser until you see the "Click to Listen" button. Then, of course, press the "Click to Listen" button.

*You can also participate in the live chat room before, during, and after the show. Look for the "Chat Available" button in the upper right hand corner of the page. If you are registered with the BTR site, your registered name and picture will appear in the chat room.

*You can also call into the show. The number is on my show site. I'll start taking calls about halfway into the show. Hope these tips are helpful!

Strep throat amputation

Saw this video report (above) from CNN this morning. At first look, I'm thinking, "Well, this is good, right?" This will cause people to come in and be evaluated for their sore throats. Because at the end of the report, they say, "So, this winter, if you have a sore throat, get a strep test."

But, as my conspiracy theory mind starts to think, could this report further worsen the antibiotic resistance problem in this country? What do I mean by that? Well, by seeing this report, will this cause patients to further push docs to give them that antibiotic for that viral infection? Of course, there is the 48 hour strep culture. But, still. Just to think about the unintended consequences of a report like this is interesting. Now, I have to get back to work. Johnny has a sore throat in exam room two.

Show 53 Preview

The Doctor Anonymous Show is honored to welcome a good friend to the show this week. Carrie from the blog called "NeoNurseChic" has been following the blog almost since I started 2 years ago. I've been trying to have her be a guest on the show for a long time.

On her blog, Carrie talks about her constant challenges with headaches. In a post from June 26, she talks about the annual conference of the American Headache Society. She reports about the recent news in the treatment of headaches and migraines. She has made no secret about her frustrations about her chronic illness. Just check out her twitter feed.

As you can tell from the title of her blog, she is a neonatal nurse and for a while, she did talk about her job on her blog. But, then something changed and she removed virtually all of the posts having to do with work from her blog. Following this she took a blog break. She came back (YAY) on June 11, 2008 with this post.

So I haven't blogged here in over a year, although I have blogged sporadically in a couple of other ways, and I continue to follow a couple of my favorite blogs closely! The fact of the matter is that I have missed blogging so much! And blogging on other sites in other ways just hasn't been the same as it was when I had my active blog here at NeoNurseChic. Any return readers will remember why I took my blog private - it was being read at work, and nobody would let me know who was reading it so much, and I started to get paranoid about the information on my blog being used against me in some way. Taking the blog private did ease up on those feelings, but then I felt like I lost a lot of the enjoyment of having a public blog! So, in coming back, I have removed most of my old posts (they're not gone, exactly - just in hiding). I have kept some of the more general posts up - posts which don't make me feel nervous about being read!

Finally, Carrie has a love of music and she talks about it in a post from January 15, 2007 in which she recorded some of her piano playing. Hopefully, I'll be able to download some of those audio files and share them on the show with all of you. So, join us on Thursday, October 23, 2008 at 9pm Eastern Time for The Doctor Anonymous Show. See you then!

Podcamp Ohio 2

If you read this blog, you know how much I support Podcamp Ohio. They had a great event this past summer. And, from a new media standpoint, I met a lot of people and have forged a lot of great friendships just from that one meeting.

Last week, during Show 52, it was announced that next year's event will be on Saturday, June 20, 2009 and it will take place on the campus of THE Ohio State University. So, if you are anywhere near the buckeye state next summer, you definitely have to try to find the time to come and hang out with me and best people in new media.

I'm still considering putting together a presentation for PC-OH-2 next summer. The problem is that I need to find the time to create some kind of medicine/health related presentation. And, then, find a topic to talk about. Maybe I can put something together for PC-OH-2 and also present the same thing at next year's Blog World Expo during the medicine/health track. We'll see.

Stay tuned to this blog for updates on Podcamp Ohio 2, and also The Doctor Anonymous Show is the "unofficial" podcast for PC-OH-2, and I'm very excited about that. We're still thinking of having one "new media" related show a month where we'll talk about Podcamp and other new media stuff. Podcamp Ohio 2: Be There!

National domestic violence hotline

I wanted to share this audio clip with you. This usually doesn't happen, but this clip really had an effect on me. Sometimes the idea of domestic violence is portrayed in the media in a cartoon-like fashion - especially on some of those police related shows. At times, it's treated as almost like it's a "normal" part of a relationship. Thankfully, it is not.

My friend, Daniel Johnson Jr, made a very powerful audio spot talking not only talking about domestic violence, but also about the National Domestic Violence Hotline. In addition to listening to the audio, I encourage you to check out his blog post on this subject. Thanks Dan for your work and dedication on this. Well done.

Possible Career Change

Now, I've been told in the past that I have a good "radio" voice. Well, now, I'm actually starting to believe it. Here's what happened, the Somewhere in Vegas show in blogtalkradio asked me to do the intro for them this week. They are celebrating their one year anniversary. And, I want to thank Marq (the host) for giving me this opportunity. It was a lot of fun to do.

Click "play" on the player above and listen to the first 90 seconds. That's actually me doing my radio announcing voice to kick off the show. And, let me tell ya, that was lots of fun to do. I was imagining in my mind how I was going to set up the entire audio clip. I tried to find the right music and wrote my script. I rehearsed a few times to make sure the pacing was fine. And, then, hit record.

Now, I'm not the only one who thinks this. Check out the audio clip below. This is from one of my future guests named Kat. She hosts another show on the blogtalkradio network and she talks about her future guest spot on the show as well as my great radio voice (hehe). Start listening at about 50 seconds into the show where she talks about me - YAY!
So, like Kat said, if this medicine thing doesn't work out for me (HA!), then maybe I have a career in radio. I mean, hey, I definitely have the face for radio. Happy Monday!

Show 52 Wrap-up

Thanks so much to Justin from Podcamp Pittsburgh for joining The Doctor Anonymous Show 52 this evening (Download the show here). We talked about the origins of the PCPGH event along with its evolution. They have had a surge of people register in the past week. So much so that they have to order more food for the event. We also talked about all the great people who are volunteering their time for the success of PCPGH. Best of luck with the event!

We also had Angelo call in to talk about Podcamp Ohio 2009. He announced on the show this evening that PCOH will take place on Saturday, June 20, 2009. And, the venue of the event will be at THE Ohio State University. So, that is very exciting. We also talked about the planning stages for the event. We're still thinking that there will be one Dr. A show a month devoted to Podcamp Ohio (and I'm happy to do that).

Thanks to Daniel Lewis for calling into the show at the beginning of the show. We talked about the struggles of redesigning your website. Thanks also to Daniel Johnson, Jr. He mentioned the meetup this weekend for New Media Cincy. And, he's also involved with a very entertaining podcast named "The Pod 5."

Right at the beginning of the show, my skype cut me off, for some reason. So, that threw me off right at the start. Plus, I even had a prank caller tonight on the show. It really threw me off and made me upset. Hopefully, I handled things ok. I'll let you be the judge of that. Finally, I had a post-show over on my ustream site. And, had a great crowd over there chatting it up. So, overall, another great night of broadcasting. Thanks so much to everyone who checked out the show! Have a great weekend!

Update: Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. I was asked to help out for the First Anniversary show for "Somewhere In Vegas" whose show will be on Monday, October 20, 2008 at 8pm Eastern Time. Listen right at the beginning of the show. I do a little intro for them.

Dr. A Show tonight

Thursday, October 16th, 2008 at 9pm Eastern Time

We're going to have a more new media focus on the show tonight (and less so medical focus on the show tonight). The Doctor Anonymous Show is happy to welcome the organizers from Podcamp Pittsburgh. PCPGH takes place October 18-19, 2008. In addition, Angelo from Podcamp Ohio will be stopping by and he will have a big announcement to share with us.

If you do listen live, you can even take part in the chat room. It is truly "The show within the show." You can even call in and say hello. A great opportunity to interact with medbloggers you've only read about. And, you will be able to see me on the live webcam during the show! See you tonight!

For first time Blog Talk Radio listeners:
*Although it is not required to listen to the show, I encourage you to register on the BlogTalkRadio site prior to the show. I think it will make the process easier.

*To get to my show site, click here. As show time gets closer, keep hitting "refresh" on your browser until you see the "Click to Listen" button. Then, of course, press the "Click to Listen" button.

*You can also participate in the live chat room before, during, and after the show. Look for the "Chat Available" button in the upper right hand corner of the page. If you are registered with the BTR site, your registered name and picture will appear in the chat room.

*You can also call into the show. The number is on my show site. I'll start taking calls about halfway into the show. There is also a "Click To Talk" feature where you do not need a phone to call into the show - only a microphone headset. Hope these tips are helpful!

Show 52 Preview

The Doctor Anonymous Show is happy to welcome Podcamp Pittsburgh to show number 52. (see video post above) Scheduled to appear is Justin who is a co-organizer for the event which is this weekend. Their schedule looks fabulous and their sponsor list looks impressive.

Also, since this is the "unofficial" podcast of Podcamp Ohio 2009, we hope to have an update on the current plans for the PCOH event. There have been recent discussions on their Google discussion group on possible dates and locations. I hope to have some news for you on that front.

In addition to all of that, who knows what else we'll talk about. I may give an update on the Emergiblog poll for the proposed medical/health blogging track for Blog World Expo 2009. I'm also excited about our upcoming guests for the next few weeks. Finally, I'll be going to a meeting at the beginning of November and planning to do some shows from there. How exciting is that? See you for this week's show!

Show 51 Wrapup: Get Better Health

Thanks so much to Dr. Val Jones for being our guest on The Doctor Anonymous Show 51. In an exclusive to the show, Dr. Val shared her new project with us called "Getting Better" and this URL is http://getbetterhealth.com (I admit I was a little confused because it's "Getting Better" site, but getbetterhealth.com) (You can also download show 51 here)

On the blog portion of the site, she stated in our conversation that she will be focusing on interviews. She is a member of the National Press Club which gives her access to opinion leaders, celebrities, policy makers, and a variety of other people. There will also be "Getting Better TV," in which she will be utilizing video to broadcast conversations with people.

Dr. Val also talked about the "Getting Better Store." In a press release, this is described as somewhere that will "help consumers find the best quality and price on medical equipment, supplies and devices to ease the transition from the doctor's office to their home." She also shares her love for cartoons by having a link to "Getting Better Cartoons" on the site.

One of the great things about the people in new media medicine is that we definitely support each other, and that showed through tonight. Thanks so much to those who called in including Ramona, Kerri, Mother Jones, and Health Train. And, thanks so much for everyone who joined us live in the chat room tonight.

After our interview, I proudly announced that The Doctor Anonymous Show and The Doctor Anonymous Blog will be featured in the November edition of the ACP Internist. The publication has also recently featured Rural Doctoring and Kevin, MD.

Finally, at the very end of the show, I shared a recent appearance I had on the Annie and Burl Live show where they made a parody song about me - very funny stuff. This was in response to a parody song I made about them. And, yes, I did play my bad singing on the show (so you have to check that out). Following the show, I also went about 45 minutes on my Ustream Channel. Thanks so much to all of you who checked out the show and the post show. Have a great weekend!

Dr. A Show 51: Dr. Val Jones

Thursday, October 9th, 2008 at 9pm Eastern Time

In a Doctor Anonymous Show exclusive, our guest will be Dr. Val Jones (see video post above). Val even "tweeted" along the lines of "Doctor Anonymous has the scoop." Rumors have been circling for weeks asking this question - "What is Dr. Val going to do next?" On show 51, she will answer that question. (Can I hype this up any more? hehe).

In addition to this, we'll talk about Dr. Val being the first homeless blogger of the medical blogosphere, er, new media medicine. (HA!). We'll also talk about "Grand Rounds" of which she is now an integral part. How about conferences? We'll talk about the Health 2.0 conference which will be in San Francisco later this month, and BlogWorld Expo 2008 (and 2009).

Following our conversation, I will be happy to announce that the show (and my blog) will be featured in a major medical website next month. Which one? Well, you will just have to tune in live to find out. I'm also going to share some updated information regarding the poll being taken by Emergiblog about the medblogger track at BlogWorldExpo 2009.

Finally, I want to share with all of you a recent appearance on one of my favorite blogtalkradio shows (Annie and Burl Live!). They made this parody song about me, and I think it's very funny. So you can't miss that!

If you do listen live, you can even take part in the chat room. It is truly "The show within the show." You can even call in and say hello. A great opportunity to interact with medbloggers you've only read about. And, you will be able to see me on the live webcam during the show! See you tonight!

For first time Blog Talk Radio listeners:
*Although it is not required to listen to the show, I encourage you to register on the BlogTalkRadio site prior to the show. I think it will make the process easier.

*To get to my show site, click here. As show time gets closer, keep hitting "refresh" on your browser until you see the "Click to Listen" button. Then, of course, press the "Click to Listen" button.

*You can also participate in the live chat room before, during, and after the show. Look for the "Chat Available" button in the upper right hand corner of the page. If you are registered with the BTR site, your registered name and picture will appear in the chat room.

*You can also call into the show. The number is on my show site. I'll start taking calls about halfway into the show. There is also a "Click To Talk" feature where you do not need a phone to call into the show - only a microphone headset. Hope these tips are helpful!

October Show Preview

After taking a week off, The Doctor Anonymous Show returns this week with a four week run of great shows coming up. Dr. Val Jones (pictured above) makes a return as a guest on the show. She is formerly of Revolution Health and lately, she has been everywhere in new media medicine - namely guest posting on a bunch of medblogs lately. You have to join us for Show number 51 which will be Thursday, October 9th, 2008 at 9pm Eastern Time.

Where has Dr. Val been? Well, this has been documented pretty well on Suture for a Living - by our pal Ramona. Her post named "Dr. Val Sightings" chronicles more than a dozen blogs where Dr. Val has shared her talents. It's been really fun playing, "Where in the blogosphere is Dr. Val?"

In addition to that, we'll talk about her recent conference experiences - especially at BlogWorld Expo (especially her interview with blogtalkradio). And, we'll talk about a conference she'll be attending later this month called The Health 2.0 Conference in San Francisco.

Following our conversation with Dr. Val, I have a very important announcement that I want to share with everyone. What is the announcement? Well, you'll just have to tune in live to see what that is. Plus, I also wanted to share an appearance I had recently on one of my favorite blogtalkradio shows (other than mine - hehe).

Finally, I also wanted to highlight future shows that we have coming up in "Doc-tober" (hehe). On October 16th, this will be a new media show. We'll be talking with Justin Kownacki from Podcamp Pittsburgh which will be taking place October 18-19. Look out Pittsburgh! I'm planning to attend PC-PGH! Angelo, our pal from Podcamp Ohio, is also scheduled to be on the show.

On October 23rd, Carrie from the NeoNurseChic blog will join us to talk about what life is like with a chronic illness. To end the month, Tim from the Symtym blog will join us to talk about medicine, new media, technology, and whatever else may come up. So, I'm very excited about this months' shows!

Phone bill woes

I was making the rounds over on Viddler and saw this interesting video posted by our pal Enrico. Apparently, he could not find is bill using that lame thing he calls a blackberry (hehe). Epic FAIL! Maybe it's time to switch to the iPhone, buddy. Just kidding. Great video!

Show Update

If you didn't already know, I'm not going to have a blogtalkradio show this week. I know that I mentioned this previously, but I'm the team physician for our boys high school soccer team. We have an away game on show night. So, rather than be stressed out about being home on time for the show, I just cancelled the show. As you may remember, I ended up being late for a show a few weeks ago, and I still feel bad about that (especially for the scheduled guest).

Anyway, there will not be a BTR show, but I may go live with my Ustream channel when I get home from the game. It's just that I don't know exactly when I will be home. I'm thinking that I will be home between 9:30-10pm eastern time. If people are going to be around, leave a comment below or send me a twitter. Keep track of if/when I go live by subscribing to my twitter feed.

I also wanted to highlight some links for this week. First, I did want to mention again GruntDoc's caption contest. He even has newly designed graphics for caption winners. Secondly, I wanted to mention Emergiblog's poll on possible topics for the MedBlogger track for the 2009 BlogWorld Expo. Get on over there and vote in her poll. Thirdly, another shout out to Kevin, MD for his op-ed piece.

Have you been tracking Dr. Val as she has been tracking through new media medicine with her guest blogging on a variety of different sites. A good summary is over at Suture For A Living. Next week, the one and only Dr. Val will grace us with his presence on Thursday, October 9th, 2008 at 9pm eastern time on blogtalkradio.

Finally, did you know that I call into other BTR shows? Yes, this does happen. Last night, I called into The Annie and Burl Live show when they were talking about something called "Horny Goat Weed." What's that? Start listening at about 10 minutes into the show for the start of this discussion. I called into the show about 64 minutes into the show and who knows what I was talking about - you'll have to listen to the show to check it out.

Kevin, MD: USA Today Op-Ed

One of New Media Medicine's leading voices, Kevin Pho, has another op-ed piece in USA Today. It is entitled, "Why Doctors Still Balk At Electronic Medical Records." Here is an excerpt:

Despite the advantages of computerized records — including reduction of errors, improved preventive care and potential health care cost savings — adoption of the technology remains distressingly low. In addition, the learning curve for these programs is steep, increasing the amount of time a physician spends per patient.

Furthermore, today's electronic record systems are riddled with problems. Many programs boil the patient encounter down to a series of "yes" or "no" questions that are then entered into the software. The resulting computer-generated notes are almost devoid of useful clinical information.

I could not agree more. I am a primary care physician myself and our physician group has been dragging our feet on getting an electronic medical records system. The reasons above are among our rationale. In addition, Kevin is now a member of the USA Today's Board of Contributors. Congrats on this and thanks for keeping up the voice of physicians.