Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Happy Doctor's Day!


If you didn't already know, March 30th is National Doctor's Day. (But isn't every day - Doctor's Day? hehe) Last year, I shared a little bit about the story behind Doctor's Day - and I encourage you to take a read of that post as well.

This year, the hospital got the docs snuggies - yes, snuggies. Now, don't get me wrong, I like it - it's good stuff. And, yes, I'll be wearing this all day today. So, wish your favorite doctor (other than me - hehe) a Happy Doctor's Day. And, if they don't have a snuggie, then go ahead and get them one today!

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Join me in San Francisco in June!


You probably heard me talk on Twitter about a conference I was invited to be a part of. I'm happy to share with you that I will be attending Digital Pharma West in San Francisco in late June 2010. The dates for the meeting are June 28-30 at the Le Meridien San Francisco hotel.

I have never been to this meeting before, but according to the promotional materials, "This conference is designed for professionals from the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries whose responsibilities include marketing, emarketing, ebusiness, advertising/promotions, brand management, product management, information technology, and regulatory affairs."


As you can see from the image above, I will be on a panel with Dr. Rob Lamberts and Dr. Bryan Vartabedian. As you may remember, we also shared a panel last fall at BlogWorldExpo 2009. I guess the organizers liked our work - hehe.

We are the featured session on Wednesday, June 30, 2010. The title of the panel is "Listen to a Unique Conversation between leading HCP Marketers and Three Top MDs/Social Media Activists." The panel is lead by Jason Appel, Director Relationship Marketing, Amgen. And, as you can see in the image above there are a lot of questions for me to think about going into this session.

Exclusive to friends of Doctor Anonymous (this means you!), you get a 15% discount by giving my promo code P622DRA during the registration process. How cool is that? So, if you want to see me, Doc_Rob, and Doctor_V chat about medicine and social media - in addition to an excellent rest of the program, join us at Digital Pharma West in June!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Dr. A Show Tonight!


BlogTalkRadio Listen Live

Thursday, March 25, 2010 at 9pm ET (0100 UTC)

I invite you to join me tonight for Doctor Anonymous Show 156 where our guest will be a friend of mine whom I haven't spoken to in a long time. Dr. Gerry Tolbert is his name and he is currently a resident physician in Family Medicine in Greenwood, South Carolina. I met Gerry when we were heavily involved with the American Academy of Family Physicians - I believe when I was a resident and when he was a student.

Gerry found me on Facebook recently and we've been chatting. One day he was like, "I'd like to come on the show sometime and chat." I think this was around the time of the Apple iPad announcement. As of yet, Gerry has no blog or podcast - but I'm hoping to change that a little bit - hehe. So, this should be a fun show tonight! (also check out the video post below)

If you are new to the show, I encourage you to catch us live. There is a great chat room that also goes on. You can even see my shining face on the webcam. In addition, you can call into the show to say hello. Can't catch us live? That's ok. You can listen anytime after the show as it is saved as a podcast so you can listen anytime!

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 "Play/Chat" button. Then, of course, press the "Play/Chat" button.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Dr. A Show Tonight!


BlogTalkRadio Listen Live

Thursday, March 18, 2010 at 9pm ET

I hope that you can join me tonight for Doctor Anonymous Show 155 where our guest will be Dr. Lucy Hornstein who is a family physician and author of the book, "Declarations Of A Dinosaur: 10 Laws I've Learned As A Family Doctor." What are the 10 laws, you ask? Well, check out yesterday's post and that will give you more information. She is also creator of the blog "Musings Of A Dinosaur."

If you are new to the show, I encourage you to catch us live. There is a great chat room that also goes on. You can even see my shining face on the webcam. In addition, you can call into the show to say hello. Can't catch us live? That's ok. You can listen anytime after the show as it is saved as a podcast so you can listen anytime!

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 "Play/Chat" button. Then, of course, press the "Play/Chat" button.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Dr. A Show 155 Preview: Dr. Lucy Hornstein


Hope you're able to join me this week for Doctor Anonymous Show 155 where our guest with be author Dr. Lucy Hornstein who wrote the book, "Declarations Of A Dinosaur: 10 Laws I've Learned As A Family Doctor." As you may or may not know, I am also a family medicine physician. So this should be a good interview. In case you're not familiar with the 10 laws here they are:
Laws of the Dinosaur

First Law: The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature takes its course.
Second Law: It is impossible to make an asymptomatic patient feel better.
Third Law: The urgency of the test is inversely proportional to the IQ of the insurance company preauthorization clerk.
Fourth Law: There is no cure for stupid.
Fifth Law: Bad things really do happen to good people.
Sixth Law: The better the surgeon, the more reluctant s/he is to operate.
Seventh Law:
Part A: It has to be fun.
Part B: If it isn't fun, see Part A.
Eighth Law: Half of what is taught in medical school is wrong, but no one knows which half.
Ninth Law: Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.
Tenth Law: A bad idea held by many people for a long time is still a bad idea.
You may know Dr. Hornstein better by her blog called "Musings Of A Dinosaur." Dr. Dino has no problem telling it like it is - even taking on me - really! In October 2009, during the height of the H1N1 panic, I wrote a post called "My Take On H1N1." A few days later, Dr. Dino wrote a post entitled, "More on H1N1 Flu; In Which I Call Dr. Anonymous onto the Carpet for Being a Wimp."
Here's where I call WIMP*. Dr. A, you've just done an excellent job of explaining that the risks of vaccination are downright trivial, compared to the documented substantial risk of pandemic H1N1 influenza, especially to children. Why wuss out now and call on the patient to make the final determination of the balance of risk vs. benefit? You've just laid it all out for them. You need to take a stand and say that vaccination is the responsible course of action.

Patients are looking for our recommendations. When the issue is this clear cut -- and make no mistake, despite the pseudoscientific fear mongerers lurking around every corner, this is indeed one of the most straightforward decisions our patients are called upon to make -- we do them a disservice by wimping out and calling it a "personal decision".

Edited to add: Every patient has the right to make "personal decisions" about whether or not to follow the doctors' recommendations. It is still our responsibility to come out and make those recommendations.

Man up, Dude.
Now, before you thought I got all upset about this, think again. I really encourage you to read over the comment sections of both of these posts. I think both of these posts really encapsulates the discussion that was going on at the height of the H1N1 hype (at least in this part of the country). Now, on balance, Dr. Dino has also given me a good share of props, including in the post called "New Look" (although she did call me an "oxymoron" hehe)

So, I encourage you to join me on Thursday, March 18, 2010 at 9pm Eastern Time for Doctor Anonymous Show 155 on BlogTalkRadio. Don't forget to become a Facebook Fan of my show and to check out my iTunes page. Hope you're having a great week!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

AAFP is "Pawn" In Health Care Reform?


I just read this very interesting point/counterpoint piece over on the website of the American Academy of Family Physicians. As you may or may not know, I am a proud Family Medicine Physician. And, yes, I am (still) a dues paying member of the AAFP. I owe a lot to the Academy including introduction to organizational medicine as well as leadership training as a medical student, family medicine resident, and now.

The post I read was in their letter to the editor section and it was called "AAFP Is 'Pawn' In Health Care Reform; Academy Says 'Not So'. The first letter is from former AAFP president Michael Fleming, MD. I first met Dr. Fleming when I was a medical student and I have always respected his opinion - especially on policy issues. Here's what he says:
As someone who has been involved with advocacy for many years, I'm writing to express my brutal disappointment in the AAFP's positioning and effectiveness in the recent health care debate. Although family physicians are in critical need of advocacy for their issues -- payment reform, a repeal and permanent fix for the sustainable growth rate, liability reform, recognition of the value of family medicine, graduate medical education reform, etc. -- the AAFP seems to have become more enamored of photo opportunities at the White House than the needs of members.

In my opinion, the AAFP has been used by most of Washington as a pawn in a $2 trillion chess game -- and the pawn can never win. The AAFP could have taken the high road of quality care for patients and fair payment for the most valuable health care providers. Instead, the organization has gone "all in" for one highly partisan bill that will have absolutely no effect on the issues I listed above. The organization and its leaders need to take a close look at themselves and be reminded of the reason the AAFP actually exists: to meet the needs of its dues-paying members.
The counterpoint to this letter is from current AAFP President Lori Heim, MD. This is also someone I have known for a long time and whose opinion I have always respected. The AAFP Board, to their credit, whether you agree with them or not, has been clear in their position. Here's what she said:
I appreciate Dr. Fleming's point of view. But when it comes to health care reform, we have to remain true to the path the AAFP Congress of Delegates approved. We must hold on to the AAFP’s long-standing principles of health care for all, a system founded on appropriately paid primary medical care, and a replenished pipeline of family physicians.

Although not the end game, the health care legislation currently in Congress takes important steps in that direction. It expands coverage to more than 30 million Americans. With its 10 percent Medicare bonus for primary care physicians and pilot testing of the patient-centered primary care medical home, it embarks on reshaping our health delivery system based on primary medical care. And it invests in primary care training by expanding scholarships and student loan forgiveness programs for medical students entering primary care.

Certainly, the legislation misses the mark in some areas. But the AAFP's work in shaping health care reform has put family medicine in good stead for future legislation that will address, for example, the flawed sustainable growth rate formula and potential reform to the medical liability system. Far from being a pawn, the AAFP has been able to shape the legislation, which shows the first recognition of the value of primary care. Nothing is perfect. But we must make a start. The best start we've had in 16 years is the legislation now before Congress.
Now, before you predict some kind of wishy-washy "on the fence" opinion post from me, this may surprise you. It's no secret that I am disenchanted with organized medicine these days - whether it be AAFP or the AMA - or whatever. I wrote about it in October 2009. I think a lot of physician organizations are having debates like this one.

What do I think? Well, in my book, tort reform (ie - liability reform) and having a fix to the flawed sustainable growth rate are important to me and, I think, important to a lot of dues paying members of physician organizations - not to mention the potential negative impact the proposed legislation would have to physician small business owners (those who have not been swallowed up yet by corporate health care systems - or those physicians who already work for government agencies).

Whatever finally happens, if anything happens with this legislation, I believe that these national physician membership organizations will have used a lot of political capital that will be very difficult to get back. In my opinion, it has already been kind of showing itself in a decreasing number of practicing physicians joining professional organizations, and even some leaving these professional membership organizations.

In other instances, state chapters are distancing themselves from their national organizations. For example, the Ohio State Medical Association (which is the state chapter of the American Medical Association), has all but come out against the current AMA position on the known health care reform drafts. When it is all said and done, will it have been worth it for these national organizations? Well see....

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Dr. A Show Tonight!


BlogTalkRadio Listen Live

Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 9pm ET

Join me tonight for Doctor Anonymous Show 153 with our guest Greg Friese who is an EMS podcaster and educator. Greg is involved in a number of projects like the EverydayEMSTips blog and the EMSEduCast podcast.

Greg has recently written for JEMS.com, Wilderness Medical Associates, JEMS Magazine, EMSResponder.com and EMS Magazine, the NAEMSE Educator Newsletter, and EMSLive.com. One of the many topics that we may also be talking about is the recent EMSToday Expo in Baltimore last week.

If you are new to the show, I encourage you to catch us live. There is a great chat room that also goes on. You can even see my shining face on the webcam. In addition, you can call into the show to say hello. Can't catch us live? That's ok. You can listen anytime after the show as it is saved as a podcast so you can listen anytime!

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 "Play/Chat" button. Then, of course, press the "Play/Chat" button.

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

Dr. A Show 153 Preview: Greg Friese


I invite you to join us for Doctor Anonymous Show 153 when our guest will be EMS Podcaster and Educator - Greg Friese. I have felt that I have really gotten to know some of those in the EMS/Fire social media community in the past few weeks. I had no idea that community was so active in the social media space.

Greg's name kept popping up in all the EMS/Fire podcasts that I have been listening to and in my opinion, is one of the leading voices in that community. I am very much looking forward to our interview. As you can see from Greg's linked in page, he is involved in a number of projects including EverydayEMSTips, EMSEduCast, and a number of other social media projects.

So, I hope that you can join us on Thursday, March 11th, 2010 at 9pm Eastern Time for Doctor Anonymous Show 153. I also invite you to check out the video promo below. Don't forget to become a Facebook Fan of my show and to check out my iTunes page. Hope you're having a great week!

Thursday, March 04, 2010

Dr. A Show 151 Tonight: Dr. Rob


BlogTalkRadio Listen Live

Thursday, March 4, 2010 at 9pm ET

Join us tonight for Doctor Anonymous Show 151 when Dr. Rob Lamberts will join us for a chat. He is the voice behind the wildly popular podcast called "House Call Doctor: Quick and Dirty Tips For Taking Charge Of Your Health." This podcast has been the iTunes top 10 in the health category since it was first released last summer. Dr. Rob is also author of the blog "Musings Of A Distractible Mind" - although he has not been blogging much lately.

Dr. Rob was kind enough to be one of my first guests on The Doctor Anonymous Show. You can listen to Dr. A Show Number 5 above from 9/27/2007 in the player below. Or, if you like, you can download Show 5 by clicking here.


I remember meeting him at BlogWorld Expo 2009, and I can tell you that there is no difference between him on his blog/podcast verses him in person. As an example, check out the video below from BlogWorld talking about blog branding with our good friend Dr. Wes.

If you are new to the show, I encourage you to catch us live. There is a great chat room that also goes on. You can even see my shining face on the webcam. In addition, you can call into the show to say hello. Can't catch us live? That's ok. You can listen anytime after the show as it is saved as a podcast so you can listen anytime!

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 "Play/Chat" button. Then, of course, press the "Play/Chat" button.

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Dr. A Show 150 Tonight!

BlogTalkRadio Listen Live

Wednesday, March 3, 2010 at 8pm ET (note special time)

I have successfully returned home from Atlanta and HIMSS 2010 last night. It was such a good time doing interviews for the last 2 days - I mean really. I'm gonna be honest, it really exhausted me, but like I said in a tweet before I got on the plane home yesterday - it was the most fun that I have had in a long time.

Better Health is not done yet! They have one more day of broadcasting from HIMMS with Dr. Val and with Dr. Nick Genes holding down the fort there. And, you can watch today's video and join the chat room by clicking here. Want to know what happens in between interviews? Check out the video below as Dr. Val and I chat (the chat room called us Regis and Kelly - not really sure what to make of that - HA!).



I invite you to tune in tonight for the landmark show number 150 of The Doctor Anonymous Show. My guest will be the one and only Dr. Val Jones, Founder and CEO of Better Health - She's probably sick of hanging out with me for the past two days - hehe. What will be talking about? Gee? Guess? This will be basically be the HIMSS 2010 wrap-up show.

If you are new to the show, I encourage you to catch us live. There is a great chat room that also goes on. You can even see my shining face on the webcam. In addition, you can call into the show to say hello. Can't catch us live? That's ok. You can listen anytime after the show as it is saved as a podcast so you can listen anytime!

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 "Play/Chat" button. Then, of course, press the "Play/Chat" button.

Tuesday, March 02, 2010

Grand Rounds Volume 6 number 23


Greetings from Atlanta, Georgia which is about 800 miles from Doctor Anonymous World Headquarters in Northeastern Ohio. What am I doing here? Well, I'm attending my first HIMMS conference (which stands for the Healthcare Information and Management Systems) annual meeting.

These are the 37 best posts that the medical blogosphere has to offer this week. In my editors picks, I wanted to highlight what I think are well-written stories. There is also a short excerpt from each of my picks this week.


Also, I invite you to check out coverage of this week's HIMSS conference which include Better Health's live streaming interviews today and tomorrow (see the video feed and chat room at the bottom of this post). I will also be hosting a HIMSS wrap-up show with Dr. Val Jones on Wednesday, March 3rd at 8pm Eastern Time for The Doctor Anonymous Show 150 which is my live, interactive internet radio show. Now, on to Grand Rounds!

Dr. A's Picks Of The Week

Captain Atopic, a medical student in Australia, sees so much emotion in people's eyes.
Sitting in the corner of the meeting room, an off-call consultant's eyelids fall. The night registrar talks animatedly and the day team joke. The consultant's patients have been discussed and his coffee hasn't kicked in. The bounce of his chin rouses him.
The round passes through a medical ward; eyes look up, eyes dart around. The octogenerian's glassed, cloudy eyes search for focus, and find wanting. The narc'd lady next door sleeps soundly, eyes rolling in an opiate fog.


Bruce Campbell, a physician from the United States, learns that physicians and nurses have a lot to share even when we believe we do not.
The patient arrived at the rural clinic near Guazapa, El Salvador, in his mother’s arms with a mouth gag tied in place and his hands wrapped in bandages. As his mother put him gently onto the examination table, his muscles twitched hard, tearing the paper bed cover and forcing the gag out of his mouth. “Be calm,” his mother whispered to him in Spanish. He remained contorted but visibly quieted as our pediatrician, Dr. Mike, held him.

Kerri Sparling, diabetes blogger extraordinaire, shares another side of future mommyhood.
I love BSparl. I love her little feet and her pouty lips and that feeling I get when she rolls around inside of me. I love knowing that my daughter is just a few weeks away from becoming a part of our Sparling family, and I know that every moment of this pregnancy is completely worth every iota of effort and worry. That being said.... I'm starting to lose my mind a bit. That being said ... I'm starting to lose my mind a little bit.

Bongi, a physician from South Africa, learned early in medical school that consultants only stick to their field.
we walked into the tea room where the consultants were hard at work drinking tea and introduced ourselves. the designated tutorial giver groaned audibly. he then glanced over at his colleagues and rolled his eyes. they chuckled. funnily enough i think they thought they were being subtle. after all we were mere medical students and therefore couldn't easily pick up on the finer points of non-verbal communication like specialist psychiatrists could. i was immediately annoyed, but i chose to hide it.

The rest of the medical blogosphere's best posts this week

The Clinical Cases and Images blog writes about Google Buzz from a medblogger's perspective.

The Allergy Notes blog answers a question about cetirizine.

The How To Cope With Pain blog outlines steps to take for living with headaches.

The Life In The Fast Lane blog proudly announces the appointment of "Professor Staghorn" to the university.

Code Blog describes how the Caring Bridge site is useful to families when a loved one becomes sick.

The ICSI Health Care blog outlines reasons why it's nearly impossible to control US health care costs.

Jolie Bookspan states that exercises are more than "sets and reps."

The PalliMed blog gives networking and education tips when attending a national meeting.

The Health Business Blog describes how a med mal case was successfully defended at trial.

InsureBlog shares a study involving aspirin and breast cancer.

The Life Under The Lights blog shares a story of the awkwardness of what he calls "CPR Theater"

The Suture For A Living blog writes about lipedema, lymphedema, and lipolymphedema

ACP Hospitalist describes a recent conference session that neurologists/neurohospitalists need to know about.

ACP Internist posts their weekly Medical News Of The Obvious.

The Health Agenda blog talks about the complicated arena of E&M coding and billing for services.

The EMT Spot blog talks about Mastering the Head-To-Toe Assessment.

Will Meek takes a look at how to create positive change in a relationship with cognitive therapy approaches.

Mother Jones RN talks about Life In The Nurses Dormitory.

Lockup Doc describes steps we can take to avoid blaming the patient for lack of progress.

Diabetes Mine announces their annual design challenge.

The Highlight Health blog discusses findings of a recent study stating that a personalized plan to lower cholesterol is more effective than following generalized guidelines.

The On The Wards blog discusses the challenges of the medication reconciliation process and why it's important for patient safety

The Medicine For The Outdoors blog talks about copperhead snake bites.

The Colorado Health Insurance Insider blog shares thoughts on putting health care costs into perspective.

The Everyday EMS Tips blog lists the top three items for a backcountry first aid kit.

The Science Roll blog lists a collection of web 2.0 tools in genetics.

Dean Brandon asks the question whether your child's dentist is a pediatric specialist.

The Dr. J's House Calls blog gives a counter point of view to Healthcare Reform.

The In Sickness And In Health blog describes a PTSD of chronic illness and pain syndromes.

The Teen Health 411 blog shares a recent meeting called the Sex::tech conference.

The Child Psych blog gives clinical resources and parenting tips on children with ADHD who have sleep difficulties.

David Harlow interviews MITA Executive Director Dave Fischer

Aggravated DocSurg states that sometimes we get the great honor of caring for those who deserve our ultimate respect.

That's it! Sheesh! Thanks to Nick Genes for the opportunity to host Grand Rounds for the third time. Don't forget to become a Facebook Fan of GR. This is so much fun to put together. See also GR 3.09 and GR 4.08. I hope you have fun reading all these great posts. Next week, Grand Rounds go to Health Business Blog.