May 28, 2015 |  3
I have detected something unusual.  Take a look at the cited quotes below and see if you can spot what I am referring to.  Both come from a national newspaper.  Here’s the first: On arrival, Larson was put in a room and examined by a physician assistant. He didn’t stop at the admissions office because his […]
May 27, 2015 |  0
Patient satisfaction survey performance is becoming increasingly important for hospitals, as the ratings are being used by payers in pay-for-performance programs more and more (including the CMS Value Based Purchasing program). CMS also recently released their “Five-Star Quality Rating System” for hospitals, which publicly grades hospitals on 1-5 stars based on their patient satisfaction scores. […]
May 23, 2015 |  0
I take a deep breath as I get ready to go see Mrs. H. I can predict after sign-out from the ER doc where this is likely to go. Mrs. H. is an 87 year-old woman who comes to the emergency room with weakness. She stumbled and fell to the floor but could not get […]
May 19, 2015 |  2
You can recall some of the famous apologies and non-apologies of the recent past. Bill—“Even presidents have private lives.”  Kanye—“It starts with this… I’m sorry, Taylor.”  And in early February, we added this one.  Rich- “We got it wrong. We are sorry.” Now don’t get me wrong, apologies are good and a necessary first step […]
May 14, 2015 |  2
One of my favorite residency attendings recently passed away. A life cut too short. Dr. Leeper, an Emory pulmonologist, was a prime example of the academic triumvirate: an incredible researcher, clinician and educator. Although I spent only a few weeks with him as an intern, I frequently find myself sharing and using his words of […]
By Guest Post
May 12, 2015 |  0
by Dr. Solomon Liao Students and residents often ask me why I like my job so much and why I always walk around with a smile on my face when I’m on service. I respond that helping to relieve people’s pain is very rewarding. It provides instant gratification. The more challenging the case is, the […]