Monthly Archives: February 2014

by Dr. Arun Mohan MD, MBA Do the math and it’s easy to understand why hospital medicine grew so quickly.  Multiply the 14-17% reduction in length of stay achieved by hospitalists by the number of admissions a hospitalist does annually and the value proposition becomes clear.  However hospitals continue to look for opportunities to improve […]

Imagine for a second that, instead of being defined by what you are at work, you were defined by what you aren’t. What if hospitalists were called “non-executive caregivers” or “non-janitorial staff?” Confusing, at best. And potentially even demeaning, depending on the context. That’s what happens to lots of nurse practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists and […]

I walked into the office slowly.  It was my third year med school clerkship, I had learned a lot about basic outpatient medicine, prevention, focused exams, and seeing the joy in building relationships with patients.  However one of the most important lessons I had yet to learn. A middle-aged man sat in the exam room […]

by Varun Verma, MD Anyone who has worked in Haiti quickly realizes that injustice abounds. I had rushed into the cramped curtained off area and found the pregnant woman with her eyes rolled back to 2-o’clock. She was not responding. Even when I yelled to wake her or when I rubbed her chest forcefully with […]

Many years ago with those words, an older and much wiser colleague added to my education, encouraging me to take time away from my day-to-day practice of clinical medicine and get involved with the affairs of my hospital and the medical staff.  It was sage advice and I’ve used it many times to help force […]

I was reminded recently of the theory in animal breeding called “The Coolidge Effect.”  Laura Zigman wrote about this in  wry and hilarious fashion in her book Animal Husbandry.  In summation, when a bull is brought in to mate with a field of cows, his first arrival reveals his libido and ardor in full swing.  He […]