Unequivocally, on the subject of racism and brutality, silence is a form of consent. Let us not be silent. Let us stand with our communities, and categorically state that brutality of any sort, overt and covert racism, and racial discrimination hurts us as a community and is wrong on every level. From a health equity perspective, we have… Read More »
It has been a while since I have written about a personal event. As many of you know, my present role has placed me at the forefront of our COVID-19 response. First and foremost, I could not be more blessed than I am for our team and how we, as an organization, have risen to the occasion. Months… Read More »
A commonly held premise of shared decision-making is that the healthcare profession neither adequately gives specific treatment options nor discusses the trade-offs of surgical intervention. Predominantly, the thought is that if more in-depth conversations were to occur concerning the trade-offs, and there is more appropriate management of expectations, the chosen solution would be the more conservative approach. With… Read More »
During this pandemic, I am blessed to have a son finishing his senior year of college from our home. Candidly, it was fascinating to observe the dynamics of the educational process through a digital platform. It became apparent, rather quickly, that some, but not all professors excelled utilizing the online platforms; and some struggled to hold their student’s… Read More »
Over the next few weeks I will be sharing some previous posts that are relevant to the uncertain healthcare climate we are navigating right now with COVID-19. What is the definition of being mindful? In the simplest terms, it conveys to be aware of your thoughts and emotions, in addition to demonstrating consideration of those with whom you… Read More »
United States purchasers of healthcare pay higher prices for a unit of service relative to other countries. In fact, these prices are primarily opaque, and the consumer rarely knows what it will owe for payment before they make a purchase. Market-based economics argue that price transparency of products leads to greater competition, thus leading to lower costs over… Read More »
Recently, there has been a tremendous amount of focus and thought surrounding the idea that if patients use primary care more frequently, healthcare costs will improve. The thought is if more time is spent on prevention it will decrease the need for additional expensive interventions over time. Simultaneously, there is also conversations surrounding a shortage of primary care… Read More »
Not too long ago, I recall my hospital patients repetitively inquiring, “When can I go home?” Frequently, my response was, “Not a day longer than you need to be here, nor a day shorter.” I was not trying to be audacious, but as many know, an exact time frame was not always possible since a person’s illness, and… Read More »
If we plan to evolve our care models to focus on embracing those we serve remaining in their environments of their choice, care givers will need to contain different skill sets than those that provide hospital-based care. Knowing this, with the current landscape, our ability as providers and health systems is unfortunately, more complacent than we should be… Read More »
In over sixteen hundred articles published since 2000, the value of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) is irrefutably clear – “ERAS optimizes operative functional status to improve clinical outcome and patient satisfaction.” ERAS concepts are a comprehensive patient care movement that originated in Europe. By treating undesirable perioperative pathophysiologic processes, like colorectal surgery, which was the first surgery… Read More »