White Coat Chronicles

Hospitals Suing Over Unpaid Medical Bills Hurts Our Patients

We make a promise to do good by our patients, but what does it mean to do harm? Should we include socioeconomic harm in this discussion?

How to Deal With ‘Difficult’ Patients

Clinicians can manage their emotions and behaviors to meet the challenges of working productively with sometimes abrasive and argumentative patients.

Will Knowing the Cost of Medical Care Drive Down Prices?

The premise underlying the executive order signed by President Trump on June 24, 2019, is that if patients were informed about what hospitals and providers are charging for their services, then they would be able to shop around for better deals.

Healthcare Costs Associated With Emergency Department Visits

Dr Marzouka discusses the fact that patients cannot shop around for a better deal when going to the emergency department and are almost never presented with the cost of care prior to receiving it.

Parenting and the Feelings of Helplessness

Sometimes we identify too much with our patients and our advice becomes too personal.

Hold Your Nose: Today’s Medical Advertising Stinks!

Not only do these TV ads stink, but they also drive up the cost of health care.

Consequences

A physician struggles with his own fallibility.

Reinterpreting Death

Doctors fumble with the art of prognosis.

Addressing Implicit Bias in the Exam Room

Clinicians have overwhelmingly moved to recognize the implicit biases in their practice of medicine.

Addressing HIV Screening and Prevention in Primary Care Settings

It is estimated that between 60% and 75% of adolescents with HIV are not aware of their infection

The Importance of Maintaining Mobility

It may not be in a person’s best interest to limit his or her ambulation.

Toastmasters International: A Communication and Leadership Program

I found it refreshing that the people in my group were not in the medical field, but instead were diverse both in terms of careers and culture.

Dropping the Ball

The number of distractions pulling physician attention away from where it should be — on patients — has increased.

Sink or Swim

We need to reconsider how we train our doctors to be sure that they acquire the skills they will need.

A Special Home Visit: They Do Still Exist

What Arthur and his family did not know is that that home visit had at least as much impact on me.

Sticking It to the Man

Battle-worn and weary, we were hungry for news, and any sign that the tide was starting to turn gripped our attention.

Safe Zone

I have come to realize is that it was never the sanctity of the exam room, nor the long white coat that droops from my shoulders.

My Top 10 EHR Wish List

EHRs continue to spread untold misery, and with each year a new EHR comes along that promises to be “better” than the last.

How Should Physicians Discuss Use of Off-Label Medications With Patients?

Patients can be confused by such off-label use, so providing informed consent becomes a challenge.

Many Forms of Caffeine: Worth Asking About

This got me wondering what actual amounts of caffeine are safe to consume, and how much is too much.