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Perspectives >

Building the Patient-Centered Medical Home

Fred Pelzman, MD, on improving patient care

A photo of a male physician sitting on his desk holding his phone and a tablet.

Overcoming Inertia

What's the best way to start making changes, large and small, to our healthcare system?

Photo of a conversation at a party.

The Dreaded Cocktail Party Conversation

Telling fellow party-goers you're a doctor comes with its own set of hazards

A photo of chairs in an empty clinic waiting room.

No-Shows Have Got to Go!

We need to improve no-show rates, but overbooking is not the answer

A photo of a sleepy looking man looking at his phone in bed.

Dealing With a 24/7/365 World

We need to find better ways to address patients' after-hours concerns

A computer rendering of an android physician looking at a tablet in an operating room

Artificial Intelligence Could Improve Medical Practice -- But Only if Done Right

Yes, AI can help, if clinicians are consulted during its creation

A photo of a female physician washing her hands after a patient visit.

Washing Our Hands of the Current System

We need solutions that actually work, not processes that just get in the way of patient care

A photo of a mature female physician sitting in her kitchen during a telehealth visit.

Should Doctors Work From Home?

It certainly won't fix everything, but working from home deserves a place in the schedule

A photo of a female hospital staff member wearing a headset and making a call.

It Ain't Worth a Thing if You Don't Got That (Follow-up) Swing

We must do better at making sure patients connect with their care managers

A photo of an annoyed-looking young male physician gesturing at his computer.

Getting the Data Correct, Every Time

A lab collection report showed us that fixing problems requires getting the right information

A photo of a male physician wearing blue rubber gloved hands while talking on a phone and using a laptop.

Are We Losing the Personal Touch Because of the Way We Staff?

Changing who answers the phones or fills in for the doc may mean fewer personal connections

A computer rendering of a brain plugged into a book.

Life in the Fast Lane -- And the Slow Lane

It'd be great to speed up the routine tasks and slow down our time with our patients

A photo of several bottles of prescription medication on the shelves of a medicine cabinet.

'Just Say No' to the Medication Switches

It's time to stop letting insurers dictate what we can prescribe to our patients

A photo of the red eye of HAL 9000 from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.

'It Is Crazy!' The Promise and Potential Peril of ChatGPT

The possibilities for this AI-guided bot in medicine are dazzling, as long as we keep it in check

A photo of a handwritten list of new years resolutions.

A New Year; A New Way

Let's keep fighting the good fight to improve our healthcare system

A photo of a surgical assistant passing a clamp to a surgeon in the operating room.

Let Me Make This Perfectly Clear

The process of clearing patients for surgery is sorely in need of improvement

A computer rendering of a colonoscope traveling through a cutaway large intestine.

Lucky to Be Scoped

My screening colonoscopy went really well, but how many people don't get the chance to have one?

Yellow sticky note with the text DOCTOR鈥橲 APPOINTMENT over a keyboard

How Can We Schedule More 'Good' Appointments for Doctors and Patients?

Achieving the right balance between convenience and continuity of care takes work

A photo of a man sitting at a computer and choosing a star rating

Are Patient Feedback Surveys Asking the Right Questions?

It may be time to re-evaluate the questionnaires

A female patient being discharged from hospital with physician explaining follow-up care

How Can We Improve the Hospital Discharge Process?

Right now, it's pretty much a mess. Let's make it a system that really works for our patients

A photo of a man wrapped in a blanket putting a pulse oximeter on his index finger.

And Now, Time for Round Two of COVID

Yes, I've got it again! But is it possible that COVID will someday be part of normal life?

A photo of a post-it note on a laptop which reads: SCHEDULE COLONOSCOPY

How to Solve the Prevention Problem? Start With a Better System

Let's move beyond reminders to something that motivates patients to act

A photo composite of a man scratching computer illustrated Monkeypox viruses on his forearm

A Monkeypox Moment

Let's use the lessons we learned from COVID-19 to battle this new disease threat

A photo young male and female medical interns walking down a hallway in a hospital.

Welcome, New Interns, to the Wonderful World of Patient Care

Let's work on building a better system for our patients

A photo of a busy mature male physician at his desk using the computer and talking on the phone.

To Bill or Not to Bill, That is the Question

When should we charge patients for phone calls, or even for complex responses to emails?

A photo of a mature male physician raising his fist in anger

We're Fed Up, and We're Not Going to Take It Any More

The current healthcare system isn't working, and our cries for change must be heard

A photo of a fecal immunochemical test kit with instructions.

Fixing One Thing at a Time

How can we make sure our patients get the screenings they need? Here are a few ideas

A photo of an empty prescription bottle.

PBM Called for a Prior Authorization? That's News to Me!

A personal journey through a refill encounter

A frustrated and annoyed looking young male doctor throwing his hands up

The Buck Stops Where?

But I didn't order that test!

A sign hanging in the rear window of a school bus which reads: THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN CHECKED FOR SLEEPING CHILDREN

Getting the Checklist Out of the Way

EHR templates may be necessary, but let's store them in an out-of-the-way place

A senior woman at home listens to her female physician during a telehealth visit via laptop

Location Shouldn't Matter in Telemedicine

Let's keep allowing telehealth to flourish and let the bureaucrats sort out the licensing issues

A young male physician speaks to his mature female patient in an examination room.

Clearing Out the Chaos

Let's make primary care more inviting for Internal Medicine residents

A female physician takes the temperature of her senior female patient with a pyrometer

It's 'Deja Vu All Over Again' at Our 'Cough, Cold, and Fever' Clinic

The Omicron variant has forced our COVID-19 clinic back into service

Various images of a healthcare system.

A Solution for Healthcare, and Everything Else?

If we can fix healthcare, perhaps it can translate into solutions for the rest of what ails us

A date on a calendar highlighted with colored marker with a handwritten reminder: Doctor appointment 12:30

Nice to See You Back Again -- Or Is It?

What's the best interval between office visits, and how can we keep up good care in the meantime?

An illustration of a doctor on a roadway leading to a brick wall that鈥檚 cracking open from his sledgehammer.

Help Me Knock Down Your Healthcare Barriers

Let's figure out how to get rid of the daily hurdles that make practicing medicine so difficult

A mature man has a telehealth visit with his male physician via smartphone

Video Visits, Calls, and Texts Have Their Place -- But We Need Limits

In-person visits can't always be replaced, and we need to be paid for the care we give

A male physician holds a tablet displaying a questionnaire to his patient.

Questions, Questions -- Who's Got the Answers?

Patient questionnaires do no good unless we have the resources to provide useful responses

A mature man in a hospital bed fist bumps a young female nurse.

Your Face Looks Familiar

Establishing good continuity of care with patients really matters

A male physician in white coat hands his stethoscope off to a surgeon in blue scrubs.

What to Do When It's Time to Let Go ... of the Specialist

Getting them to return patients to our care isn't always easy

A mature man reads a prescription bottle label while sitting in front of his laptop

Can We Improve the Medication Refill System?

Yes, but some tweaks will be required

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