MedWorm Tags: appointments

Balancing

Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 10:27:00 +0100

So you were told once you had _____ (fill in with any nasty ailment, top of the list is cancer). For the rest of your life you try to balance the fear that you could be told you have it again with the rationale that the odds are on your side. The diagnosis turned you into a pessimist - I'm gonna die mentality - instead of being a healthy optimist. There is some theory that if you think you have something long enough you can actually give yourself the condition - I think that's a load of crap. But I do think that its all about learning to cope with your fears.This woman writes about trying to cope - of course swollen lymph nodes, sore back, and cough mean her cancer came back everywhere. When she finally reluctantly gets to the doctor she is told she has the same virus that is going around....

Doctors

Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 10:09:00 +0100

Usually when you visit the doctor, the hospital personnel and medical staff all seem to be on the healthy side. There may be a few exceptions but hospitals seem to be full of doctors and nurses and other who have narrow waists, low BMI and you never catch a whiff of cigarette smoke near them. I can say that all my doctors are a healthy weight - except the pregnant ones. So when they start talking about weight and healthy eating and exercise, I do give them credit that they must follow that life style as well - they must walk the walk as well as talk the talk. I know about twenty years ago, I was treated by a nurse who had a pack of cigarettes in her pocket. I never see cigarettes around any more. The hospital now has a no smoking campus, so you see dwindling numbers of smokers hiding off t...

Waiting for doctors (and others)

Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 09:57:00 +0100

Yesterday I stumbled across this article which says doctors should pay you for wasted time waiting for them in waiting or exam rooms. I thought it had some basis because I despise tardiness (as anyone who knows me will say). Why shouldn't I be compensated if I have to sit around for hours and wait?Then I started reading the comments which made me see the other side. Doctors are often late for a variety of legitimate reasons - many of which are beyond their control:- A true medical emergency - should they walk away from a patient dripping blood or having a heart attack to stay on schedule? I think not.- They are forced by their employer to schedule patients so close together that they do not have a chance of giving patients any attention before they need to rush off to their next patient.- ...

Another medical adventure

Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 10:28:00 +0100

I hate medical adventure. Today's medical adventure does not sound exciting at all. They are going to stick a needle under my knee cap - and its the first of three. One person told me it was awful. Another person told me the first one she had was awful and then she had the series done later by someone else who was very good and it didn't hurt at all. I am hoping for this. I dislike needles to start with. I dislike medical adventures. I don't want to go to the hospital (again). I just had ten days with out a medical appointment - some kind of miracle. Today I have PT and then my medical adventure. Saturday I am having an Echocardiogram - another medical adventure. Monday I have PT, Tuesday I see my therapist, Wednesday I have PT, see my primary care for the rest of my annual physical (who k...

Good behavior for your doctor's visit

Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog — Fri, 27 May 2011 15:43:00 +0100

I guess there are idiots out there because they wouldn't tell us not to do these things unless someone already had. I am kind of sick and tired of all these lists of things on the Internet. I think it is believed internet users have no attention span because everything is a list of things, or a series of photos of something related, or in other ways formatted for those with brains of a gnat who can't stop and read a paragraph. Anyway, here is another list I like: Things not to do at your doctor's office:1. Talk on your cell phone - apparently this should be part of the hang up your phone campaign we need these days.2. Lie to your doctor - of course you don't drink, don't smoke, wear your seat belt, get 8 hours of sleep, don't stress, and eat your veggies and fiber.3. Can't describe your pa...

Second opinions

Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog — Tue, 24 May 2011 08:29:00 +0100

I am not a big fan of second opinions. I always feel like I am sneaking around my doctor's back to ask someone else if they were right. I know some people who get them routinely on just about everything. Me I have enough doctor appointments already not to want to go to any more. Sometimes my doctors send me off to see other doctors.Apparently there are times to get a second opinion - like when you get a nasty medical diagnosis. For me it was easy, where I am treated once you get a cancer diagnosis, you get to have a day of 'being poked and prodded' by multiple doctors. In my case it was a surgeon, a medical oncologist, and radiation oncologist and finally a social worker to tell me I wasn't losing it. Anyway, if the news from one doctor isn't good there is always the option of finding a do...

It all catches up sometimes

Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog — Tue, 10 May 2011 09:58:00 +0100

Today is the day I haven't been looking forward to, or maybe I have been looking forward to. I will spend the morning at doctor appointments.My first stop is my back pain doctor where I can tell him in some ways my back is better these days between my new meds and the additional exercise I have been getting at the new gym I am going to. That should be okay. I have a few areas of concerns with my back but overall I'm doing okay.My next stop involves a heavy dose of scanxiety as it is my annual mammogram. I was stupid (I have to stop doing this to my self but since I have this lovely blog I can look up my thoughts from anytime in the past four years.) But I digress, I was stupid, I looked up my results from last year's mammogram and some calcifications were found and while the radiologist re...

Insurance is only part of it

Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog — Tue, 03 May 2011 10:00:00 +0100

Having health insurance is only part of the solution. Here in Massachusetts we have state health insurance so basically everyone has access to health insurance. This is a good thing and one of the things that went along with this was the premise that people would go to their regular doctors instead of emergency rooms. Well that part didn't work. ER rates are higher than in the past.The problem was insurance was made accessible but we didn't create an infrastructure so that people could get into see their doctors. We need to make doctors more accessible. There are too many patients for each doctor (I don't have the numbers so you can just take my word for it) and often people resort to ERs for medical care because they can't get into see their doctor in a reasonable amount of time. If you c...

My annual medical hell day

Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 13:01:00 +0100

In a few weeks, I will have a 'wonderful' day. It starts at 8am with the back pain doctor, followed by a mammogram, bone density scan, annual physical, annual surgeon follow up, and something else I can't remember. And my primary care will probably send me back down to diagnostic radiology for a chest x-ray and for some blood work. On that day, I will probably get to get in and of a hospital gown at least 5 times. Maybe I should just show up in my pjs and a bathrobe and stay in them all day. How many follow up appointments will all those generate as well? I think I spend my life going to doctor appointments.Later today I have an MRI on my knee. Apparently if you need an MRI, the best time to go is on a holiday because no one wants to have an appointment then. I did ask if I wore clothes wi...

The Weekly Scoop #1 – Best Practices in Healthcare Social Media

Fox ePractice — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 14:52:15 +0100

Doctors, Fear and Barriers to Social Media Adoption " Is fear specific to doctors? No, but I think the issues are magnified with medical professionals. Image, social voice/personality, permanency, and fear of legal repercussions are among concerns that are disproportionately felt by doctors. So can we mitigate this fear in any way and break the barriers to entry for doctors?" Learn More… // < ![CDATA[ // < ![CDATA[ new TWTR.Widget({ version: 2, type: 'profile', rpp: 2, interval: 6000, width: 250, height: 250, theme: { shell: { background: '#e4eff2', color: '#007e9a' }, tweets: { background: '#FBFBFB', color: '#595959', links: '#007e9a' } }, features: { scrollbar: false, loop: false, live: false, hashtags: true, timestamp: t...

A tiring day as a patient

Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 11:21:00 +0100

Yesterday I had an event filled day. I must say the evening before there was a little bit of snow and my husband who had not seen the need for four new tires on the car, after a sliding backwards event, agreed that tires were needed.I said I would call about getting the tires in the morning and see if they could put them on in the morning. I called the tire shop at 8 am when they opened and got someone who said they had two and would call me back if they could get all four and install them.Then I went off in the car with the bad tires to PT for my (damn) tennis elbow. Over the weekend, I found the skin on my elbow was all red and irritated and raw from the treatment - he does ultrasound, massage, and then some weird thing with electrical impulses pushing some prescription medicine into my ...

Best of Our Blogs: December 17, 2010

World of Psychology — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 23:10:29 +0100

As I’m writing this, I’m in shock. I was busy checking things off of my things to do list when appointments and planning for the upcoming holidays completely threw me off my schedule. That’s why this is late. Yikes! I let the ball drop. And I’ve been doing that a lot lately. It is a great lesson for me. Recently, an illness has made it difficult for me to keep up. While I’m usually on top of things, once an A student, someone who despises procrastination and has a strong passion for getting everything done, I realized that I just can’t do it all anymore. But maybe that’s a good thing. It’s teaching me about the importance of making mistakes, being imperfect and accepting where I am now instead of comparing where I was in the past. I might not...

Knowing When It’s Time to End Therapy

World of Psychology — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 13:09:47 +0100

Part of my anxiety when I was job searching had to do with therapy. How will I pull it off when I have to work a 9 to 5 office job? Which then led me to the thought: Is it time to take a break? How would I know when that time comes? Other people around me are clearly crazy and they aren’t spending their lunch hour in therapy. Alas, I decided my graduation day is off in the far distance because I still always leave my therapist’s office feeling about 10 pounds lighter and equipped with an arsenal of power tools with which to treat my negative intrusive thoughts. In my life, and maybe in yours, it always tempting to end therapy exactly when you need as part of your recovery plan, especially during a huge transition, like going to work for someone after 15 years of calling your ow...

I am not sure how this happened

Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:25:00 +0100

I forgot about my upcoming radiation oncologist appointment. I mean I knew it was coming but thought it was a few more weeks away. I thought I had more time before worrying about it. You can't visit an oncologist without worrying. You know you are in trouble when you make that first oncologist appointment. I actually have two oncologists - one radiation and one medical (chemo) oncologist. I'll see my medical oncologist in a few weeks. This is my annual follow up with my radiation oncologist. I think I see her for five years or so after treatment ended to make sure there are not any long term side effects. She is a very nice Russian woman with a long hard to pronounce name so she is called Dr. G by most people. We often compare shoes in addition to talk about how I am doing. But how did I f...

I am not sure who this happened

Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:25:00 +0100

Hypochondria or not

Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 10:09:00 +0100

Am I turning into a hypochondriac or not? I can't decide. If I go to the doctor for every ache and pain because of that niggling little 'what if', then when the doctor says 'its normal' I feel like I am turning into a hypochondriac. I will say when I do go to the doctor and say 'I had cancer twice' then they say 'with your medical history, blah, blah, blah, blah, we need to be sure' and send me off on the merry go round of tests and more doctors. It doesn't help that every time I go to the doctors I print off a new copy of my ever growing/ever changing list of medications I take regularly which just reinforces how much of a pill popper I have become.Yesterday's doctor said I am normal (although my husband may dispute this fact) and any more pains should be reported to my PCP (lower right a...

I am appalled

Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 10:21:00 +0100

They finally got a cap on the damn well. I call this whole BP thing bad business. I admit I have not been following it day by day with total scrutiny but the more I learn the more appalled I become. My thoughts are this:- They had no plan in place in case this type of disaster did happen. I'm not sure any oil company or government really does but they didn't and it happened to them.- They had originally said sometime this summer (and I don't remember the dates or the time lines) the cap would be on the well. But coincidentally I believe their shareholders meeting or some other big event is somewhere around July 27 and they wanted to have the well capped by then so they could go in with good news.- Many millions of British retirees have have pensions which are in plans that hold BP stock an...

We must stop and ask why?

Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog — Thu, 13 May 2010 09:49:00 +0100

Why is it on the days when you have to get up early you can't sleep the night before and wake up overtired and stressed before you leave the house? This is not fair. I have to go to a volunteer event and be perky and cheerful and answer the same questions forty seven times - is there WiFi? Whats the user name and password? How do we correct our badges? But I must say, everyone is nice, its just me who is overtired because I didn't sleep. I actually enjoy this conference every year and wish that I could stay for the day's sessions but because of both of our doctor appointments, I will go and help the exhibitors get what they need so they will be ready for the networking session that starts at 830. I will then leave and begin the doctor appointment rounds.Now why didn't I sleep well? Because...

Latest update

Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog — Wed, 12 May 2010 09:55:00 +0100

Yesterday I started my day with my annual physical. Sometimes I wonder if I need an annual physical when I go to so many other doctors but apparently your PCP is supposed to manage your health care and you need to see them if they are going to do this. Anyway, the verdict seems to be that I am still here and doing okay.Nothing new was uncovered. My vital signs are normal. My weight, while lower than in the past, still has a way to go. I did ask the nurse to pretend it was 20 lbs less than the scale actually read. I'm not sure that she did that but it never hurts to ask.My vital signs all appear normal. I was told to watch for more cough and head ache issues but otherwise sent for blood tests and told that I should be fine. We did discuss my back, ankle, yucky ultrasound, and lymphedema but...

Stress? What is that?

Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog — Fri, 07 May 2010 10:02:00 +0100

Today I have - 1030am mammogram- 1130am bone density scan- 1200pm oncologist appointment- 100pm surgeon appointmentSo how am I this morning? Stressed? Just a tiny bit. I have to pack my bag of crap to take with me including a book (which I think I'll have plenty of time to read because a day like this always involves LOTS of waiting), two lists of doctor questions, my list of medications and allergies, and a half an ativan to take when I get to the hospital so I don't stress all day. If there is one thing I have learned is that sometimes it pays to be proactive. My only question is when do I get lunch because I am sure that I will be running late after my first appointment which means I won't have time to eat until after my last appointment and I might get crabby if I am hungry.My goals fo...

Something is missing

Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 10:18:00 +0100

Monday I went to my new mjob and a walk with a friend. Yesterday I went to work all day. Today I am going to work all day. Tomorrow I need to work a good part of the day and get ready to go away for the weekend. Friday I have to be ready to leave here at noon. I feel kind of busy this week as I have to integrate my new job into my schedule but was thinking that something is missing. What is it? What's missing? NO DOCTOR APPOINTMENTS this week.I have already had 21 appointments so far this year. This is the first week since Christmas week that I do not have a doctor appointment. Several of the weeks I actually had more than one, maybe two or three. But this week I have none. Next week I have one. The week after I have one. The week after we are on vacation. The week after I have EIGHT!!!!!!...

How to Make the Most of Your Doctor's Appointment

The Diabetes Blog — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Filed under: CarePatients and doctors don't always see eye-to-eye, but there are ways to make your next doctor's appointment easier. There are often many options for diagnosing or treating diabetes and choosing to work with your doctor -- instead of against him or her -- will help. Make sure that you choose a doctor who you feel comfortable with and can build a great relationship with. Choosing a doctor who understands your lifestyle, wants, needs and limitations is essential. Be an active participant at your appointment, by takinge your daily blood sugar (glucose) monitoring logbook to your appointment. Also, be prepared for any tests that you might need to take and think about the following questions that your doctor can use to help you manage your diabetes, especially if you're havi...

My First Week as a Therapist

World of Psychology — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 10:30:52 +0100

The weather conspired against us this week in North Carolina. A state that does usually see at least one major snowstorm a year, we still have no idea what to do when it actually happens. It snowed last Friday night through the day on Saturday and as a result, my university was closed on Monday, and had delayed openings on Tuesday and Wednesday due to daytime snow melt refreezing on the roads at night. Consequently, our counseling clinic was an absolute hive, with all 31 of us taking turns on the one clinic phone, trying to call our clients to reschedule canceled appointments. As if anticipation for seeing your first client isn’t bad enough — most of us had to wait a few extra days! I, myself, had originally scheduled three clients for Monday. Luckily, it worked out that all three ...

Meeting With My First Therapy Client

World of Psychology — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:15:33 +0100

I just finished a 40-day winter break from graduate school. After a quick but intense first semester, I was a bit crispy around the edges and welcomed the vacation. But now it is back to school and the next chapter in my journey towards becoming a clinical therapist. In less than two weeks, I will be contacting my very first clients to set up appointments. Bless these people for actually volunteering to share their stories with me, someone who has been told she is a “good listener,” but isn’t really sure at this point what else she can offer another person therapeutically. We’ve been told silence is golden. I’m hoping it isn’t also awkward. Yes, I did read my theory textbook last semester, and have my “favorite,” although by no means am I an expert in any of them! I was in...

Precious child

Turquoise Gates — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 06:22:00 +0100

Amelia's neurology appointment on Tuesday bore some bad news. Aaron and I were right, the symptoms are subtly but surely returning as we weaned the steroids yet again. She was placed back on a stronger dose of steroids to keep the swelling and demyelination in her brain at a minimum. The longer she goes without healing, the more question there is about an underlying condition, or permanent brain damage. It is beyond heartbreaking to imagine our perfect, beautiful girl growing up unable to track with one eye, falling over and crashing into things, requiring six hour naps, having language and small motor skill difficulties. It is so hard to think that she may have permanent disabilities because of an illness that so suddenly, mysteriously struck out of the blue.Yet I trust she is in His hand...

Surviving

Turquoise Gates — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 01:40:00 +0100

We are holding ground here at the Thul house. I was on my own with childcare and homemaking for the first time since my surgery on the 18th of November. It was a challenging day, but the house is roughly as clean as it started, the children are bathed, fed and happy, and we actually finished one Christmas craft, so I feel as though we held our own throughout the day. I continue to struggle with pain and trying to determine what medications to use to increase my ability to care for my children without suffering side effects. I continue to do pretty well on high dose ibuprofen, with an occasional dose of a fairly mild narcotic that decreases my pain by about 50% when I choose to take it. I will need to go for another ultrasound later this week if my pain doesn't decrease by then. I am hoping...

Big Out-of-Control Government Has Had Better Days at the Supreme Court

Cato-at-liberty — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:36:24 +0100

By Ilya ShapiroThis morning at the Supreme Court, the federal government argued for the continued existence of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB, pronounced peek-a-boo) — and by extension the nefarious financial regulatory scheme known as Sarbanes-Oxley. Cato filed a brief supporting a free market advocacy group and an accounting firm, who sued PCAOB for violating both the Appointments Clause and general constitutional separation-of-powers principles. Passed with scant deliberation in the wake of the Enron and WorldCom scandals, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 established PCAOB to oversee the accounting practices of the nation’s public companies. As my piece with Cato legal associate Travis Cushman details today, PCAOB enjoys the rare authority to mak...

MS Events: They’re Good for What Ails You

Life with MS — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:07:52 +0100

This past weekend was my local chapter of the National MS Society’s Bike MS event. Nearly 2000 cyclists, aged from single digits to octogenarians, got on their bicycles and road a beautiful course, ranging from 25 to 100 miles, for two days. It was a beautiful late summer weekend. The riders had wicked fun. A large amount of money (looks like we’ll hit the $1.6millon goal) was raised for multiple sclerosis. But there was more… Every time I attend one of these “MS Events,” be it a walk, a luncheon, gala dinner, an educational program, or what have you, I feel better! Not that my MS symptoms feel better, in fact sometimes the symptoms get worse for a short time owing to the extra “stuff” I do. I walk more than I normally do, I stand to chat for longer periods, I’m emo...

Sarbanes-Oxley’s Harms Are Magnified by the PCAOB’s Unconstitutional Structure

Cato-at-liberty — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:48:05 +0100

Passed with scant deliberation amid a stock market panic, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 vastly expanded the federal government’s role in regulating corporate governance and the accounting industry. As part of that effort, Congress created a new agency to “audit the auditors.” Known as the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, the agency has broad rulemaking and enforcement powers to set accounting standards, investigate accounting firms, punish criminal violations, and make whatever rules “may be necessary or appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of investors.” Remarkably, the PCAOB (pronounced “peek-a-boo”) also has the power to fund its own budget by levying taxes on publicly traded companies. Despite giving the PCAOB all this po...

Sarbanes-Oxley under Attack… from the Supreme Court!

Cato-at-liberty — Mon, 18 May 2009 17:22:18 +0100

Today the Supreme Court agreed to review a case brought by our friends at the Competitive Enterprise Institute that challenges the constitutionality of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB, pronounced “peek-a-boo”). The constitutional problem with the PCAOB — there are many policy problems — is that its officers are appointed in an unconstitutional manner. Under the Appointments Clause of Article II, section 2, the president has the exclusive power to appoint and remove government officials. The members of the PCAOB – which enforces the massive regulatory scheme Sarbanes-Oxley imposes on public companies – are appointed by the SEC, however, which then has limited supervisory/removal power. While this structural defect may se...

Supreme Speculation

Cato-at-liberty — Fri, 08 May 2009 17:37:38 +0100

With no hard news to report and the Supreme Court not in session — they’ll release opinions in the remaining cases on successive Mondays (plus the Tuesday after Memorial Day) beginning May 18 — Washington is abuzz with speculation over potential high court nominees. While Senator Orrin Hatch earlier this week said he expected an announcement this week, the White House is far more likely to take its time vetting candidates, with no real pressure to announce a pick until the Court recesses at the end of June. Nobody other than the president himself really knows who’s favored, but ABC News’s Jan Crawford Greenburg — who will be contributing to this year’s Cato Supreme Court Review and speaking at our Constitution Day conference September 17 — has som...

Sick Days, Working Parents and the Bad Economy

World of Psychology — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 02:15:00 +0100

It’s an epic battle that surfaces every year in about October, and usually dies down in the spring. Microscopic invaders keep thousands of kids home from school every day during the fall, winter, and early spring months. Parents do their best, but we often feel powerless to prevent sick days. In light of the current national job situation, a working parent today may have more on their mind than just their child’s health. I work part time and am able to stay home with my kids most of the time. Nevertheless, I have had my share of trouble with “kid germs” interfering with my work schedule. I’ve missed more than one “really important meeting,” rescheduled training days, and reworked my writing projects around nebulizer treatments and doctor’s ap...

12 Most Annoying Bad Habits of Therapists

World of Psychology — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 19:46:08 +0100

Psychotherapy is a unique relationship, a kind of connection that is unlike any other kind of relationship a person has in their life. In some ways, it can be more intimate than our most intimate relationships, but it also paradoxically values a vestige of professional distance between therapist and client. Therapists, alas, are just as human as the clients they see and come with the same human foibles. They have bad habits, as we all do, but some of those habits have the very real potential of interfering with the psychotherapy process and the unique psychotherapy relationship. So without further ado, here are twelve things you wish your therapist didn’t do — some of which may actually harm the psychotherapeutic relationship. 1. Showing up late for the appointment. Therapists...

DB Keeping You Plugged In: How to Effectively Add New Dental Software to Your Practice

dental blog for dentists about dentistry — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 14:38:38 +0100

You’ve found the perfect software for the office, and you’re pumped. This could revolutionize your practice! Before you get too far into your daydream of perfect communication, a full schedule, and a happy, thankful staff who adores you, consider six essential elements that will be imperative to the success of your software. 1) USE - How to open the software, find a patient, and find procedures or appointments 2) CHARTING - How to enter treatment, create treatment plans, enter procedure notes, link to diagnostic aids 3) FINANCE - How to make an estimate, submit insurance claims, bill, and enter payments 4) SCHEDULING - How to create and locate appointments 5) COMMUNICATION - maintaining patient contact and insurance information; sending correspondence for insurance, recall, c...

The chronic pain patient and the handymen

Life with Chronic Pain — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:36:05 +0100

We live differently, those of us who have chronic pain. Some of us get up later, go to bed earlier or later than the average person, and definitely march to the beat of a different drummer. Over the years, I have had to deal with many handymen, plumbers, painters, electricians and yard guys. Perhaps, I’m more grumpy than the average person, but it really ticks me off when I drag my sore body out of bed extra early on a cold morning due to an appointment with one of these persons (to be politically correct, we have had one female painter and the meter reader is also a woman.) I have to take my pills earlier than usual, have to eat with the pills, take a bath and get dressed. There I am, waiting for the pills to kick in before said arrival and they don’t come, I wait some more an...

Encouraging a lower standard of care

NHS Blog Doctor — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:44:00 +0100

The Jobbing Doctor talks, with frustration, about doing a “Gordon Surgery”. In other words, his practice has jumped through the hoops to get the extra money from the government for doing extended hours.I have been doing what I will call a “Crippen” surgery for several years. I started when Gordon was ensconced in Number 11 spending his day telling the inhabitant of Number 10 how to do his job. Now Gordon is in Number 10 spending his working day telling the inhabitant of Number 11 how to do his job.Nothing changes.My “Crippen” surgery runs from 6.00 pm until 8.00 pm, usually on Wednesday evening. I book 16 patients at seven and a half minute intervals. When I started in my current practice, the elderly partners (three over 65) all offered five-minute appointments. With all the e...

Primary concerns: Older people’s access to primary care

Fade Library — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 09:18:45 +0100

a report from Age Concern, focuses on General Practice, Dental Health and Podiatry. It finds that older people consider their GP to be the most important person in their healthcare. They find there is sufficient time to discuss everything they wanted to with their GP or practice nurse, but around 14% found some difficulty in making an appointment when they wanted it. 10% of those surveyed by Age Concern had difficulty arranging a home visit and some people were unaware that they could even request a home visit. Just over 50% of respondents had an NHS dentist and there were significant regional variations in access. In addition to problems in finding a dentist, the survey showed that some older people were not aware of the importance of regular dental care. Despite of the importance of g...

Doctor bashing (6) : Joan Smith: For a really healthy pay rise, consult your doctor

NHS Blog Doctor — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 10:03:00 +0100

More doctor bashing in the papers this morning, this time from Joan Smith in The Independent. I should be used to it by now. Joan Smith is less rabid than many. Her thesis is simple. Doctors have had huge pay rises and yet I still cannot see a doctor exactly when I want to. Therefore, by implication, doctors are lazy and GPs are still providing a service which is tailored to their needs, not those of the taxpayers who fund it. Over the last 20 years, my practice has worked hard to try to provide the access that all patients want. We have an 85% satisfaction rate. It is not possible to get it much higher, though we are trying. But however many doctors we have, however many hours we work, we will never satisfy Joan. We cannot meet her insatiable demand. We cannot meet it for one reason only....

Scholarly Research and Publications of Dr. Gary S. Berger

Tubal Reversal Blog — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 17:38:05 +0100

Gary S Berger MD, Medical Director of Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center, is well known for his contributions to clinical medicine as a reproductive surgeon. Patients sometimes ask about Dr. Berger’s education, training, academic credentials, scholarly research and publications. This is a resume of Dr. Berger’s academic credentials: ACADEMIC DEGREES 1965 A.B. [...] (Source: Tubal Reversal Blog)