Student Shadowing in the Medical Office Going Extinct

Image courtesy of imagerymajestic at FreeDigitalPhotos.net Back when I was a high school and college student, shadowing a doctor in the medical office was common and fairly easy to accomplish. Make a few phone calls and set a few days and than you just showed up to get a glimpse into the world of medicine. Fast forward to the present... Over the years as a practicing doctor, I routinely get student requests to shadow me in my practice, though such requests mainly come by email rather…

3/26/2016 0

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Richard Scarry Tonsillectomy Cartoon [video]

My kids introduced me to this particular cartoon being big fans of Richard Scarry. Dr. Lion is the ENT surgeon and Huckle the Cat is the patient undergoing tonsillectomy .

1/01/2015 0

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A Single Sneeze Can Spread Throughout Entire Building

MIT researchers using high-speed cameras and applying fluid dynamics have discovered that although ejected droplets from a sneeze typically fall to the ground, the "cloud" of moisture from a single sneeze actually floats and can enter ventilation ducts and can potentially spread throughout an entire building or airplane. Watch video below. These findings have profound implications as to how infections may travel within buildings and other contained structures like cruise ships a…

5/03/2014 0

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Hospital Charges vs Surgeon Charges

Some of the most bitter complaints I get from patients are their hospital bills. Apparently, this complaint is not unique to me given numerous media articles about perceived outrageous hospital charges for seemingly simple procedures ( article #1 and article #2 ). The healthcare system as it currently stands establishes 2 separate charges (surgeon and hospital) with any type of procedure performed in a hospital (even if not in an operating room). There is even a 3rd charge if anesthesia is…

5/20/2013 0

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Just How Contagious is the Flu (and Other Viral Infections)?

Everybody knows the flu and other viral infections are contagious, but did you wonder just how contagious??? Well, here are some facts gleaned from a few studies: • In just 4 hours, one sick worker can contaminate 50% of surfaces in a typical office • After 8 hours, one sick worker can contaminate 70%+ of surfaces • Non-sick workers have a 40-90% chance of getting infected after spending one day with a sick worker • A sneeze or cough can hurl virus 6 feet away from the mouth • A si…

2/02/2013 0

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Dr. Chang Featured in Regional Newspaper Regarding Balloon Sinuplasty

Dr. Chang was recently featured inside a regional quarterly newspaper regarding balloon sinuplasty  in the treatment of chronic sinusitis . Sinus surgery  has come a long way compared to even just 5-10 years ago and great patient experiences after this type of surgery is not uncommon now. A few key features of  sinus surgery  of the 21st century that is provided at  Fauquier ENT  include: • Nasal packing rarely occurs • Most patients are surprised by how little pain there is •…

1/04/2013 0

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Forbes Critical of Patient Satisfaction Ratings of Physicians

Forbes on January 2, 2013 published a story critical of Press Gainey and other companies that obtain patient satisfaction scores. Please note that the following is a reprint of prior blog articles ( 2/19/12 and  6/8/12 ) written on this subject by Fauquier ENT. Indeed, much has been made about improving patient satisfaction in the healthcare industry in the belief that greater patient satisfaction equates with better health. To this end, patients are routinely asked to complete a survey b…

1/02/2013 0

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HIPAA Compliant Text Messaging (for Free)

Let's face it... Physicians love to text message given it is fast, easy, and convenient. However, regular instant messaging (SMS, MMS) that comes with your smartphone is not secure, saved unencrypted on a server somewhere (forever), and most importantly not HIPAA or HITECH compliant. Enter the encrypted and HIPAA compliant messaging services. Though most of these services cost a nominal fee per month, there are a few and growing number of services which offer free and secure instant…

12/09/2012 0

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Is Patient Abandonment in the Operating Room Ever Justified?

I ask this question mainly because there WAS an ENT who WAS sued for NOT abandoning his patient in the operating room [ link ]. No way to verify, but additional details can be found in this facebook post . Imagine this hypothetical scenario (as details from original case are not available)... You are an ENT surgeon in a rural community hospital performing a fairly difficult but elective sinus surgery on a 12 years old child with cystic fibrosis with extensive pan-sinus nasal polypoid d…

11/27/2012 2

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Same Doctor Visit, Double The Cost

On August 26, 2012, the Wall Street Journal published a story describing a situation whereby a patient who sees a physician employed by a hospital essentially pays double out-of-pocket what they would have paid for the same exact office visit with a physician NOT employed by the hospital. I actually wrote about this situation in January 21, 2012. Beyond what the Wall Street Journal reported, what's going on? Assuming all things equal whereby a private practice physician and a ho…

8/27/2012 0

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American Girl Doll Gets Hearing Aids

The American Girl doll company now offers hearing aids for their 18 inch doll models only through their Doll Hospital . Thanks to Tampa Bay ENT who shared this information. Unlike humans who are able to obtain many different styles of hearing aids , only BTE (behind-the-ear) style is available for American Girl dolls. Interesting, the medical services offered through the Doll Hospital is MUCH more impressive than what can be offered for humans. Services beyond hearing aids include new h…

6/30/2012 0

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100% Patient Satisfaction Scores

What if I told you this 100% patient satisfaction score was due to a survey of only two people... that I personally picked? Welcome to the big bad world of patient satisfaction scores. Often (well... pretty much all the time), I come across an article, bulletin posting, or meeting where patient satisfaction scores are announced... but no background information to back it up. HOW many people completed the survey? HOW were the people selected? WHO administered the survey? HOW many people …

6/08/2012 0

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Costs of Surgery... How Is This Calculated?

So I have blogged about this topic a few times in the past, but there still seems to be confusion regarding the costs of surgery. As mentioned in the past, the cost of surgery is broken down into basically 3 separate charges: • Surgeon's charge • Anesthesia's charge • Hospital's charge So... after surgery, a patient typically will get 3 bills; one each from surgeon, anesthesia, and hospital. At least in the United States, the three charges are completely separate from ea…

6/05/2012 4

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Waking Up to NOT Just Major Colonoscopy Bills...

The New York Times published an article on May 28, 2012 regarding the high anesthesia charges associated with colonoscopy. What people need to realize is that anesthesia charges apply not just to colonoscopy, but ANY procedure that requires general anesthesia... tonsillectomy , appendectomy, gallbladder surgery, ear tube placement in kids, etc. With any procedure requiring general anesthesia, a patient is going to receive THREE bills... not just one which is what most reasonable peopl…

5/30/2012 0

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Australia Ends $500 Million Electronic Medical Records Initiative

First United Kingdom ends their $17 billion electronic medical records initiative in 2011 and now Australia follows suit after 6 years of trying to fund their HealthSMART health information technology project and projected costs went from $318 million to $557 million. This Australian project was to have provided hospitals with software from Cerner, iSoft (now CSC) and InterSystems... the same system which also failed to be implemented by United Kingdom. I said it before and I'll say …

5/20/2012 0

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If Computer Security Experts are Getting Hacked, Why are Hospitals/Doctors Expected to be Better?

As anyone knows from reading the newspaper recently, major computer security firms like RSA and Verisign have been hacked. Even the pentagon ! If companies that specialize in computer security get hacked, why are hospitals and doctors who do NOT specialize in computer security held to an even higher standard? Criminal penalties against healthcare professionals and organizations are steep for computer data breaches at $100 per record with criminal penalties that can include fines of $25…

3/04/2012 0

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Hospital-Based Practice Versus Physician Private Practice

The other day, an astute patient of mine asked what the difference is between a physician who works for a hospital (hospital-based practice) versus a physician run private practice. After all, a patient still sees a physician in either case... Is there an actual difference from a patient's perspective??? Assuming all things equal whereby a private practice physician and a hospital-based physician are equally competent and the supporting staff for each are both equally good (such a…

1/21/2012 0

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What Makes a Successful Hospital - Where Are the Tweakers???

First off, I don't have a business degree (in fact, I'm a MBA drop-out) nor a degree in hospital administration (does chairing a hospital committee count?), but I do have an opinion (don't we all) in light of having co-founded a bioinformatics company (iCORD, LLC) in the past based on a patent developed during my surgical residency... But I also admit that the company was ultimately unsuccessful if one measures success in terms of monetary profits, but I can say I succeeded in t…

12/26/2011 0

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Singer George Michael With Tracheostomy

Reuters reported today that singer George Michael suffered from severe pneumonia and underwent a tracheostomy during his hospitalization. A tracheostomy is when a hole is made in the throat for a patient to breath through. Here is a video of what his trach surgery may have looked like. Michael apparently was in the middle of a tour when he became ill requiring him to cancel upcoming shows. A tracheostomy is often performed whenever a patient has been intubated (tube down the throa…

12/23/2011 0

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Doctor Distraction Happens... It's Mandatory!

I admittedly snorted out loud when I read a  New York Times article   earlier last week regarding increased physician distraction due to electronic devices, especially with the advent of the smartphone with its emails, text messages, calls, and other alerts that ping intermittently throughout a typical work day. There is no question that electronic devices distract physicians as the article pointed out... But that's like complaining about a leaky faucet when there's a flooded bas…

12/20/2011 2

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