Medical Twitter

Hey I have determined that medical twitter among colleagues is a great way to keep new ideas, information and business colleagues updated. As those of us who usually soar like turkeys in the medical field this allows us to fly like lear jets! I know this 21 st century stuff is tough but medicine which has been so stodgey now has chances exploding to be more patient and staff friendly. Go for it ! Moozie Doc Tip of the day! Smile, laugh, pet your pet! You cannot control what goes on in capitals and legislatures. Work locally thats your best road to success!

EMR

Today you hear all the talk about EMR, the electronic medical record and how we need this across the board to change healthcare. Well guess what this is true, today in the USA there is somewhere between 14 and 29 % penetration in offices and hospitals. If you look closer they are using early 1990s equipment ie. monitors and some software is easily 10 years old. The problem has been who will pay for it and how do you get a ROI or return on your investment. If we look to other parts of the world they are light years ahead likely because of government subsidies and more investment in infrastructure.The ROI comes in decreased length of stays, better outcomes in the OR, lower mortalities, lower costs. Let me sight my favorite example from "The Tipping Point", Wallmart and the barcode. They stock 1/1 therefore keeping costs low and inventories down and efficiencies up. In medicine there always has to be back up for emergencies so that is different but it still saves thousands of dollars! Today there are buying consortiums like Premier and this is a great step in regards to that cost. For the future if I told you that I could bring you software that would interact with your existing systems and mine any data medical , business or otherwise, and be used for administrators, Q/A, research ,day to day operations would you look at it. I think you would, and it exists today and I will bring you this information if you wish to contact me.

Bedside Manner

On this last day of 2008 I wish every Doctor and professor of medicine would read this entry.I hope you have had the opportunity to see and hear "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch, if not go directly to the book store and buy it!Open to page 62-63 and there in lies the secret to life and to being not only the best person but the best physician that you can be. Medicine as life has too many rules , barriers and hurdles but Dr. Pausch put it very clearly on the page. His entry defines hope, the moment at hand ,our loved ones and what is most important. In reading these brief pages I feel like Confuscius has entered the room because he has clearly stated what being a good physician is all about. Present and future is all we have , lets move forward with grace and the eyes of  a 5 year old clear and wondering!

RING

One night late I received the worst of calls a patient post heart surgery had a cardiac arrest, as I flew out the door - no socks, half awake,and desperately worried about my patient I tried to wake up. I live 6 miles from the hospital and we have no residents just great nurses, who by the way in my world were Doctors with different initials after their name. You wonder if the Doctor speeds , oh yeah and red lights we are all color blind to those. I arrive in the darkness and do my best superman impersonation trying as hard as I might to undress and put on surgeons scrubs as my nurses bring the patient to the elevator. I take off my wedding ring and clothes and meet them there as the doors close .I open up my patient right there and start cardiac massage and proceed to the operating room where a team of  people as bleary eyed as I jump to their tasks, over the next 30 minutes we bring this person back to life.  As any surgeon knows if the kidneys are working so is the brain but thats another story! I thank my folks and go out to speak to a family who are dazed and scared and whose eyes hinge on your every word and tell them Dad is ok!  Talk about highs and lows I sit down to take a few minutes to rest only to realize I have lost my wedding ring, it doesn't seem very important next to a human life.My quick hunt is useless and as I come off the elevator a wonderful policeman looks at me and says is this ring yours Doc? I found it in the crack at the bottom of the elevator door! I thanked the lovely lady and as I headed home my thoughts came full circle so to speak, as I crawled into bed my wife asked if everything was fine for the person I went to help and there and than I realized what that ring represents, LIFE!  TIP OF THE DAY: Secret to any success , marry your best friend!

KIDS

Have you followed the cuts in city and state funding. I get it but the one thing we have to support is education. I believe in the kids it is our present and unending hope for the future. Without it we will be mired in the 14 th century of our generation. Whatever we do never give up as Jimmy V. once said, I am totally fed up with politicians and their solutions look at Illinois.Are you inspired by the auto makers leadership or the banks or for that matter !Our role models the professional athlete! These are the people our kids are seeing on the news, the internet, talk shows and the like. You want to know who gets it ? Bill Cosby, thats who, he understands we need leaders white, black whatever color for our kids. Try everyday,every way to influence our youth and help a child . The older I get the more I respect a great teacher not a great athlete !  TIP OF THE DAY:  Eat with your kids and you might just learn something good, I do every day!! Trust and love.

UGLY

Today is the day Ugly died, you might think this is about plastic surgery but it is not. Remember that old rug or warm blanket or the blankie you had as a kid with the satin edge , thats Ugly. Those times with the fire going , coffee smells in the air, sweet rolls in the kitchen , thats Ugly! The smell of cut grass, horses in the pasture, dew on the grass and an ol bathrobe thats Ugly! Well ole Yeller had nothing on Ugly an old eastern North Carolina dog who could bark with the best of them and scare that UPS guy right out of his truck. Ugly went to be with   Yeller this weekend and in passing after 20+ years brought tears to my eyes, is this not what Thanksgiving is all about a life well lived and appreciated. The Movie Doc     TIP OF THE DAY: Take time to view your world thru the eyes of a pet, bet you just smiled!

GOBBLE

GOBBLE  for hot coffee,cool mornings,fall days, redheads,kids, azaelas in April,friends on the first tee,Augusta-Pebble Beach-St.Andrews, Buckeyes,Tarheels, beach week , family, dogs, rye grass, beer on tap, Chicago in January, midwest, Chapel Hill anytime, Ohio Stadium in October,Diet Coke, parents Millersport, Rubinos pizza, deer in your yard,light houses,sons and daughters, HD TV, NFL sundays and satellite, nurses, charities, kitchen smells all day.  But mostly just thankful for life friends and family and love for others !  HAPPY TURKEY DAY!  TIP FOR THE DAY: Eat turkey year around ,it helps sleeping.