Caring For Winter Olympians In Sochi: An Interview With Team USA’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Gloria Beim
I am a huge fan of the winter Olympics, partly because I grew up in Canada (where most kids can ski and skate before they can run) and partly because I used to participate in Downhill ski racing. Now that I’m a rehab physician (with a reconstructed knee) I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to interview Team USA’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Gloria Beim. As we enjoy the Sochi Olympic games via our TV sets, keep an eye out for Dr. Beim! Please read on to get her behind-the-scenes account of what it takes to care for and keep Team USA Olympians in tip top shape.
Dr. Val: How did you become the Chief Medical ...
Source: Better Health - January 31, 2014 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Expert Interviews 2014 Centricity Chief Medical Officer CMO Colorado Emergencies Gloria Beim Orthopedics Russia Sochi Sports Medicine Team USA Winter Olympic Games Winter Olympics Source Type: blogs
More Evidence That The Mediterranean Diet Is Healthiest
We’ve known for quite some time that weight loss can reduce the risk of developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. However, a healthy diet alone (without weight loss) may also help to reduce risk. In a recent Spanish study (published in the Annals of Internal Medicine), 3,541 men and women ages 55-80 at risk for diabetes were followed for an average of 4.1 years. Those who ate a diet rich in fish, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and olive oil were less likely to develop diabetes than those following other diets of similar caloric value.
This is interesting for a few reasons. First of all, it provides us wit...
Source: Better Health - January 6, 2014 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Health Tips Opinion Research Annals Of Internal Medicine Diabetes Fish Jordi Salas-Salvado Mediterranean Diet Olive Oil Vegetables Weight Loss Source Type: blogs
Social Media May Be Better Than Tests And Credentials At Identifying Good Doctors
I am consistently bemused by those who recommend more rigorous or more pervasive standardized testing as the primary means for insuring physician quality. The vast majority of physicians have already passed through a complex gauntlet of multiple choice exams, extended credentialing and certification processes, and lengthy tests of knowledge and skill. And yet, some physicians (to put it bluntly, sorry friends) are very bad at what they do.
Intellectual intelligence is necessary, but not sufficient, for doctoring. It is emotional intelligence (EI) that is sorely lacking – because it has neither been cultivated, nor se...
Source: Better Health - December 16, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Opinion Best Doctors Blogs Caring Clinical Judgment CV Emotional Intelligence How To Find A Good Doctor Howard Luks Quality Improvement Social Media Standardized Testing Test Scores Source Type: blogs
Fit Family Challenge 2013: Ten Tips For Fast, Healthy, And Affordable Meals
I’m very excited to be the nutrition coach for the Boys & Girls Clubs’ Fit Family Challenge again this year. In surveying the finalist families, I discovered that the two most important nutrition issues on their minds were cooking speed and food affordability. Far down the list were things like food allergies, weight loss, and nutrition basics.
Contrary to popular belief, healthy eating doesn’t have to be expensive. A new study showed that a healthful diet only costs an average of $1.50/day more than an unhealthy diet, and the additional cost is mostly related to the expense of leaner protein sources....
Source: Better Health - December 12, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Health Tips 2013 Affordable Food Boys And Girls Clubs Cheap Fit Family Challenge Greek Yogurt Groceries Healthy Hummus kids Lean Protein Meal Ideas Mediterranean Diet Nuts Organic Foods Quick Meals Seeds Snacks Supple Source Type: blogs
Death By Stubbornness: What’s A Doctor To Do?
Over the years that I’ve worked in acute inpatient rehab centers, I have been truly vexed by a particular type of patient. Namely, the stubborn patient (usually an elderly gentleman with a military or armed forces background). I know that it’s not completely fair to generalize about personality types, but it seems that the very nature of their work has either developed in them a steely resolve, or they were attracted to their profession because they possessed the right temperament for it. Either way, when they arrive in the rehab unit after some type of acute illness or traumatic event, it is very challenging t...
Source: Better Health - December 9, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Opinion True Stories Acute Inpatient Rehab anorexia Downward Spiral Ex-military Infection Motivation Patient Autonomy Physical Medicine And Rehabilitation Physical Therapy Police Officers Psychiatry Stubbornness Veterans Wive Source Type: blogs
Cartoon: Statin Overexposure?
With the new guidelines for prescribing cholesterol-lowering medications, I’ve been wondering if perhaps we’re becoming overexposed to these drugs? (Source: Better Health)
Source: Better Health - November 25, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Humor ACC AHA cartoon Cholesterol Guidelines Statin Source Type: blogs
A Historical Review Of The Toilet And Its Contribution To International Sanitation Efforts
November 19 is International Toilet Day. That may sound funny, but it is a serious event. It is a day to contemplate what we have and others don’t. As we sit in privacy on our comfortable flush toilets today, it is hard to imagine that a scant two hundred years ago sewage disposal meant emptying chamber pots into the nearest convenient place, which was often the street.
If you were out for a walk in Britain in the 18th century and heard the cry “gardy-loo,” you had better scamper across the street because the contents of a chamber pot were set to be hurled your way from a window. The expression derives from the Fren...
Source: Better Health - November 19, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: admin Tags: Health Policy Health Tips Humor Chamber Pots Cholera Flush Toilets History Infectious Disease International Toilet Day Sanitation Source Type: blogs
The Magic Question That Every Patient Should Ask Their Doctor
I realize that my blog has been littered with depressing musings on healthcare lately, and so I thought I’d offer up one very positive and “actionable” suggestion for all you patients out there. In the midst of a broken system where your doctor is being pressured to spend more time with a computer than listening and examining you, where health insurance rates and co-pays are sky-rocketing, and where 1 in 5 patients have the wrong diagnosis… There is one “magic” question that you should be asking your physician(s):
“What else could this be?”
This very simple question about you...
Source: Better Health - October 23, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Health Tips Opinion Best Doctors Correct Diagnosis Differential Diagnosis eDocAmerica Magic Question Second Opinion Service What else could this be? What to ask your doctor Wrong Diagnosis Source Type: blogs
Mean Patients: The Real Reason Why Physicians Are Quitting Medicine?
A "Medical Service Provider"
As I sat in my orthopedist’s exam room, the discussion quickly turned from my chief complaint to his: “I don’t know why I’m doing this anymore,” he said. “Medicine is just not what it used to be, and I don’t enjoy my work anymore. The bureaucracy and regulations are bad enough, but what really gets me is the hostility. My patients are chronically angry and mean. The only comfort I get is from talking to other doctors. Because they all feel the same way.”
Perhaps this sentiment strikes you as the spoiled musings of a physician who is lame...
Source: Better Health - October 21, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Opinion Anger Burn Out Doctor Healthcare System Hostility Mean Patients Orthopedic Surgery Physician Demoralization Quit Medicine Source Type: blogs
How Do Hospital Executives Feel About Locum Tenens Agencies And Traveling Physicians?
I recently wrote about my experiences as a traveling physician and how to navigate locum tenens work. Today I want to talk about the client (in this case, hospital) side of the equation. I’ve had the chance to speak with several executives (some were physicians themselves) about the overall process of hiring and managing temporary physicians. What I heard wasn’t pretty. I thought I’d summarize their opinions in the form of a mock composite interview to protect their anonymity – I’m hoping that locum MDs and agencies alike can learn from this very candid discussion.
Dr. Val: How do you feel abo...
Source: Better Health - October 15, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Expert Interviews Advice Healthcare Policy Hospital Executives Hospital Staffing Locum Tenens Locum Tenens Agency Poor Matches Problems Retired Physicians Salary Seekers Traveling Physicians Trends Unhappy Vacation Money Source Type: blogs
Talk Therapy And The American Resident Project: How Can The Next Generation Of Physicians Improve The Healthcare System?
I have been an outspoken, and often times exasperated, patient advocate and student of healthcare reform. There is no doubt that the U.S. healthcare system is operating far below its potential in terms of efficiency, effectiveness, and affordability. In fact, an entire industry of policy wonks and consultants have sprung up in both the public and private sectors – all with recommendations about how to “fix” our system. In my opinion, the most insightful suggestions will come from those who are currently doing the work of healthcare (i.e. clinicians) and change will be adopted and promoted most fervently b...
Source: Better Health - October 10, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Announcements Health Policy American Resident Project Fresh Ideas Healthcare reform Innovation Medical Students Residents Wellpoint Young Doctors Source Type: blogs
The Pros And Cons Of CrossFit: A Physician’s Perspective
I’ve been following (and often participating in) fitness trends for decades. From Jim Fixx’s outdoor running to Jane Fonda’s work out videos, to Conan-the-Barbarian body building, to step aerobics, to Tae Bo, to hot yoga, to Zumba, and now CrossFit… America’s exercise pendulum has been swinging wildly across the spectrum of possible physical activities. So have we finally reached a balanced mix of strength and cardio for optimum fitness? Maybe.
CrossFit is a system of exercise and nutrition (founded in 2000 by Greg Glassman) that claims to “forge elite fitness.” Their Reebok-sponso...
Source: Better Health - September 27, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Health Tips CrossFit CrossFit Games Exercise Fitness Fittest On Earth HIIT Injury Nutrition Physician Pros And Cons Reebok Safety Strength Training Source Type: blogs
Three Products That My Dermatologist Says Are “Of The Devil” – And Other Skin Tips
This actress keeps her dermatologist on speed dial too.
As a light skinned, be-freckled woman with a history of pre-melanoma, I have been sternly instructed to keep my dermatologist on speed dial. Every six months I dutifully return to his office for inspection – nervously eyeing the biopsy tray as I sweat through my paper gown, legs dangling from a vinyl exam table.
In preparation for my most recent trip, I decided to be “an empowered patient” and arrive with a list of general dermatology and skin care questions that could be answered during my skin check. Judging from the near-syncopal episodes that I i...
Source: Better Health - September 23, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Health Tips Allergies Antibacterial Ointment Bounce Brush Clarisonic Contact Dermatitis Dermatologist Dermatology Dryer Sheets Exfoliator Hydroquinone melanoma Moisturizer Neosporin Physical Block Pores Skin Cancer Skin Source Type: blogs
More Unintended Consequences Of Digital Data: How An EMR Gave My Patient Syphilis
I used to be a big believer in the transformative power of digital data in medicine. In fact, I devoted the past decade of my life to assisting the “movement” towards better record keeping and shared data. It seemed intuitive that breaking down the information silos in healthcare would be the first logical step in establishing price transparency, promoting evidence-based practices, and empowering patients to become more engaged in their care decisions. Unfortunately I was very wrong.
Having now worked with a multitude of electronic medical records systems at hospitals around the country, one thing is certain: t...
Source: Better Health - August 22, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Health Policy Opinion Digital Data Electronic Medical Records EMR Errors Health Data Hospital Limitation Problems Technology The Problem With EMRs Source Type: blogs
Lack Of Information Synthesis: One Of The Most Important Causes Of Medical Errors
As I travel around the country, working in the trenches of various hospitals, I’ve been struck by the number of errors made by physicians and nurses whose administrative burden distracts them from patient care. The clinicians who make the errors are intelligent and competent – and they feel badly when an error is made. However, the volume of tasks required of them in a day (many of which are designed to fulfill an administrative “patient safety” or “quality enhancement” process) makes it impossible for them to complete any task in a comprehensive and thoughtful manner. In the end, admini...
Source: Better Health - August 15, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Health Policy Opinion Administrative Burden Data EMR Healthcare System Hospital Administration Information Synthesis Medical Errors Nurses Patient Safety Physicians Rushing Sloppy Source Type: blogs
