“If you get bit by a dog, then you will get rabies.” – 4 year old daughter “You mostly get rabies from bats.” – 7 year old son “Dogs get shots to protect them from rabies.” – 5 year old son “OK, phew.” – 4 year old daughter very relieved “Umm, how about we try to avoid getting bit by dogs?”–Mom preferring prevention strategy
As the reality of MACRA (Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015) looms, the pressure is on small practices to survive. CMS plans to penalize 87% of solo physicians and reward bonuses to 81% of practices with more than 100 physicians. It is time for passive resistance, defined as protesting against a law using peaceful methods such as refusing to obey or refusing to leave a building. I vehemently refuse to leave the building.
As for my journey, my best advice is to draw your own ‘lines in the sand’ as a parent. No one single discipline method is perfect for every child. Reasons for misbehavior vary. Do not judge other mothers; it is harder than it looks. We are all “doing the best we can.”
My county with a population of 260,000 has NO psychiatrist. Not one. Many states all over are experiencing the same provider shortages. Can you grow psychiatrists somewhere at an accelerated rate, like that clone army in Star Wars, and drop them randomly by plane throughout the United States? That would be a good start. They could be raised to believe indentured servitude is their destiny.
To genuinely stand with these forgotten children between their rocks and hard places is something Maleka taught me to do. Our time together was far too short, but thank you darling child for allowing me into your heart.
We should pay physicians for time spent engaging patients in conversation, instead of rewarding them for checking boxes on a computer screen. Physicians were trained to care and comfort people, not chase blood pressure numbers and pain scale scores. Changes masquerading as meaningful have only increased physician workload. We are widgets in the ever expanding assembly line. Do you think the MIPS will give us more time to practice medicine? If you believe it will, then I have a bridge to sell you.
A recent, ground breaking article in the Journal of Pediatrics studied aggressive management for children with Ebola less than 5 years of age. Mortality (death) rate in previous outbreaks was estimated at 75-80%. With this new protocol, during an outbreak in Sierra Leone, they were able to reduce mortality to 31%. That is a HUGE achievement.
Throughout our careers, we are privileged to share in the overwhelming joy of others, yet bear witness to much human suffering that leaves scars on our souls. I wish these parents knew how deeply their son touched us all in the NICU that day. Rainbows are not just a collection of colors as we look out upon the horizon; they are promises for our hearts.
I have been posting a daily anecdote to catch up with the MommyDoc page on Facebook over the last two months. It seems as if I am writing a new one every (continue reading →)
Afterward, the surgeon wondered how she determined there was an infection in his neck. She said she thought it was a case of ‘pink eye’, but her doctor refused to call in an antibiotic without examining him first. He commented that decision had saved her son’s life.
