Emergency Medical Doctor

In a front page article by the San Francisco Chronicle , they describe a report by the CDC, that reveals what we in Emergency Medicine know all too well.  We have become the primary care providers of the community. To quote the article: "The likely cause is there are just fewer and fewer primary care physicians," he said. ...

Senator McCain's Health Care plan says that the problem with healthcare is that it is too expensive and that there are 47 million who are uninsured. The McCain plan wants it to be easier for families to get the insurance they need.  This will be done with a tax credit of $2500 for individuals and $5000 for families. You choose the ...

Most docs have recognized the ridiculous science behind the Quality rules requiring antibiotics in Community Aquired Pneumonia within 4 hours of arrival at the hospital. Finally, there is a study from our home NJ Medical School in Newark, NJ that reveals that giving antibiotics in the first 24 hours has little effect on survival.  The study ...

This article per Reuter's reveals something that I am not surprised about. Physicians especially in their privat offices are not using computers to document patient records, write prescriptions or to track patients' routine preventative care.  Working at a facility where in the Emergency Department we do use all computerized systems I would ...

Attended this conference a couple weeks ago, and as usual it is probably one of ACEP’s most interesting conferences.  There are great talks on the current politics facing our college and then of course visits to your representatives on Capitol Hill.  This year the NJ chapter was able to hit each senator and congressional office for ...

I should have thought of this concept.  I have been eating only when I am hungry, and trying not to gorge myself with food when I am hungry for years.  Of course, special occasions do not count, but then I tend not to be as hungry after them for a while anyway. The interesting part is how this Steven Hawks is really just using this ...

Medicine and Man quotes two studies dealing with the newly stumbled upon Metabolic Syndrome.  It is a syndrome where the great majority of teenagers are overweight and exposed to second hand smoke. Not surprisingly, this places them at risk for diabetes, stroke and cardiovascular disease.  The most insightful part is that kids who ...

I am not Catholic, but I am deeply saddened by the grave condition of Pope John Paul II. As a young man I remember his forgiveness of the man who attempted to assassinate him. It was a lesson we should all learn.

Many non-medical friends have asked me about the difference between coma, persistent vegetative state, and brain dead. It is not a topic that is easy to understand for the layperson.  RangelMD just wrote a great explanation on the topic and I encourage you all to go over and read it.  Unfortunately, there is a fair amount of conservative ...

Well, instead of wearing my EM Doc hat, the next 2 days I will be wearing the Mr.Mom apron as Mrs. EMDoc is away.  So far no major issues, everyone awoke on time. Everyone ate breakfast. Everyone got dressed and looked neat and clean when they left for school. No one missed the bus. One has returned from school unscathed and one more is still ...