How to Navigate the American Healthcare System: A Series

Well… Anywhere in the US, that is. In this first of a series of articles, I want to discuss communication. As we all know, communication is foundational to any good relationship. We also know that communication is not something we will ever perfect. We must continuously learn and evolve in how we relate to others,…

Yellow Fever: Is Once a Lifetime Enough?

A recent article in the Journal Lancet, Long-term immunity against yellow fever in children vaccinated during infancy: a longitudinal cohort study, calls into question the 2013 World Health Organization (WHO) decision that a single dose of Yellow Fever vaccine is required for life-long immunity. Until 2013, the requirement was for a dose every 10 years…

The Role of the CMO: Chief Medical Officer

One of the questions I am frequently asked is, “What do you do exactly?” And, my response is usually, “Well, that depends.” I have this response because the role of the Chief Medical Officer is one that is ever changing. I frequently refer people to the line in my job description that sums it up…

The Cost of Healthcare

As of January 2019, all hospitals and healthcare systems were required to post their pricing on their websites or in some public, machine readable format. The goal of this mandate was to give patients the information needed to make informed decisions about their healthcare, from a financial standpoint. Unfortunately, what patients are being able to…

Moving to Quality

  Not very long ago the scarificator (shown above) was considered at the height of technology. With this device, it was easier to produce the healing effects that were widely known to come from blood-letting. Had there been health insurance companies at the time, I presume there would have been an acceptable billing and procedure…