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During one of my dad’s more frustrating hospitalizations my sisters and I were having a very difficult time communicating with the doctors. We provided them with numerous examples of his confusion and disorganized thoughts. We had significant concerns about his mental status and ability to care for himself yet the doctors kept telling us he

My mother was diagnosed with leukemia in 1993. She died from complications in June of 1995. I was a new wife, a new mother, and a second-year medical student. Needless to say, the one commodity I did not have in surplus was time. While I could spend quality time with her on occasion, I wasn’t

My father had several chronic health conditions and was cared for by multiple physicians. In addition to his primary care physician, he saw a cardiologist for hypertension and heart disease, a nephrologist for end stage renal disease, a neurologist for dementia and unexplained weakness, and a psychiatrist for depression. When hospitalized, he was typically cared for

I dread open enrollment season. Every year I feel a little anxious about choosing health insurance for my family. Thankfully, we’re fairly healthy and we don’t visit the doctor often, but the future is unpredictable and it’s important to have adequate coverage. The decision is a binding one and can’t be changed until either the

Years ago, I had a gynecologist I really liked, but every time I visited the office I waited a minimum of 45 minutes to be seen. There was never a good explanation and it left me feeling incredibly annoyed. After two or three years, I couldn’t take it anymore and I found another doctor. When

  I have a great primary care physician. He is personable and kind. He keeps up with the latest guidelines and provides excellent care. He utilizes an electronic medical record that allows me to access my lab results via a patient portal. He considers patients to be partners in the decision-making process. His office staff

As discussed in last week’s blog post, the family meeting is an essential tool for communicating with members of the health care team when you or your loved one is hospitalized. I have participated in numerous family meetings as part of the medical team, but I have also been on the other side of the table

There’s nothing more frightening than having a loved one in the hospital and feeling clueless. You keep missing the attending physician despite arriving early in the morning. The nurse is so busy caring for other patients that she doesn’t have much time to talk to you and hasn’t been able to adequately review the chart.

When I began practicing as a hospitalist physician my patients’ family members would routinely ask, “When is her regular doctor coming to see her?” They were happy with the care I provided but wanted to see a familiar face. Today, almost thirteen years later, I am asked this question very rarely. Due to numerous changes

Several years ago my mother-in-law was hospitalized with severe pneumonia. She was very ill, her condition was unstable, and the doctors began to suspect an underlying respiratory condition. There were multiple specialists involved and it was nearly impossible to get information. I requested a family meeting, during which I asked several questions regarding her care.