Remember this old medical joke: the operation was successful, but the patient died? It has become a cliché that often characterizes business operations and military activities. The quip perfectly describes the relationship between quality and …
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NtC 4 – Healthcare Quality: I Know It When I See It
In a 1964 Supreme Court case, Justice Potter Steward wrote the majority opinion on whether a movie violated Ohio’s pornography laws. Potter wrote, “I shall not attempt further to define the kinds of material,” and …
Continue readingNtC 3 – A Hippocratic Code for the 21st Century
If Hippocrates lived today, he would put forward a basic set of ethical and behavioral guidelines – a code, if you will – by which healthcare ought to be practiced. Four simple tenets define the …
Continue readingHow AI Will Assist PCPs with Diagnostics
I asked ChatGPT (4.0) to write an article on the benefits of AI available to primary care physicians making diagnosis decisions. By requesting several “regenerations” of the responses I was able to construct from pieces …
Continue readingNtC 2: While the World Changes Can Healthcare Keep Up?
In 1991 about 40% of the world’s population, or 2 billion people, lived in poverty. In 2022 the world’s population surpassed 8 billion, yet 1.75 billion people, or 25%, lived in poverty. With economic …
Continue readingAsk OpenAI: AI and Mammography Screening for Breast Cancer
OpenAI: How can artificial intelligence tools help radiologists identify potential breast cancer using mammography scans? Artificial intelligence (AI) tools can help radiologists identify potential breast cancer using mammography scans in several ways. Some of the …
Continue readingNtC 1 – Navigating the Code: An Introduction
Many books review in painful detail the problems with the U.S. healthcare system, but few suggest incremental, easily implemented, and realistic solutions. It is doubtful that radically changing a $4 trillion, 19% of GDP health …
Continue readingAsk OpenAI: Will Digital Workers Replace Human Workers?
It is possible that some human jobs may be replaced by digital workers or artificial intelligence (AI) in the future, but it is also important to note that many new jobs will likely be created …
Continue readingLook to the EU for Generic Versions of Expensive Brand Name Drugs
U.S. Patent protection for drugs lasts 20 years, although most pharmaceutical companies only get the medication to market after as much as half of that time has already elapsed. This exclusive period to sell the …
Continue readingWhen Bean Counters Manage Patient Care
My nurse colleague with more than 20 years of experience in patient care started working at an ambulatory care clinic about two years ago. Soon after she joined, a large for-profit healthcare company purchased the …
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