Welcome to the 12/16/16 version of 5-Shot Friday.
We’re rounding the bend towards Christmas, which for physicians is a stunner: we’re so frickin’ busy that it’s hard to believe we’re not still in November.
I saw a patient recently who was as bullet proof as they come, nary once getting sick, hasn’t seen a doc in decades, and earns a living in all weather conditions out of doors. I can’t teach him much – I rarely mess with success, though we did discuss the black swan fallacy – but for everyone else prone to getting badly sick in the winter, please consider getting a flu shot.
We now return to our regularly scheduled programming.
1. Repealing The ACA Would Cost…A Lot
Per the American Hospital Association and the Federation of American Hospitals, “the negative fallout from repealing the ACA without a replacement would extend beyond patient health outcomes and hospital finances”:
“Losses of this magnitude cannot be sustained and will adversely impact patients’ access to care, decimate hospitals’ and health systems’ ability to provide services, weaken local economies that hospitals help sustain and grow, and result in massive job losses,” Pollack and Kahn wrote. “As you know, hospitals are often the largest employer in many communities, and more than half of a hospital’s budget is devoted to supporting the salaries and benefits of caregivers who provide 24/7 coverage, which cannot be replaced.”
Like the Affordable Care Act or not, the cost of reversing Obamacare’s course is estimated in the hundreds of billions of dollars.
2. Quote/Tweet Of The Month
More seasonally, from @tinybuddha:
3. Washing Your Hands, Or Even Better…
What the pros do to prevent hand-to-hand infection spread.
The 5 second version: WASH IF GRIMY FOR 15 SECONDS, ELSE USE HAND SANITIZER GEL.
4. Omelet Making 101 and 201
From John Romaniello, who is always a sheer joy to read:
"One afternoon, I happened to be in the kitchen while he was preparing his meal. Glancing over to the stove, it became apparent that despite needing to do it several times per day Chris actually didn’t know how to make eggs quickly and easily."
"I watched in horror as he poured freshly beaten eggs into a lukewarm pan, and sort of just poked at them with a wooden spatula for a while. This went on for about five minutes, during which the eggs eventually cooked, at which point he dumped his sludgy abomination onto a plate, pausing only to scrape the bottom of the pan, which a large portion had firmly taken hold.
"Truly, it was awful to behold."
"I’m not going to sit here like some culinary snob and tell you that eggs need to be treated with the same care as cooking the perfect steak – but, to be honest, it’s just something that’s so easy to do that messing it up seems criminal."
5. 1 Patient, 7 Tumors and 100 Billion Cells Equal 1 Striking Recovery
"The remarkable recovery of a woman with advanced colon cancer, after treatment with cells from her own immune system, may lead to new options for thousands of other patients with colon or pancreatic cancer, researchers are reporting."
As I’ve said a number of times, the bleeding cutting edge of medical science and biotech isn’t a prediction, isn’t science fiction – it’s HERE.
If you’d like to get more 5-Shot Fridays, please subscribe to my email list for automatic updates delivered to your inbox (I will never share or abuse it). And if you enjoyed this week’s edition, I’d appreciate a share. [feedburner_form]
Dr. Bunten is originally from Huntington Beach, CA. He attended high school in Tokyo, Japan, went to college at UC San Diego and then to medical school in the Midwest. He returned home to California for residency training in Family Medicine at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. His immediate family all reside in Huntington Beach.
Dr Fishbein has been in the practice of family medicine for over 35 years in Irvine. He received his undergraduate degree from Southern Illinois University, medical degree from Chicago Medical School, and completed his family medicine residency at Memorial Hospital of Long Beach.
Dr. Kim is the Medical Director of Family Care Centers, Chair of the Department of Family Medicine at Hoag Hospital, and a recipient of the Physicians of Excellence award from the Orange County Medical Association. He is Board Certified in Family Medicine, and has been practicing in our community for over 20 years.
Dr. Memon is a board certified Family Medicine physician and recently completed her fellowship in Geriatrics at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center. She attended Saint George’s University, School of Medicine and completed her residency at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. Her interest in medicine started at an early age and has since evolved into a passionate career.
Dr. Gina Nguyen obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at UC Irvine where she graduated Suma Cum Laude. She went to USC Keck School of Medicine, and returned to UC Irvine for a Family Medicine Residency. Since 2005, she worked at Kaiser Permanente, VNCOC, and Family Care Center Urgent Care.
Dr. Williams is Board Certified in Family Medicine and Sports Medicine. He is a native to Orange County and returned home after completing his medical degree at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. After completing his residency in family practice he successfully completed a fellowship in sports medicine.
Dr. Hye Lee is a board-certified Family Practice Physician, affiliated with the American Osteopathic Association and the American College of Osteopathic Family Practice.She obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at UC Riverside and earned her medical degree from Des Moines University Osteopathic Medical Center. Afterward, she did her internship at Downey Regional Medical Center in California and has been a primary care physician since 2005.
Dr. Coyne is a board certified family practice physician and a California native. He completed his undergraduate degree at UCLA before earning his medical degree at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Dr Coyne spent 6 years in the US Air Force at Andrews and Luke Air Force bases, eventually separating as a Major. He enjoys working with patients of all ages.”
Dr. Jay Friehling is a Family Practice physician who has worked in Orange County since 1981. Born in Florida, he received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and then earned a Medical Degree at the New York Medical College.” His healthcare interests include Diabetes, Geriatric Care, and Hospice Care.
Dr. Jennifer Shoquist is board certified in Family Medicine. Her special interest is woman’s health and her practice accepts patients from 6 years old to seniors. Dr. Shoquist received her M.D. degree at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston in Houston, Texas, and did her residency with Memorial Family Practice at memorial Southwest Hospital in Houston, Texas.
Dr. Tom is a board certified family medicine physician and native Californian. He received his bachelors of science with great distinction in biochemistry and honors in chemistry. Dr. Tom was awarded a Regents Scholarship to attend medical school at UC Irvine.
Dr. Yan attended Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her Family Practice residency at Kern Medical Center in Bakersfield, California. She joined Family Care Center in 2001. She chose Family Practice because she enjoys working with a wide variety of people and because it provides a unique opportunity for continuing care.
Share Your Valuable Thought