John Henning Schumann
John Henning Schumann, M.D., is an internal medicine physician and writer (http://glasshospital.com). He has contributedto Slate,The Atlantic,Marketplace, and National Public Radio’s health blog,Shots.
Schumann serves as guest host forStudio Tulsa on health-related themes. You can hear his segment Medical Monday every Monday at 11:30 a.m. on KWGS.
Dr. Schumann is the President of OU-Tulsa. You can find him on twitter@GlassHospital.
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No single concept has permeated American medical culture to the extent that our anxiety about cholesterol has. Old or young, man or woman, rich or poor — everyone wants a cholesterol test. -
Of the 32 states that currently allow capital punishment, all rely on lethal injection as the means. Seventeen of them require a doctor to be present during the injection. -
Medicine's shift from paper to computers has been painful and expensive. But now doctors can easily write and transmit prescriptions by computer, saving money and improving the quality of care. -
Patients feel more satisfied with their care when their doctors take a minute to sit down beside them. But harried doctors often fail to remember niceties like that. All the memorization of medical school seems to crowd out common courtesy, especially for interns just starting to see patients. -
By the end of December, interns are nearing the midpoint of their first year of intense, hands-on work with patients. That's long enough for the young doctors to feel committed to their chosen career but not nearly far enough along to see the finish line. -
Unlike airlines, hospitals don't offer perks or first class upgrades to people who frequently visit the emergency room. In fact, patients like these often get worse customer service, like the apocryphal boy who cried, "Wolf!" -
The traditional doctor-patient relationship in which a single doctor gets to know you over years will become a luxury. Those who want a personal physician will have to pay extra for that service. Doctors who chafe at working for big organizations will opt out and charge patients retainer fees.
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Some primary care doctors feel a bit like airline ticket agents. Seeing patients is like trying to find seats for passengers on an oversold airplane. Someone's going to leave the office unhappy, and the computer work never seems to stop. -
A company that got its start assessing the risks of ocean-going vessels now checks U.S. hospitals for quality. Known as DNV, the firm is bringing competition to an area of health care that obsesses insiders yet is little known by patients.
