The Optimized Doctor
The Optimized Doctor
Life in the woods
There were no commutes or late patients here. But there was work to be done.
The Optimized Doctor
Suits or joggers? A doctor’s dress code
As a new doc out of residency, I used to wear a tie and shoes that could hold a shine. Now I wear jogger scrubs and sneakers.
The Optimized Doctor
The differential diagnosis you’re missing
An itchy 73-year-old woman came to see me. She had seen several competent dermatologists, had comprehensive workups, and had reasonable, even...
The Optimized Doctor
Can we be too efficient?
We aren’t factory workers punching out widgets, we’re physicians caring for people and people cannot be standardized.
The Optimized Doctor
The sacred office space
Patients will be inconvenienced and pay higher costs to experience their appointment in person. This should not be surprising.
The Optimized Doctor
How not to establish rapport with your patient
With COVID waning and masks doffed, I've found myself back to handshaking.
The Optimized Doctor
Get action! – Teddy Roosevelt
Explained waits are more tolerable than unexplained waits and giving updates always help. If you’re running an hour late in the office, have your...
The Optimized Doctor
How to become wise
Wise is more than being brilliant at bullous diseases or knowing how to sleep train a baby.
The Optimized Doctor
Could ChatGPT write this column?
I asked ChatGPT to write an article about itself in the style of Christopher Hitchens. It was nothing like his incisive and eloquent prose, but it...
The Optimized Doctor
The loss of letters
Upon my skinny, adaptable desk the other day sat a white envelope that was hand addressed to me. It was postmarked more than 2 weeks before.
The Optimized Doctor
Time for a rest
I asked some docs when they thought this feeling of exhaustion first began. We agreed that the pandemic, doubledemic, tripledemic, backlog have...