I have made a new goal for myself at work. Ask one question a day, any question that can help me to become a better clinician. There are so many people in the hospital, with so much knowledge, and most greatly value education and are eager to teach. I question physicians, nurses, nursing aides, radiology techs, echo techs, etc. There is always ...

It wouldn't surprise me if most laboratories have more written procedures than all other departments of the hospital combined -- shelves of them in worn, bursting binders. Printed or scanned, that's a lot of writing. And I'll bet the procedures are all comprehensive, detailed, and referenced. CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments) ...

As we approach the flu season there are lots of questions about influenza testing and  horror stories about a looming epidemic or pandemic. Patients are flooding doctors' offices and emergency departments, and clinicians are demanding widescale testing; often unwarranted, but driven by patient demand or even hysteria. Some emergency rooms ...

Economic troubles have many pinching their pennies and cutting down their gift lists this holiday season. But this year, there's at least one valuable gift respiratory specialists can give their profession without spending a dime: their voice. While many health care professionals feel helpless with competitive bidding and oxygen caps looming ...

One of the things we have always taken as gospel is healthcare is pretty recession proof because people will always need healthcare services. My dad used to say ''people will always need to eat and will always get sick'' when describing the most stable professions to get into. Economists and popular writers pretty much second that statement. ...

In keeping with the College's theme for this year's meeting, ''Embracing the Challenges of Change,'' ACAAI President-Elect Rich Gower, MD, welcomed attendees at this morning's opening ceremony and encouraged them to broaden their horizons in allergy, asthma, and immunology. As you all know, the practice of medicine is undergoing a lot of change, ...

A few years ago I visited a hospital in eastern Tennessee and was fascinated by a pharmacy robot named Alexander. Alexander would take medications from the pharmacy up to the floors. Alex, holding its precious cargo in a secure ATM-like body, would, using infrared technology, take the elevator, select a floor, open the door and go deliver ...

Remember when outsourcing did not apply to healthcare? Businesses developed the concept of contracting or otherwise arranging for some services to be performed outside the main business if it made financial sense. Outsourcing is utilizing experts from outside the entity to perform specific tasks the entity once performed itself, if those ...

Hospitals never close and most clinical laboratories operate 24/7 to provide essential diagnostic services. Most laboratorians have a shift preference; with a minority preferring third, or so called ''graveyard'' shift.  Whether it's a personal preference or a management requirement, at least some laboratorians must work third shift. We are ...

We received a press release for an upcoming book that reiterates what most of us already know: Hiring the wrong person can be costly. Interesting to note was that laboratory director mis-hires can cost a company seven times the lab director's salary. I'd definitely like to get my hands on this book to read how the data were compiled for ...