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Building the Patient-Centered Medical Home

Fred Pelzman, MD, on improving patient care

A male physician in white coat hands his stethoscope off to a surgeon in blue scrubs.

What to Do When It's Time to Let Go ... of the Specialist

Getting them to return patients to our care isn't always easy

A mature man reads a prescription bottle label while sitting in front of his laptop

Can We Improve the Medication Refill System?

Yes, but some tweaks will be required

A close up of a pill organizer with Wednesday鈥檚 pills spilling out of the compartment.

Another Chance to Get Our Patients' Medication Lists Right

A new "soft stop" in our EHR helps us see some changes more clearly

A male physician holds a tablet displaying a 404 page not found error screen.

COVID Exposes Another Gap in Care: Lack of Universal EHR Access

Why can't our practice easily see test results from somewhere else?

A female physician holding a tablet gives her senior male patient instructions before he is discharged from the hospital.

Building a Better Discharge Summary, Again

We've improved the outpatient-to-ED flow -- now let's fix things in the other direction

Two male doctors talking and walking down a hospital corridor

Reinventing the 'Curbside Consult'

The electronic health record is opening up great opportunities for e-consultations

An empty prescription bottle open and laying on its side

The Problems With Prescription Refills

I had a minor issue, but our patients often face multiple barriers to getting their medications

The sign outside New York State鈥檚 Covid Vaccination Center at the Jacob Javits Center.

The Math Doesn't Add Up for COVID-19 Vaccine Access

New York state's rollout is adding headaches for providers

A various health and medical symbols over a photo of a physician holding a tablet

Imagine Your Patient's Health Data All in One Place

A unified medical record has its charms -- and a few kinks

A close up of a young female physician looking at a computer monitor

The Unified EMR: A New Opportunity Arises

A unified electronic medical record could make a big difference in patient care

A red X over a photo of people sitting in a waiting room

Bringing Patients Back to the Office -- Thoughtfully

Changed workflows and social distancing are all part of the new normal

An illustation of the Kreb鈥檚 Cycle

Remember the Krebs Cycle? Why?

You learned it in school, with no relevance to real patient care -- like a lot of modern "medicine"

A bare chested man with a DO NOT RESUSCITATE tattoo

Can't We Do Better Than a DNR Tattoo?

Patients' medical information -- and DNR wishes -- should be easily obtainable in an emergency

A woman operating a pneumatic tube system

Unclogging the Complex Tubes of Healthcare

A hospital's pneumatic tubes are a good analogy for the healthcare system

A photo of outpatient signage at a hospital.

Making the Switch From Inpatient to Outpatient a Little Easier

Fred N. Pelzman, MD, and colleagues have an idea that might help

Illustration of a large group of people representing a diverse society.

Sealing Up the Cracks in the Healthcare System

How can we make sure test results are communicated and followed up?

Closeup of doctor鈥檚 hand signing medical paperwork.

Yes, I Signed That Form. No, I Didn't Have Time to Read It

All doctors sign forms they haven't read. But maybe there's a better solution.

A close up of a 鈥淭AKE WITH FOOD鈥� label on a pill bottle.

When 'Take Medicine With Food' is a Problem -- But Not the Way You'd Think

Food insecurity needs more attention from clinicians

Pelzman's Picks: Do Rich People Get More Mental Health Meds?

Also, many generic drugs aren't available in the U.S.

What Would the Ideal Healthcare System Look Like?

A patient's list of issues is a reminder of what's really important

Reveling in the 'Q Word'

Things were pretty, uh, calm at this doctor's office on New Year's Eve

A Tale of Two Patients

What a difference less bureaucracy makes!

A Note About Procedure Notes

Sometimes documentation can go too far

Let's Make the World of Healthcare a Better Place

Our new interns should inspire us to improve, says Fred N. Pelzman, MD

Do You Really Need My Signature on That?

All this unnecessary paperwork is interfering with patient care

Making Referrals Has Become a Nightmare

And too often it's to serve insurers, not patients

Seeing the Patients Behind the Numbers

Data can be useful, but the patient needs to be our priority

Let Me Make One Thing Perfectly 'Clear'

Toward a better pre-op visit

Patient in Danger and Can't Be Found. Now What?

Frightening lab results at 2 a.m.; patient's contact numbers don't work

50 Ways to Leave a Refill Request

Can't we find a standard way to do this?

Perfecting the Post-Visit Procedure

After-visit calls aren't working; what can be done instead?

Pelzman's Picks: Data Manipulation In Healthcare

Relying too much on labs, "provider" misnomer, and more

A Scheduling Mystery

With a 30% no-show rate, why can't patients get same-day appointments?

After Visit Summary? We Don't Need Any Lousy AVS ... Or Do We?

AVS turned out to be a not so meaningful use

Taming the In-Basket

We need to help our programmers send us only the messages we really need to see.

'This Page Left Intentionally Blank'

Blank pages in correspondence from insurance companies are just an emblem of the endless waste and inefficiencies built into our healthcare system, says internist Fred Pelzman.

What Makes a Patient High Risk?

We all know a high-risk patient when we see one, says internist Fred Pelzman, but defining what makes a patient high risk is tricky business -- and may become necessary in these days of registries and data-driven medicine.

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