EM doc and mom of four, encourager, one of Wolverine nation, Korean by love. Founder of https://t.co/nQRYCUqgnM. Tweets are mine.
Feb 3, 2022 • 22 tweets • 8 min read
I really can’t believe this drivel.
I am not an academic. I’m a real doctor who cares for patients and I’m a real parent so I’m just going to spend a few minutes commenting on how this is not a serious nor trustworthy article.
💩1: “Shielding kids from exposure only increases their risk.”
This is NOT true for a vaccine-preventable disease.
Jan 31, 2022 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
“Centering equity often means one size does not fit all.”
Different communities have different resources and face different underlying risk (that varies with surges) as does their need/ability to employ effective public health tools.
Different families and individuals have different resources and face different underlying risk (that varies with surges) as does their need/ability to employ effective mitigations.
There is no simple, binary choice.
Jan 26, 2022 • 13 tweets • 7 min read
Just great.
I am certain that the jeering anti-everything COVID deniers will show up at the next school board meeting demanding that masking end "no later than February 15" with this toolkit in hand as evidence to support their demands.
I am certain there will be no nuanced discussion of the reality of outbreaks or healthcare capacity. Or of our ethical duties to those most vulnerable among us.
There will be no real world data on whether “focused protection” is feasible or effective.
The system is set up to maximize “efficiency” (ie profit), even as returns are diminishing. But cost (ie outcomes, complaints, burnout) is borne by individuals.
This is a system problem. This is why I’m thankful I work for an independent group with AGENCY to balance trade offs.
A finish line is in sight. We can do this. Time to hunker down.
What I’m doing:
-keeping littles home from preschool
-pulled all kids from indoor sports
-no gyms
-continue online church
-takeout only
-no indoor gatherings without masks, even with our bubble
Our family is planning for #ChristmasInJuly. It’s not easy but I’ve worked Thanksgiving/New Years or Christmas holiday every single year since I’ve been an emergency physician (long time now 😬.)
Holiday traditions are important but they don’t make families. People do.
Oct 9, 2020 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
Apparently unpopular view:
A decrease in hospital stay from 15 days to 10 days from Remdesivir is a VERY meaningful outcome and benefit.
Hospital bed capacity (or more accurately nurse/RT capacity) is limited. A decrease in the LOS and recovery time translates directly into increased capacity.
100 nurse days/15 days per patient = capacity to care for 6.6 patients
Lots of folks say “you must be brave” when they find out I work in the ER.
It’s true that I don’t (usually) get upset at the sight of blood. But there are plenty of things that scare me.
A non-exhaustive list of things this emergency physician is afraid of:
Choking
Because I’ve seen a child choke on a hot dog or grape that wasn’t cut lengthwise.
Aug 9, 2020 • 23 tweets • 6 min read
As teachers go back to school, I think it's important that they learn from what we have learned in hospitals. I will share some things and hope others chime in with their best tips.
This post is for my healthcare workers, docs, surgeons, Nurses, aids, and ems, but also support staff.
There is no emergency in a pandemic
You as a healthcare worker are a force multiplier. Your training and experience is invaluable moving into this crisis. So, you're going to be faced with some very difficult moments. You're going to have to put your needs first.
I'm speaking specifically about PPE and your safety
Feb 13, 2020 • 13 tweets • 5 min read
“But in taking their cause to politicians, doctors have waged an extraordinary on-the-ground stealth campaign to win over members of Congress. Their professional credentials give them a kind of gravitas compared with lobbyists who are merely hired guns.”
Thanks @NPR for the encouragement to keep going! Sometimes democracy does actually work. Sometimes citizens meeting with their legislators & explaining #EMTALA and the unintended consequences of certain policies to our safety net and emergency care system works.
Not true @ezraklein. Doctors are not the enemy to “fight.” We aren’t a “problem.” And patients trust us because we devote 7+ years to rigorous, exhausting training and we actually take care of them. We provide invaluable services. Unlike their insurance company.
Uwe Reinhardt wrote: “If we...cut that take-home pay [of all physicians] by, say, 20%, we would reduce total national health spending by only 2% in return for a wholly demoralized medical profession to which we so often look to save our lives.”forbes.com/sites/physicia…
Dec 10, 2019 • 25 tweets • 8 min read
I read it. It sounded familiar - like it was ghostwritten by one of the lobby groups I’ve come to know quite well. The ones that take advantage of poor understanding of the financing and business of healthcare...and EMTALA. I’ll share some different data. 1/n
I work in MN, the state with the lowest rate of OON billing. My independent practice (50years old) doesn’t balance bill charges to the <2% OON patients we see. Yet we expect the benchmark you advocate for to drive us out of business. healthsystemtracker.org/brief/an-exami…
