I don’t know if the term “socio-medical” even exists. But it felt like every single pathology I dealt with today was a social problem. Ulcer, exercerbated by no medications (damn pre-authorization!), and no food. In an unstable housing situation, with limited transportation. And serious medical issues taken lightly by a local hospital. My diagnoses: Unstable…
As a family physician on Chicago’s South Side, every day brings painful and beautiful stories, many variations on a theme–gun violence, senseless loss, deep heartbreak for loved ones, deep love for family, faith in God. Patients share how they cope with life constraints and limited opportunities with warmth, humor, anger, sadness and love. I am going to…
I’ve had a dream. In our messed up, dysfunctional macro-healthcare system, I’ve dreamed of empowering providers to play a part in designing and implementing clinical processes that make our micro-systems work in each unique clinical environment. Everyone involved in providing clinical care–from patient service representatives, to medical assistants, to physicians, to our medical records peers,…
The word is out–according to economists from Standard & Poor, the stalled economic recovery in America after the Great Recession could be due to our staggering income inequality. The rich get richer, and they already have everything they need, so they do not buy any additional goods and services, but instead put their money into…
The doctor-patient relationship is under threat from state laws that try to shape what we can and can’t do for our patients. Many state legislatures are proposing laws that limit the questions doctors can ask patients in our confidential clinic visits. Do you smoke? Drink soda? Exercise? Do drugs? Is there a gun in the…
Access was the theme of the week for the Pritzker School of Medicine’s Community Health Elective, and so we took a field trip to Friend Family Health Center, just across the street from the University of Chicago at 55th and Cottage Grove. It is a federally qualified health center (FQHC) that grew from a clinic originally founded by…
Prevention Not Prescription 