May 2012
9 posts
Look inside for the true patient experience in...
My most recent blog, “In healthcare, small gestures provide big outcomes” provoked much discussion at Park Nicollet. Two of our physicians have similar stories which they share below.
See the person inside, Bill Anderson, MD
Several years ago I learned a similar lesson when I was caring for an older woman who was dying from pulmonary fibrosis. Left handicapped from her disease she was wheelchair...
Memorial Day
DrAblesonConnects will be back with a new post on Wednesday, May 30th.
In healthcare, small gestures provide big outcomes
Don Berwick, M.D. the former administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and former President of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) delivered a moving commencement address to his daughter’s graduating class from Yale Medical School. The following passages triggered a flood of memories from my early days as a young physician.[[MORE]]
“What is at stake...
Belief and healing relationships in healthcare
Healthcare is a rigorous discipline grounded in hard science. Over the course of my 36 years as a physician, I have also come to understand the power of belief in healing relationships. Today, as a healthcare CEO, I have the opportunity to lead an organization that recognizes and celebrates the importance of belief in healing relationships.
That was not the case in 1975, however, when I was a...
Steve Jobs and coordinated care
Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple and former director of Pixar, died last fall from a rare form of pancreatic cancer. His medical care exemplifies the promise and problems of modern healthcare.
[[MORE]]Jobs transformed multiple industries including personal computing with the Apple II, animated movies with Pixar, the music industry with the iPod, mobile phones with the iPhone and publishing and...
Facing healthcare reform with Head + Heart,...
A great experience must be the foundation of everything we do at Park Nicollet. Patients and families tend to judge quality through the lens of their experiences. Indeed, what we typically think of as clinical quality flows from healing relationships between patients, their families and healthcare providers.
Additionally, when patients and families are pleased with their experience, they become...
Healthcare rituals and medical technology
Picture the following doctor and patient interactions from my time as a practicing physician.
Patient A. Every few weeks, I get a momentary stabbing pain right here on my chest. It feels like an electric shock.
Dr. Abelson. Already knowing the symptom does not represent anything serious, I listen to the heart and lungs, palpate the abdomen and check knee reflexes.
Patient B. Sometimes my stools...
National nurses week: a nurse's story
National Nurses Week begins May 6th and ends on May 12th, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. This year’s national theme is “Nurses—Advocating, Leading, Caring,” representing nurses’ caring and professionalism - be it at the bedside or in the halls of Congress.
The following article submitted by Sarah Pangarakis, Critical Care Nurse Specialist, to the journal of...
Lessons from a mentor
The following poignant essay by Bill Shimp MD, brought tears to my eyes. Bill joined Park Nicollet in 1976 and left in 2000. He served as vice president for the hospital and consultative care from 1996-1998 and as Chief Medical Officer from 1998-2000. Bud Green, an early founder of Saint Louis Park Medical Center, is the mentor.
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Lessons from a Mentor: When the Science is not Enough ...
