Fluctuating Opinions Amidst Constant Truths
Even as the dominant item in the news continues to be the GOP presidential race, the topic of health reform doesn’t exactly take a back seat; in fact, unlike the frontrunner ca…
About the Blogger
- Ram Krishnamoorthi is a teaching attending in Internal Medicine at the Edward Hines Veterans Hospital and Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine outside of Chicago, Illinois. He graduated from Northwestern University School of Medicine with a medical degree and an MPH and completed his residency at Loyola. At the Hines VA, he attends on the hospital wards, in the teaching clinic, and in the emergency department, and is involved in health services research, quality improvement, and medical education. He has been a member of DFA since 2009. Fortunate to be a bandwagon Blackhawks fan, he still remains an ever-disapointed Cubs, Bulls, and Bears fan.
Editor's Note: Any views or opinions presented on this blog are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the hospitals, clinics, and institutions where they work, teach, and study.
Recent Posts
Social Isolation and the Chronically Ill: An Opportunity to Intervene
Last week, I met an 88-year-old veteran who was admitted to our hospital with confusion related to severe kidney failure. In the emergency room, the staff was unable to understand fr…
The Time for Education on Health Care Quality is Now. But Is There Time?
Once a month, I precept a small group of residents in our internal medicine program to review elements of the core curriculum that are not encountered on clinical rotations. One of t…
Where Our Training and Our System Fall Short: The Need for Palliative Care
I recently served as a solo hospitalist on our hospital’s newly formed non-teaching service, which our department created in response to the new rules for residents’ work…
High Quality in Veterans’ Health Care and Clinician Autonomy: Are They at Odds? (Part 2 of 2)
My last post discussed the evidence that has accumulated about the quality of care that the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) provides to veterans. The VHA has been shown on…
High Quality in Veterans’ Health Care and Clinician Autonomy: Are They at Odds? (Part 1 of 2)
In July 2009, in the thick of the contentious health reform debate of that year, The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart interviewed neo-conservative commentator William Kristol. When the…
Hospitals’ “Frequent Flyers”: More Than Just Ending Bonus Miles for Re-admissions
At the busy Veterans hospital where I am an internist, I’ve come to develop a relationship with many of the patients that I frequently care for. No, I don’t currently wor…
“Serenity for the Fearful.” Seniors will be protected, not harmed, by the Health Reform Law.
When Lyndon Johnson signed the Social Security Act of 1965, the law that created Medicare and Medicaid, he credited Harry Truman for “planting the seeds of compassion and duty …
An Ethnic Community in Chicago Attacks Diabetes and Obesity, Block by Block
On the west side of Chicago in the heart of one the city’s ethnic neighborhoods, stands a red and yellow brick building reminiscent of the Spanish colonial architecture found t…
Against Claims of Paternalism and Industry Pressure, Public Health Community Fights to Regulate Unhealthy Foods
Several months ago, I stumbled onto an AM radio talk show when the topic of public health and obesity was being discussed. The talk show host was lambasting state and local legislatu…
