SPOTLIGHT -
Eric Postal, MD, is a diagnostic radiologist with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Robbing Dr. Peter to Pay Dr. Paul
Think it’s fair to play Robin Hood between the primary care and specialist physicians? Good luck finding someone who deserves to be looted some more.
Testing, Testing
I'm back in study mode for the MOC exam.
A Radiologist's Request of the Voice-recognition Industry
I'd like a gift from the voice recognition software industry. It'd be called the "anti-macro" for those phrases that should not be transcribed.
Referring Clinicians: Another Bestiary
Here’s my referring clinician bestiary, representing some common categories of referrers you likely run into.
Radiologists: What Are You So Afraid Of?
Radiologists are trained to be fearful, on alert for disease, and our fears are multilayered. Perhaps we’d be less fearful if our profession was secure, nonthreatening, yet still rewarding.
Top Secret Radiology: For Your Eyes Only
Morale is strongest when employees never need to consult a massive employee manual, and don’t fear what’s in it. Rather, they are told upfront what they need to know.
Dyspnea-akathisia Syndrome
There’s a recent epidemic in imaging causing many studies to turn up as blurry messes. Could it be that patients aren’t being given the proper prep?
A Radiological Christmas Carol
Huddled in his reading room, Ebenezer Scrooge, DABR, encounters the ghosts of Radiology Past, Present and Future.
Rolling the Healthcare Dice
The powers that be often already know the ticking time bombs around us, but have decided they'd rather gamble and clean up the mess later.
A Cynic’s Guide to Radiological Severity
Here’s what those terms “mild,” “moderate” and “severe” really mean. Plus a few more less-utilized variants.
Why You Should Care About vRad’s Trove of Imaging Data
vRad’s patient care data promises massive scale objectivity. Is it of any use?
You Want a Piece of Me?
It's not just professional organizations costing us in dues and fees. There's a growing roster of entities eager to take pieces of us.
I Just Work Here
Saying "I just work here" isn't such a bad thing.
Something had to be done
Sometimes good medicine means doing nothing at all. It can also be the most difficult thing to do.
One Radiological Halloween Night
Sometimes Halloween strangeness spills over into the reading room.
Say It Without Saying It
The MCAT writing sample can help prepare radiologists to successfully navigate -- and avoid -- medical malpractice pitfalls.
Who’s the Boss?
With so many entities involved in healthcare, just who do radiologists work for?
Who’s Driving This Thing?
The congressional stalemate and federal government shutdown could -- and would -- never be tolerated in healthcare.
Outside, Looking In
Whether hospitals take external advice about improving their radiology departments could depend upon the type of outside source.
Self-Referral, Self-Interest…and Self-Importance
Discussions of self-referral rarely present new information, but they can lead to self-interest accusations and more.
Omakase Radiology
Referring patients and letting radiologists decide on needed imaging studies could improve quality -- if it's feasible.
Birds of a feather
Today's healthcare system seems to push providers further toward multi-tasking, preventing them from focusing solely on their patients.
Telephone Pole Salesmen
Collect the Good Eggs that Cross My Professional Path
Rather than maintain my list of bad eggs, I've decided to focus on the good ones - the trustworthy, capable colleagues that go above and beyond.
Cleaning House
From using the term "suboptimal" to working for the TSA to comparing experiences with other rads, here's a few random radiology musings for you.
Diagnosis Disclaimed
Clinical history listed as "pain," no comparison studies provided, patient motion and suboptimal positioning limit diagnostic detail. Sound familiar?
A Parting Shot
Here's a cautionary tale about burning bridges in the small diagnostic imaging community.
Radiology’s Idea Men: How to Squelch and Repel Them
Memo to radiology leadership: Got an employee with some great ideas? Here’s how to quash that initiative in favor of a “yes man.”
Taking Measures
Is a radiologist with a ruler a radiologist in trouble? I don't think so, but perhaps we can cool it on all these measurements.
Radiology's Three Little Pigs
This is the tale of three young radiologists, Drs. Straw, Sticks, and Bricks, all nearing the end of their partnership tracks.