Dr. Seuss didn't tell me

The street is hot.

The ER is not.

The result for me:

More patients to see.

Yet, I recall

It will soon be fall.

Cooler days, football

Will clear the halls.

A break will be great.

'Cause a similar fate

In winter I will find

As temperatures decline.

Twins

Names are interesting. Some patients spend months searching for the perfect one. Others choose the name of a beloved parent, grandparent, a favorite aunt, uncle or sibling. Then there are those who have to have the most original name they can imagine.

Today I have two new ones. Definitely the most original I have ever seen.

"Ra-a" pronounced "ra dash a" and "La-a" pronounced "la dash a."

The 17 year old mother told me, "The dash don't be silent."

This may be just the thing to end standardized testing. Either that or there will have to be a new bubble for the "-" to be included.

Cost or compliance?

August is here.

It is early yet but so far one third of my deliveries this month have syphilis. Syphilis is cheap to diagnose and treat. All these are new cases. The state mandates testing at least three times in pregnancy and I have been able to get records on patient showing negative test results with in the past year.

It is, however, a difficult job to make sure these women are adequately treated since follow is required and most of them do not return unless they are sick or get pregnant again. It is even more difficult to get their sexual partners treated. That is where the health department comes in. Babies have to stay for 10 days of intravenous antibiotics.

The greatest obstacle in any health care system is patient compliance. If the patient will not take the medicine, follow the treatment plan, return for re-evaluation, even the best attempts at treatment are futile.

So, while the rest of the country is debating the cost of health care, those of us providing health care know compliance is key. We also know compliance is not always tied to cost.