1. FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTERS

These not-for-profit clinics get money from the government to treat members of the community who have no health insurance and therefore use Medicaid. “These clinics often fill up, but they are obligated to treat patients,” says Rhonda Hagler, a New Jersey physician who runs a private practice. Locate a center near you by visiting cms.hhs.gov/center/fqhc.asp.

2. PARISH NURSING CENTERS

Many churches and synagogues have community outreach health centers at which nurses give free health-care services. Keep in mind that these programs are provided by the church and may come with a little proselytizing as well. Find the best option available to you by searching the Internet using the key words parish nursing or by calling your local churches and temples.

3. CHARITY-CARE AND REDUCED-PAYMENT PLANS
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“Some doctors have charity-care programs based on your income,” says Hagler. “Call the doctors you’re interested in seeing and ask if they offer it. If they don’t, ask them if they know anyone in the area who does.” Take note: High-earning specialists are less likely to offer free care than internists.

And even the M.D.’s who don’t offer charity care may be willing to help in other ways. “Doctors will reduce the cost and let you spread out your payments over a period of time,” Hagler says. “As long as you’re willing to pay something, they’ll often work with you.”

4. MINICLINICS

Housed within large chain stores like Wal-Mart, these small health centers treat patients with common ailments (strep throat, sinus infection, bronchitis and so forth) at an affordable cost. The rates for treatments at CVS Minute-Clinics, for example, range between $28 and $110. While some doctors argue against the quickly spreading phenomenon because these clinics are mostly run by nurse practitioners instead of doctors, other health experts like Patricia Carroll, R.N., author of What Nurses Know and Doctors Don’t Have Time to Tell You (Perigee), say that miniclinics are as efficient as any other center providing health-care services. “Nurse practitioners are completely qualified to give care in a setting like that,” she explains. “R.N.’s have seen as many patients as a doctor and do a great deal of clinical work.”–K.H.

U.S. medical schools need to improve tuition- and fee-setting processes to help students pay their debts, the Association of American Medical Colleges said in a study.

The median indebtedness of medical school graduates has swelled from $20,000 for both private and public schools in 1984, to almost $140,000 and $100,000 for private and public schools, respectively, last year. Income is relatively flat, according to the study by an AAMC working group

To address rising tuition and debt, the AAMC advised that medical schools offer:

* Greater predictability about the student costs of a medical education.

* Ongoing financial education for students.
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* More financial aid, with an emphasis on need-based scholarships, loan repayment plans, and forgiveness in exchange for military service or to underserved groups.

* Periodic self-reviews of attendance costs.

Schools should also reevaluate their funding of medical education and innovative methods to generate financial support for financial aid programs that would address current health care needs, the AAMC recommended.

Group visits are a fairly new approach to medical treatment. Most frequently, group visits have been used to treat a specific, chronic condition such as non-insulin-dependent diabetes. At the Sastun Center of Integrative Health Care in Mission, Kansas, we created a group medical visit program for all disease states requiring lifestyle modification.

Methods. Our group met monthly for 75 minutes. The first half of the meeting consisted of activities typical of a traditional medical visit. When patients arrived, a nurse measured vital signs and weight, including a body mass index, fat mass, and so forth. The group met around a table. After collecting signed confidentiality agreements from each patient, the physician went around the table and spent time with each patient discussing current medical problems. Unlike a typical office visit, in the group format all members listen and discuss each patient’s situation.

The second half was spent discussing a new topic. A guest speaker or another practitioner at the Sastun Center usually conducted this part of the session. Examples of discussion topics were movement for people with arthritis, yoga stretches and breathing, nutrition with a dietician, a special “dysglycemic” diet, handling holiday stress, and stress-related eating. All patients attending had 1 or more of these health problems: obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, or hyperlipidemia.
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Results. Five patients attended at least 4 sessions in 6 months. Other patients attended but not consistently. All members of the study and control groups were female, though this was not intentional. A majority of patients at the Sastun Center are female, so this was not surprising. The average age was 60 years (range, 52-66) for the active group and 50 years (range, 45-60) for the control group.

Overall, participants in the group medical visits exhibited greater improvements in weight loss and in cholesterol, triglyceride, and LDL-C reductions when compared with a control group of other patients from the Sastun Center with similar demographics. The active group had an average weight loss of 10.6 pounds (4.2%) compared with 1.8 pounds (0.9%) for the control group. The total cholesterol for the active group decreased an average of 12.3 mg/dL (6%), while the control group had an average increase of 13 mg/dL (5.7%). Similarly, there was an average decrease in triglycerides of 20 mg/dL (11.2%) for the active group and an average increase of 40.8 mg/dL (27.8%) for the control group. The LDL levels for the active and control groups changed -4 mg/dL (-4.1%) and +3.4 mg/dL (-0.16%), respectively The HDL levels overall did not change for the active or control groups.

Conclusion. Though our study used very small patient numbers, it appears the patients participating in the group medical visits had greater improvement compared with similar patients not participating in the group. Group medical visits may be a successful method for helping patients who need lifestyle modifications.

Jane L. Murray, MD

Sastun Center of Integrative Health Care, Mission, Kansas

Kaia Everson, PharmD

University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Pharmacy

Corresponding author: Jane L. Murray, MD, Medical Director Sastun Center of Integrative Health Care, 5509 Foxffdge Drive, Mission, KS 66212. E-mail: JMurrayMD@SastunCenter.com.

Monday

Charles, a 70-year-old man, came in today for a routine follow-up visit for congestive heart failure (CHF). At age 45, he had an acute myocardial infarction and was treated in the standard manner of that day–rest, analgesia, nitrates, and anticoagulants. He made an uneventful recovery and returned to work. He continued to have moderate angina and was referred to a tertiary care medical center for evaluation. This occurred in the early days of coronary artery angiography and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). At that time, the primary indication for CABG was angina not controlled by medical treatment. When Charles was studied, he was found to have significant three-vessel coronary artery disease (CAD) and was not considered a candidate for CABG. His symptoms were fairly well controlled with beta blockers and nitrates, and he was later prescribed statin drugs for hyperlipidemia. Currently, he is active, works full time in his own business, is a happy gardener, and a doting grandfather. This example should remind us, in the current milieu of highly aggressive interventional cardiology, that medical therapy for CHF was, and can still be, an effective treatment in combination with surgical intervention or alone in many patients with CHF.

Tuesday
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RHS was both tricked and helped by his age and experience when asked to see a patient who had been vomiting about every 30 minutes since 5 a.m. this morning. An initial survey of the chart revealed a birth date of 07/23/00, which the long-time occupant of the 20th century perceived as 07/23/1900. Actually, the patient was 18 months old, with a 07/23/2000 birth date. The child vomited again as RHS entered the examination room. She was awake and alert but very still in her mother’s arms. The initial history and physical examination were unremarkable except for a placid, quiet, and unresisting child. The mother commented that her daughter’s behavior was uncharacteristic of previous visits to the physician. Because of his long experience, RHS was wary of the “quiet child.” So prompted, he completed a detailed history and physical examination and found no other abnormalities. This allowed him to diagnose nonspecific gastroenteritis and render positive assurance to the very anxious mother. Oral fluids and antiemetic suppositories, if needed, should result in an uneventful recovery in about 36 hours. Beware the “quiet child!”

Wednesday

Yesterday was PRP’s day off, and AMS was just finishing with a patient she was seeing for the first time, although the patient was well established with PRP and JDF. Ms. James said, “I’m going to tell you what I told them about you up front.” AMS looked inquisitively at Ms. James as she described her conversation with the front-office staff. She had asked to see one of her regular medical professionals. When told that AMS was the only one available, Ms. James said, “I don’t care to see that one. These two know me already. They’ve seen me when I’ve been at my best and at my worst. I’ve no interest in seeing someone who doesn’t understand me and isn’t going to listen to me.” She concluded, saying to AMS, “But you’ve been real nice.” AMS thanked Ms. James and was pleased to have made a good impression. It is important for every patient to feel comfortable with their health care professional and to have the choice of who they see. Of course, that is not always possible. AMS recommended that Ms. James come back tomorrow for a blood pressure recheck (it was markedly higher than usual). “Okay, but…” she paused. “That’s okay,” AMS replied, “PRP will be here tomorrow.”

Thursday

Valerie, an 80-year-old woman, was seen in the office today by RHS for a follow-up of multiple problems, including COPD, pulmonary hypertension, right ventricular hypertrophy with secondary ventricular dysrhythmias, atopic dermatitis, and type 2 diabetes. For RHS, this visit recalled a day some 30 years earlier when Valerie came to the office with a primary symptom of chest pain. The initial electrocardiogram (ECG) showed only minor T-wave changes. In the midst of making disposition decisions, RHS dashed to an urgent house call one block from the office. As he finished the house call, he received a “may-day” call to return to the office, where he found a nurse and an emergency medical technician performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Valerie, who was unresponsive. An ECG strip from our recently acquired monitor/defibrillator showed fine ventricular fibrillation. External direct-current shock was administered, and in a brief time normal sinus rhythm was restored. Valerie was responsive and alert. In the hospital, acute myocardial infarction was ruled out, and an uneventful recovery occurred. Postdischarge, she was closely followed on a regular basis. Other medical problems have developed but, as of today, no myocardial infarction has been diagnosed. Following patients over extended life spans is a magnificent learning experience.

Friday

JDF was taking care of some day-to-day tasks when she noted a coworker who seemed not to be feeling well. Heather, who is 29 years of age and in good health except for recent problems with sinus congestion and “sinus headache,” said that she had not “felt quite right” since taking the first dose of prednisone for the sinus problems. She was immediately checked by JDF. Her blood pressure (BP) was 160/110, and fasting glucose was 156. She had not taken any over-the-counter or prescription sympathomimetics, nor did she have a history of risk factors for hypertension or type 2 diabetes. It was decided that she had an adverse reaction to the steroid, and it was discontinued after the initial dose. Over the next several days, Heather’s BP was persistently elevated, and shortness of breath, headache, and chest pain ensued. A combination of beta blocker, calcium channel blocker, and diuretic was required to control her BP. Labs were all unremarkable. Today, ECG, stress cardiolyte, and renal ultrasound are pending. Her blood sugar has normalized, and her headache has resolved. However, she continues on multiple medications for unexplained hypertension. This situation reminds us that sometimes treatment of a straightforward problem with a common medication in an uncomplicated patient may not always be straightforward, common, or uncomplicated.

CALGARY — The declining number of medical students choosing family medicine in favor of other specialities is a cause of concern for health care planning: A study conducted at three medical schools in Calgary, Edmonton mad Vancouver attempts to show some of the influences that affect the students choices. The results of the study were reported in the Canadian Association of Medicine Journal, June 2004.

The study identifies several characteristics of those indicating family medicine as their career preferences at entry to medical school:

* they were concerned about medical lifestyle and to having lived in smaller communities at the time of completing high school;

* they were also less likely to be hospital oriented;

* they were much more likely to demonstrate a societal orientation and to desire a varied scope of practice.
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583 students completed the questionnaire. Only 20% of the respondents identified family medicine as their first career option, mad about half ranked family medicine in their top 3 choices.

The researchers suggest that “if the factors that Influence medical students to choose family medicine can be identified accurately, then it may be possible to use such a model to change medical school admission policies so that the number of students choosing to enter family medicine can be increased.

When it comes to cases, trays and other enclosures for medical devices and emergency equipment, off-the-shelf products and those made from plastics may not be the best solutions. Before ordering or designing your next medical case or system, it could pay major dividends to consider the questions that many experts ask themselves.

Providing unfailing protection for medical devices and equipment–a function often performed by cases and other enclosures–is not to be taken for granted. While there is no shortage of medical case fabricators and other suppliers, selecting the right case–whether carrying case, instrument housing, sterilization container or other equipment enclosure–can be vital to the successful care of patients and accident victims.

Because medical cases are often subjected to the stresses of harsh environments, such as chemical or autoclave sterilization, rugged use and atmospheric pressure, or carry devices that will benefit from special design features, it behooves medical equipment suppliers and practitioners to be highly selective when specifying case application requirements.
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“Many people in the medical community feel that cases, trays and other equipment enclosures are more or less standard items,” says Don Saak, Business Development Director for Zero Manufacturing, of North Salt Lake, UT. “The fact is that custom cases are not only practical, but are often critical for the protection, performance and efficient use of the equipment they contain.”

Saak notes that Zero Manufacturing has for many years built custom-designed products for aerospace, military and electronics, in addition to medical applications. “The standards of quality and functionality in these fields are benchmarks throughout the world,” he says. “The cases used to house or transport medical appliances, surgical tools and other devices can benefit directly from the materials and engineering advancements developed for the aerospace and electronics industries.”

What criteria should manufacturers and users of medical equipment consider in the specification of cases for their products? While that depends on specific applications and the sensitivity of case contents, Saak identifies five “rules of the road” for specifying medical cases:

1. Choose appropriate case materials

The materials from which cases are fabricated have a direct bearing on protection of the case contents and durability of the case itself.

Essentially, the choice of case materials is between metal and plastic. Metal cases are usually constructed of aluminum or aluminum alloys, and are typically either deep drawn or welded. Plastics, ranging from standard compositions to space age composites, are commonly vacuum formed, thermoformed, rotationally molded, blow molded or injection molded.

Metal cases are well known for their protective attributes. They offer high resistance to impact, can be sealed tightly, and can withstand extreme temperatures and can be made fireproof. “If an aluminum case is subjected to high impact, the shock will be absorbed by the entire case,” explains Saak. “We’ve received letters from customers that told how their metal cases withstood the impact of auto accidents and buildings collapsing. These cases may be dented, but they will take a beating or go through a fire and still protect tire contents.”

Plastic cases can also offer a good seal and, depending on composition, substantial resistance to impact. When plastic cases “give,” they tend to crush or crack. While metal cases are not crush- or crack-proof, they will usually sustain a wider range of extreme heat or cold. Aluminum becomes harder in extreme cold, whereas plastic becomes brittle. Aluminum dissipates heat, whereas plastics can deform or melt when subjected to extreme heat, exposing contents to shock and perhaps functional damage.

Sometimes overlooked, case materials can affect the hygiene of contents that undergo sterilization. “The materials that make up the plastic case could out-gas during some chemical sterilization processes,” Saak explains. “While this is not a common problem, it is one that could cause contamination of items such as surgical instruments or implants that are being sterilized.” Also, many plastics are weakened during autoclave sterilization, and may have a much shorter lifespan than their metal counterparts. One-piece deep drawn metal cases also offer the advantage of having no seams or welds, so there are fewer “hiding places” for bacteria and other foreign matter.

In some cases, applications require shielding from EMI/RF (electromagnetic interference/radio frequency interference), which will affect choice of materials. “We have a lot of experience in this with aerospace and military cases,” Saak says. “We know that aluminum provides a natural EMI/RFI shield, which will prevent stray emissions from affecting instruments inside or even outside one of our cases.” Plastic must be coated or impregnated with shielding materials.

BARIATRIC EQUIPMENT

ARJO, Inc.

Roselle, IL

Contact: Amy McCaw

Ph. (800) 323-1245 Fax (888) 594-2756

E-mail: info@arjousa.com

Web: www.arjo.com

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Camtec

Cambridge, MD

Contact: Sandy Conn

Ph. (800) 866-1156 Fax (410) 228-6403

E-mail: camtec@dmv.com

Web: www.camtecproducts.com

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Carstone Seating & Bariatrics

Somerset, KY

Contact: Sales Department

Ph. (888) 863-9543 Fax (606) 451-9234

E-mail: sales@carstone.com

Web: www.carstone.com

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Dale Medical Products, Inc.

Plainville, MA
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Contact: Allison Frazer

Ph. (800) 343-3980 Fax (800) 752-1230

E-mail: info@dalemed.net

Web: www.dalemed.com

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Graham-Field

Atlanta, GA

Contact: Mike Norby

Ph. (800) 347-5678 Fax (800) 726-0601

E-mail: mnorby@grahamfield.com

Web: www.grahamfield.com

See our ad on page 21

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Hill-Rom Company

Batesville, IN

Contact: Leah Schoettmer

Ph. (800) 638-2546 Fax (843) 740-8418

E-mail: leah.schoettmer@hill-rom.com

Web: www.hill-rom.com

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Liko, Inc.

Franklin, MA

Contact: Melissa Nowitz

Ph. (888) 545-6671 Fax (508) 528-6642

E-mail: info@likoinc.com

Web: www.liko.com

Liko specializes exclusively in healthcare lifts. We design and build our products with equal consideration for the safety and comfort of patients and the protection of caregiver staff. Liko’s offerings range from compact, lightweight mobile lifts to high-capacity, ceiling-mounted “total lifting solutions.” In addition to patient lifts, Liko offers the most extensive line of slings and lifting accessories, clinical application assistance, installation assistance, training services, and strategically located stocks of spare parts.

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Medline Industries, Inc.

Mundelein, IL

Contact: Travis Winegarner

Ph. (800) 633-5463

E-mail: info@medline.com

Web: www.medline.com

Medline provides a comprehensive line of bariatric products including 500-1b-capacity canes, 500-lb-capacity walkers with easy-to-use pushbutton mechanisms, 650-lb-capacity crutches up to 54″, 550-lb-capacity transfer and bath benches, and up to 850-lb-capacity commodes. Medline also offers a wide selection of bariatric furniture, including chairs, sofas, and beds.

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ROHO Group, The

Belleville, IL

Contact: Customer Service

Ph. (800) 851-3449 Fax (618) 277-9561

E-mail: mail@therohogroup.com

Web: www.therohogroup.com

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BATHING EQUIPMENT/SUPPLIES

BodyVac Products, Inc.

Glendale Hts., IL

Contact: Greg Pearson

Ph. (877) 263-9500 Fax (630) 924-0229

E-mail: sales@bodyvacproducts.com

Web: www.bodyvacproducts.com

Your in-bed bathing solution is finally here! Stop lifting, transferring, and struggling with all of your bedfast residents. Bathe them while they stay in bed, fully covered and comfortable, and do it in minutes with the In-Bed Bathing Spa; do hair and peri care in seconds and a complete body bath in 15 minutes! You owe it to yourselves and your residents to make the change. Seeing is believing!

See our ad on page 39

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Clarion Bathware

Shippenville, PA

Contact: Lee Wentling

Ph. (800) 576-9228 Fax (814) 226-0730

E-mail: lwentling@clarionbathware.com

Web: www.clarionbathware.com

See our ad on page 58

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Invacare Continuing Care Group

St. Louis, MO

Contact: Sales Department

Ph. (800) 347-5440 Fax (800) 797-8402

E-mail: info_iccg@invacare.com

Web: www.invacare-ccg.com

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MasterCare Patient Equipment, Inc.

Columbus, NE

Contact: Diane Walkowiak

Ph. (800) 798-5867 Fax (402) 563-9102

E-mail: mastercarepeinc@frontiernet.net

Web: www.mastercarebath.net

MasterCare Patient Equipment, Inc., is celebrating more than ten years of manufacturing a complete line of bathing systems. MasterCare designs ergonomic and economic patient care solutions, incorporating such features as BathAire, barrier-free access, and a no-lift/low-lift bathing philosophy. With our national distribution chain, we can provide local demonstrations, in-service training, and support after the sale. The needs of your facility, residents, and staff are our number one priority. MasterCare equipment is made in the USA.

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Rane Bathing Systems

Ephrata, PA

Contact: Joe Chesnutt

Ph. (888) 880-7373 Fax (717) 733-3947

E-mail: info@ranetubs.com

Web: www.ranetubs.com

Rane Bathing Systems is putting a fresh new look to bathing in the institutional setting. The trend is to more homelike environments in which bathing can be a more enjoyable experience. Rane delivers, with beautiful systems that offer function with style. Choices include side door access, state-of-the-art lifting and transfer systems, and air spa with the latest features. Rane also has a walk-in tubs and tub/shower combinations suitable for independent living.

“I was extremely pleased with the quality of the material, lectures and
discussions. The format made me feel like I had a personal relationship
with the instructors, even though this is distance learning.”
–William Biermann, MD Vice President, Blue Bell, PA

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

InterAct courses come in many shapes and sizes.

Some InterAct courses include video on CD, some come with an audio track with PowerPoint presentations, and others are completely Web-based text courses. No matter what the format, InterAct courses can be taken on virtually any home or office computer.

Full InterAct courses include online sessions with faculty. These sessions are 3 to 6 weeks in length, but you don’t ever have to be online at a particular time of day. The discussions and case studies that take place during the scheduled online sessions are required for graduate degree or board certification credit.

InterAct Express courses do not include a scheduled online session. These are complete, self-study courses that you take at your own pace as your schedule permits.

Graduate degree and board certification credit

Most InterAct courses provide credit toward graduate management degrees with our university partners: Carnegie Mellon University, Tulane University, University of Massachusetts and University of Southern California. For more information about our graduate programs visit: www.acpe.org/degrees. The credit can also be used toward board certification with the certifying commission in medical management. For more information visit: www.ccmm.org

ACPE InterAct Courses

Here’s a catalog of our current InterAct courses and a brief course description.

For more detailed course descriptions, visit ACPE online at www.acpe.org/interact or call 800-562-8088.

Ethical Challenges of Physician Executives

* How much treatment is too much when a patient is terminally ill?

* When an HIV patient practices risky behavior, how do you balance the patient’s right to privacy against public welfare?

* Informed consent, confidentiality, ethics in managed care and the physician and organization’s roles are the focus of this course.

Faculty: Laurence McCullough, PhD

Full Interact     Express Version
Course            (self study)

CME               12                5
Graduate Credits  12 Core           –
Online Session    Yes (3 weeks)*    No
Technology        Video on CD       Video on CD
Price             $625 members      $325 members
$700 non-members  $400 non-members

Financial Decision Making

* The ability to apply financial principles and concepts to decision making is critical for the physician executive, but is often a mystifying blend of mechanical calculation and confusing theories.

* This course provides the knowledge and skills to turn the mysteries into tools you can use to shape your organization’s strategic future.

Faculty: Steven Finkler, PhD

All New for 2006

Full Interact      Express Version
Course             (self study)

CME               24                 12
Graduate Credits  24 Core            –
Online Session    Yes (6 weeks)*     No
Technology        Video on CD        Video on CD
Price             $1250 members      $650 members
$1400 non-members  $800 non-members

Essentials of health law

* This course will give you an understanding of laws pertaining to health care organizations.

* You’ll also focus on specific areas, including:

– HIPAA and patient rights

– Stark legislation, antitrust traps, employment contracts

– Peer review, disruptive practitioners, practitioner health

* Plus current legal trends and rulings and how they apply to your organization.

Faculty: Susan Lapenta, JD * Henry Casale, JD

Full Interact     Express Version
Course            (self study)

CME               14                8
Graduate Credits  14 Core           –
Online Session    Yes (3 weeks)*    No
Technology        Video on CD       Video on CD
Price             $625 members      $325 members
$700 non-members  $400 non-members

Managing Physician Performance

* This course will provoke your thinking about managing performance and vastly improve your practical knowledge through role-playing, case studies and exercises.

* You’ll learn about recruiting to hire the right candidate the first time, establishing performance expectations, giving informal and formal feedback, and handling the marginal performer.

Faculty: Howard Kirz, MD, MBA, FACPE * Susan Cejka * Timothy Keogh, PhD

Full Interact      Express Version
Course             (self study)

CME               24                 13
Graduate Credits  24 Core            –
Online Session    Yes (6 weeks)*     No
Technology        Video on CD        Video on CD
Price             $1250 members      $650 members
$1400 non-members  $800 non-members

A new proposed rule (Federal Register, Feb. 1, 2007) would change Medicare’s policies for graduate medical education payments to teaching hospitals when residents are being trained in non-hospital settings. Currently, hospitals must pay for almost all the costs for the training that residents receive in nonhospital settings in order to include these residents in their GME payment calculations.

Under the proposal, effective July 1, 2007, hospitals would be required to pay at least 90 percent of the total of the residents’ salaries and fringe benefits and the portion of the cost of teaching physicians’ salaries attributable to direct GME at the nonhospital site. To reduce the administrative burden of documenting these costs, CMS would allow hospitals to use proxies in place of actual cost data to help them determine whether they have met the 90 percent threshold. Comments on the proposed rule are due April 2, 2007.

My professional and personal life keep me on the go. On top of my busy schedule as a doctor of internal medicine in New York City, I also market myself as a medical correspondent for television shows. Currently I work with Fox News, and I appear regularly on the Today Show, where I report on everything from breaking medical news to health-related lifestyle issues. I’ve spoken on air about topics ranging from the removal of Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube to the potential avian flu outbreak. But as a 35-year-old woman, I’m especially attuned to women’s health issues.

“I wanted to break into media work to reach a larger audience than was possible through my private practice. So I took a few strategic steps to position myself as an expert. First I published an article in the Harlem Times in early 2005 on herbal medicines. I was also featured in a lifestyle story in Vogue magazine, which a lot of media people saw. That led to calls from two television producers, and soon more offers came.

“Working with patients keeps me up-to-date so I can be a better medical TV journalist. Most of my patients are female, and my work with them helps me stay informed for what I do on the air.
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“When I was a child growing up in Yellow Springs, Ohio, my father encouraged me to become a doctor from as early as 5 years old. After pursuing an undergraduate degree in English, I made a commitment to medicine and was accepted into Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons. In 2000 I earned my degree in medicine. And because I’ve always been interested in the art of performance–and I feel comfortable in front of the camera–being a medical correspondent is just what this doctor ordered.”