tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40630402011-12-12T04:48:19.286-08:00Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.comBlogger3111100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-33446617504116535262007-07-20T00:43:00.001-07:002008-11-16T18:08:36.801-08:00

As we take this blog's energy to a new project, build with us...It's time. It's time to take the energy from this blog, which has served as the intial experimental space and the foundation for a larger project, to a bigger space. The same notorious team who put this blog together (Andru Ziwasimon and myself) and an amazing team of others (including my brother Nalin) have created the first

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-85316794548158312522007-03-14T22:00:00.000-07:002007-03-14T22:03:05.173-07:00

Support the Bhopalis right to live.6 strong Bhopalis are on a hunger strike right now, demanding action on 6 important areas (health care, economic rehabilitation, cleanup of toxic wastes are 3 of them) that have been neglected by Union Carbide and Dow for the last 22 years since the deadly disaster in Bhopal in 1984. Today, the world community is rallying behind the courageous community in

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-30366134838119807752007-02-19T21:03:00.000-08:002007-02-19T21:12:08.639-08:00

There's always the option of self-diagnosing...From yesterday's Dilbert (click on the cartoon for an enlarged, easier-to-read view):more Dilbert cartoons here.

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-29373826757671960432007-02-15T21:57:00.000-08:002007-02-15T23:13:09.195-08:00

"Medicine is a noble profession. You render it shameful."...or "the tale of an unlucky appendix, at the hands of the daughters of charity, in the city of angels."Robert IssaiPresident and CEODaughters of Charity Health System26000 Altamont Rd.Los Altos Hills, CA 94022-4317 Dear Mr. Issai: I recently suffered from appendicitis, and was admitted to the emergency room at Saint Vincent Medical

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-84455727672283031772007-02-10T12:42:00.000-08:002007-02-10T12:44:13.574-08:00

An unfinished poem... I don't know if I will ever finish it, so here it is. Not sure if it works or flows.SriOn AIDS in Tanzania Something as simple as a pill in the palm of her hand This Tanzanian woman Sings as she breast feeds They say it was the rain But it was always my tears and sweat Which brought up the maize They said the railroads Will bring a new day But it was

srijeevahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11984902143851379863noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-81229773977224065802007-01-04T09:38:00.000-08:002007-01-04T10:18:56.292-08:00

We did it! Our clinic has a new home.I've been silent the past two months. Activity at the clinic has boomed and during the month of December we began moving the clinic to our new building. I probably put in 16 hour days for the past month working with 30-40 other volunteers doing tiling, bamboo flooring, wall painting, moving massively heavy x-ray machines and hydraulic exam tables, and setting

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1155394975683158762006-12-26T01:09:00.000-08:002006-12-27T00:25:48.460-08:00

Goin' to Tanzania, Kenya feel me now?January will be a good month. Partly because it's a new year and everyone likes to be optimistic about a new year. But in addition, I'll be visiting a continent I've never before stepped foot on, and that's damn exciting. I'm heading to Tanzania and Kenya (for a whole month) in just a few days!Even better, i'm heading there with 10 friends -- all resident

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-53655217063647960872006-12-16T04:26:00.005-08:002006-12-16T12:32:20.613-08:00

Did you put something in your ear?Yesterday I worked a long 12 hour shift (yes, there are short 12 hour shifts and long 12 hour shifts) in the pediatrics emergency room at a county hospital as part of my pediatrics experience during my family medicine residency training. I didn't end up leaving the hospital until a while after my shift ended because I wanted to tie up loose ends and make sure

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1164604166836950542006-11-26T21:09:00.000-08:002006-11-26T21:09:26.840-08:00

Why do we clamp or cut the cord at birth?If you are a medical student, resident, doctor or L and D nurse, have you ever wondered why we are so quick to cut the cord? Is there evidence or proof or a serious reason or any thinking at all behind this nationwide medical tradition?I was told during medical school that we cut the cord to prevent the baby from getting too much blood and being iron

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1164314662900927612006-11-23T12:23:00.000-08:002006-11-23T12:44:22.920-08:00

Topahkal Clinic growing and movingNovember 2006We are approaching the beginning of our third year of business as a fair priced, hassle-free, primary care clinic offering holistic same-day medical services to low-income people in New Mexico. Our patients have come from as far away as Juarez, Mexico and Denver, Colorado, people referred to us by family or friends. We are seeing 20-25 patients

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1164093893449520172006-11-20T23:22:00.000-08:002006-11-20T23:24:53.470-08:00

Shock and Awe: thoughts on the UCLA taser incidentMy friend Vivek is a law student at UCLA and writes at a wonderful blog called Your Good Name. He participated in a protest organized by UCLA students, on the issue of a Persian-American student who was tasered (stunned by a stun gun with 50,000 volts) several times by community police in the university library. And he had this to say about the

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1162788077011940632006-11-05T20:41:00.000-08:002006-11-05T20:41:17.013-08:00

Angels and ChildrenHanging from the light in my exam room is a "flying angel" made of wood. Most people don't look up much, and if adults have noticed it, they haven't said anything. It's there as a message to spiritual and religious people to let them know they and their beliefs are welcome in the clinic, that we honor angels and mystery, of all kinds.Twice now children have noticed the angel

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1162564419850408932006-11-03T06:01:00.000-08:002006-11-03T06:33:39.870-08:00

Family Practice Office UPDATE - Successes and MovingOur little boutique medicine clinic for poor people has taken a few interesting and big growth steps over the past few months. I'm personally shocked and pleased that things are working out so well. I almost feel like we are defying gravity, breaking some physical laws of the universe but as I watch the patient volume grow by word of mouth,

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1160720985754723142006-10-12T23:25:00.000-07:002006-10-12T23:40:33.156-07:00

Geek and non-Geek activists throw down together!I wish I had known about the Web of Change conference earlier — I’d be there in a second. I’m not a techy much myself (although in my circle of like-minded doctor folk, I come off as one, because I know what a “blog” is, but more so because I’m psychotically fascinated by how the internet and the "web 2.0" can help facilitate community building and

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1158021352645615022006-09-11T17:35:00.000-07:002006-09-13T14:42:26.073-07:00

the "Green-House" of Healthcare:For the past 7 years i've wanted to build a greenhouse on the south side of my house. it would reduce my $400-500 monthly winter heating bill, as well as add some beauty and capacity for winter veggies. three years ago i drew up some plans and got started and three years later i'm almost done with the foundation and frame... i call it turtle construction, slow

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1156140060531136772006-08-20T22:55:00.000-07:002006-08-20T23:05:57.730-07:00

Move on out, sharks...From "The High Cost of Being Poor" by Barbara Ehrenrich, author of the book Nickled and Dimed:There are other tolls along the road well-traveled by the working poor. If your credit is lousy, which it is likely to be, you'll pay a higher deposit for a phone.If you don't have health insurance, you may end taking that feverish child to an emergency room, and please don't think

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1154444318095206622006-08-01T07:34:00.000-07:002006-08-01T07:58:38.153-07:00

Reception Racism - Scandalousover the past six months my clinic has tried to find an answering service to take calls for us when we are closed or super busy. it's a common service for doctor's offices and other businesses and i had the impression that it would be a simple thing to find a company to answer the phones. how hard can it be? for my clinic, we have simple needs on that level - tell

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1154276290743869062006-07-30T09:04:00.000-07:002006-07-30T09:18:10.783-07:00

Sustainable Economic Developmentabout a year ago we fundraised $35,000 from private donations and two small grants to purchase an ultrasound machine for the clinic. we bought a small, portable, sonosite Titan machine, brand new, and started using it during urgent care hours, mostly for early pregnancy dating and miscarriage. we also started a new business, called Access Ultrasound, run by two

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1153767364180849702006-07-24T11:35:00.000-07:002006-07-24T11:56:04.256-07:00

FIBROMYALGIA - what the heck is this thing?last night i worked a shift in the hospital, admitting patients from the ER to the floor. a 55 yo woman came in with concerning symptoms of stroke. right sided facial, arm and leg numbness. her motor exam was normal and a CT of her head was normal, it didn't show any stroke, but CT's can be normal with a stroke so the standard of care is to admit

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1153602236395733772006-07-22T13:36:00.000-07:002006-07-24T11:34:59.540-07:00

Clinic Vignettes July 2006yesterday we saw 23 patients, today (saturday) 15... we are too busy. patients are now waiting up to 2 hours to be seen, some are leaving before being seen. part of me feels bad, i hate for someone to have to wait so long, but at least here the prices are fair and we stay as long as we need to in each visit, ensuring the person is heard and cared for as best we can, once

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1153511011682034672006-07-21T12:43:00.000-07:002006-07-22T13:36:28.290-07:00

Medication Prescribing ErrorsInstitute of Medicine Issues Report on Medication ErrorsThe other day in the clinic a patient came in and told me he was recently in the ER with severe hypotension. He had a rough time, they poked him relentlessly to try to find a vein, wound up putting in a central line first in the artery by accident and then finally in the vein and after all that they wound up not

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1153519629393945652006-07-21T07:05:00.000-07:002006-07-21T19:48:03.150-07:00

Yes, I'd like a 7-layer burrito, oh wait hold up lemme check my PDAYesterday evening i spent some time trying to update the programs on my Sony Clie NX80 PDA to better assist me in the hospital. I was checking out some freeware and came across the taco bell calorie counter!Now I can switch up my order at the drive thru window after reflecting on how many calories my 7 layer burrito contains. Or

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1152997776728974872006-07-15T13:06:00.000-07:002006-07-15T14:09:36.803-07:00

Delivering another message around OB...We've been caring for pregnant women at the office who fall thru the chasms in the system and have no affordable place to go. Most recently I cared for a woman who got caught in a crossfire between Medicaid and the Public Hospital. She was uninsured, working, earning too much to qualify for Medicaid, too little to pay for private insurance. By the time

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1152519967546287642006-07-10T01:22:00.000-07:002006-07-10T01:46:08.500-07:00

In LaborI'm finally a second year resident in family medicine (yikes!). 2nd year started off with a bang -- I'm on week two of working at a hospital in downtown Los Angeles, doing obstetrics/gynecology. That means I'm triaging women who are possibly in labor early or in labor on time, admitting women to the Labor & Delivery section of the hospital, delivering babies (YAY!), assisting in

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1152402272714509412006-07-08T16:24:00.000-07:002006-07-08T16:44:32.746-07:00

Gall Bladder Emergency;about a month ago a woman entered the clinic jaundiced and feverish. no abdominal pain, no vomiting. her vital signs were normal so we felt safe to order some lab tests and figure out what was going on. we did the usual liver and hepatitis tests. the results were very concerning for gall bladder disease. the patient was still relatively asymptomatic so we continued

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1152140110950093092006-07-05T15:40:00.000-07:002006-07-05T15:55:11.033-07:00

Exercising Compassion---------------first off - welcome SRI! thank you for that deep and insightful sharing of wounds, history, medicine, internship and healing. i am humbled and touched by your words and i look forward to more of your writings.---------------the other day in my clinic there were four people waiting to be seen. we see people first come - first served, but there are occasions

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1150997804036728082006-06-22T10:32:00.000-07:002006-06-22T22:50:38.803-07:00

because i have been getting a little flack from a certain miss anjali regarding my non-activity on this blog, here is something i wrote in March. I remember Langston Hughes said something like when you are busy living life, it is sometimes hard to sit and write. Or maybe that is my own lackluster interpretation to justify my lack of writing. -srifrom march... on the wards.people walk

srijeevahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11984902143851379863noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1150466116994970382006-06-16T06:07:00.000-07:002006-06-22T23:04:54.753-07:00

needles, flower essence, placebo and other health toolsclinic has gotten busy lately. we are now seeing on average 15 people per half day with jumps up to 25 at times. sicker people. the word has spread that we can do D&Cs for early pregnancy loss at least 1-2 women a week show up with miscarriage and we've had a rash of women with cholecystitis who have wound up hospitalized and surgerized

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1150056153466563742006-06-11T12:57:00.000-07:002006-06-11T23:30:34.630-07:00

Report-back from HMO "row"Last week, I mentioned here that folks were gathering in Woodland Hills, CA (san fernando valley) to go on a "walking tour" of the headquarters of several HMOs -- putting together an innovative education and creative direct action event.Here's a link to a podcast by the California Nurses Association around the event, and Deborah Burger (president of the california nurses

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1149832737720672572006-06-08T21:03:00.000-07:002006-06-08T23:01:25.260-07:00

Always and neverA pediatric cardiologist I worked with today reminded me of this piece of wisdom (from psychologist wendell berry) as we discussed a kid's physical exam findings and possible diagnoses:"Always and never are two words you should always remember never to use."Seems to make so much sense in the field of medicine, where the strongest truisms are always refuted and the mysteries of the

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1149752892283878052006-06-08T00:10:00.000-07:002006-06-08T00:48:12.393-07:00

May GarriageBoo: Senator Bill Frist is pathetic for pushing the gay marriage amendment to the floor of the Senate but blocking numerous other important bills from reaching the floor. The power he has as Senate Majority Leader is obscene. I think we need an amendment to broaden who makes decisions on what bills are allowed to be discussed (in committee or on the floor of the house or senate).

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1149560145829613352006-06-05T19:14:00.000-07:002006-06-05T22:27:48.236-07:00

Taking a walk down "HMO Row"...I'm posting the following because it's a great example of a creatively planned event (not because I expect totheteeth readers to trek over to the san fernando valley, ca -- but if you can, go go go!). It's really exciting to see a health care reform event utilizing education, direct action, and creative filming:On Wednesday, June 7, nurses, patients and healthcare

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1149445091419192452006-06-04T11:16:00.000-07:002006-06-04T21:24:36.126-07:00

Big IdeasThis is big. I received an email from MoveOn.org, about the results of the house parties they had all over the country (over 100,000 attendees) and subsequent voting to choose their top three Big Ideas to work on for the next phase of their (our) actions. Parts of the email are below, it's pretty impressive how front-and-center health care reform is among the moveon members (obviously a

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1148758058462539912006-05-27T11:51:00.000-07:002006-05-27T13:30:45.910-07:00

Grand Opening and other updatesGreat news and updates from the Topahkal clinic.Most importantly, we used up another soap dispenser in the bathroom. This one was used up in less than 6 months, a sure sign we are growing. We could just count the number of visits but as scientists, it's always good to make sure we have corroborating evidence... :> Our patient numbers are vastly outgrowing our

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1147552735730062642006-05-13T13:28:00.000-07:002006-05-13T13:38:55.743-07:00

Ambulance Callafter almost two years operational, we made our first ambulance call yesterday. a woman entered the clinic barely able to walk, breathing fast, disorganized in her thought, with a heart rate of 140. i didn't know her previously.i called 911 and spoke with a very annoying, by the book receptionist who kept scolding me for giving her more information than she wanted, out of sequence

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1147160480289482442006-05-09T00:41:00.000-07:002006-05-09T01:02:44.713-07:00

shake it, shake it like a Polaroid pictureIn my next 2 weeks of my family medicine residency program, I'll be working at and learning from various community health projects in LA. These are two weeks that other residents tell me are grounding -- they awaken us sleepy/agitated/tired/hospital-based first year residents to the community health work around us and inspire us again -- THIS is why i

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1147121233693364982006-05-08T13:32:00.000-07:002006-07-15T17:41:37.100-07:00

Insider Igorancethis is a message to all healthcare staff, nurses, doctors, administrators and students.a patient's mom fell and broke her arm about six weeks ago. after spending nearly 16 hours in the ER, she got good care, was splinted and sent home to heal. after a month, she had a follow-up appointment where it was determined that she was healing poorly, technically called a "mal-union." she

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1147060882255266412006-05-07T20:35:00.000-07:002006-05-07T21:01:22.346-07:00

Disruptive Physician - Are you one?ever heard of a disruptive physician? i've gotten quite an education on the topic in the last month. there are two surgeons, both in the ENT dept at our publc hospital, who are being forced out of their jobs. Every conflict has two sides so this may sound a bit biased, but after my experience of being forced to resign from UNMH, and having met personally with

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1146810966350714912006-05-04T23:17:00.000-07:002006-05-05T01:19:53.530-07:00

Blogging others' stories on HIV/AIDS, and "NGO 2.0"Brian Shartz and Curt Hopkins at Blogswana (creative name) are doing some innovative blogwork. I'm always excited about innovation in web technology, and as this one related to health and storytelling, it piqued my interest. Check out this project:Our proposed project would involve training about 20 students in Gabarone who would commit to a

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1144997461766163762006-04-13T22:54:00.000-07:002006-04-14T09:18:04.750-07:00

A Shocking Moment - Public Healthcare System WORKS!it may sound from the title that i don't believe in public healthcare. let me reassure you that it's about the only healthcare i believe in. but for many reasons, our publichealthcare systems are underfunded, underperform, attract slackers, support incompetant administrators, promote yes-men and yes-women and generally focus on trying to look

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1144514187822153612006-04-08T09:28:00.000-07:002006-04-08T09:36:27.833-07:00

Country Boy...yesterday i had a great time. i rented a large trailer, hitched it up to my veggie oil burning diesel pickup truck, drove over to another town and picked up a donation of 5 antique (used) medical exam tables. had to load them with the help of the medical assistant. he just kept saying, "see, if you have a Mexican you can do anything." i kept trying to respond, "hey, what am i,

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1143833569363986832006-03-31T11:18:00.000-08:002006-03-31T11:32:49.376-08:00

Clinic Vignette March 30th, 2006driving in my car, i got a phone call from a distraught mom. the question of doing "car medicine" with cell phones will be saved for another post, but the issues are seriuos - i wonder what the cost-benefit ratio is of "care given" vs auto accidents with cell phone use... would my car insurance count as liability insurance in that case? is there a special

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1143615518372147472006-03-28T22:24:00.000-08:002006-03-28T22:58:38.386-08:00

Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches, the Web 2.o, and Blogging Health JusticeThat's the title of a talk i'm giving at the National Physicians' Alliance conference this weekend in Chicago, which is happening back to back with the American Medical Student Association conference -- so yes, i get to go to both. sweet. I've never done a panel presentation before on this topic, and boy I'm no expert

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1142995273181525312006-03-21T18:25:00.000-08:002006-03-21T18:41:13.196-08:00

Clinic Stories - March 21sttoday was a fascinating day in the clinic. we broke alot of social/medical rules but hopefully no true physiological laws in our practice of medicine.we received a call from a local DOH office with an urgent referral of a hypertensive woman with chest pain, 180/110 blood pressure. she had the pain for over a month but it was getting worse. the woman is undocumented,

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1142820233388334412006-03-19T17:40:00.000-08:002006-03-19T18:03:53.403-08:00

Clinic Vignettes - March 18th, 2006The man with severe hypertension survived the night, is still alive, has reduced his tobacco intake, and is now at a level of Blood Pressure that is relatively controlled. i used a technique with him that i've been experimenting with for folks with high blood pressure. most folks cannot "feel" high blood pressure, it is a silent disease in many ways, until

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1142240031121806112006-03-12T23:53:00.000-08:002006-03-13T17:16:22.046-08:00

I am learning Spanish yesterday, es verdad!I'm still quite embarassed at my spanish language skills these days. I'm finding myself confused by the tenses and using the present tense way too often. Working at an LA county hospital affords me the opportunity to work with many spanish-only speaking patients -- in the clinic, in the hospital -- and I've improved my Spanish immensely in the past few

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1141873940916409902006-03-08T18:58:00.000-08:002006-03-08T19:12:21.176-08:00

Refreshing talk back in KenyaIgnore the World Bank on health, says ministerBy Elizabeth MwaiThe StandardKenya should ignore donor restrictions and employ health workers needed urgently countrywide, an assistant minister has said.The country needs 10,000 health workers to offer improved services, Health assistant minister Enock Kibunguchy said."We have to put our foot down and employ. We can tell

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1141501665885424132006-03-04T11:33:00.000-08:002006-03-04T11:47:45.896-08:00

Hypertension Crisis?a 55yo gentleman came to the clinic yesterday. a smoker, he had known hypertension, untreated for 2 years from lack of funds and health insurance. he recently lost some vision in his right eye, a few weeks ago, which motivated him to find a doctor. he had the highest blood pressure i've yet seen in my career. 250/140. he was clear that he wouldn't go to the hospital, too

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1140722755356907182006-02-23T11:12:00.000-08:002006-02-23T11:25:55.373-08:00

Volunteers Rock!The last year has been an amazing journey building this new clinic.we've managed to sustain ourselves thru fair prices, support three part-time practitioners and do a lot of high quality, integrated health care. none of it would have been possible without the help o our volunteers. we have volunteers working with us on two different levels - massage therapists and

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1140587983174825342006-02-21T21:42:00.000-08:002006-02-21T22:02:16.786-08:00

HSA's: a great way to burden individuals & govt; I mean, consumer driven health care, yeah!"To summarize, I estimate that the President’s budget proposals will cost almost $12 billion dollars per year if fully phased in. I estimate that these proposals will on net raise the number of uninsured (by 600,000 persons), as those left uninsured through firm dropping of insurance exceed those who gain

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1139512238118390892006-02-09T10:54:00.000-08:002006-02-11T20:14:57.306-08:00

Hi my name is Sri - I am new to this experiment in blogging medicine. I am in residency with Anjali and homies with Andru from a Patch Adams gathering last year. I spent last April in a refugee camp for Tibetans in India. Here is an essay I wrote about the experience. Hopefully, it isn't too long to hold your attention.- Sri The largest Tibetan refugee colony in the world lies five hours from

srijeevahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11984902143851379863noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1139274387885162892006-02-06T16:50:00.000-08:002006-02-13T10:22:59.656-08:00

Clinic Vignettes February 11, 2006a 37yo man presented with signs and syptoms of stroke, right arm weakness, right leg heaviness and a slight change in speech. this is very unusual in young people. the first day he presented last week, i was totally confused and didn't put the story together until after he left. he had a few other complaints and i didn't pick up on the leg and speech changes

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1138925630902879772006-02-02T16:12:00.000-08:002006-02-08T15:22:40.566-08:00

Clinic Vignettes - February 1, 2006Yesterday a patient called from an ER. He had been there a few hours already with a cut on his hand and was looking at a long wait and a huge bill. We were open so he abandoned ship, left the ER, and with his hospital bracelet still on, came over to the clinic for stitches. 20 minutes, $40 and 4 stitches later, he was on his way home... it doesn't have to be

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1138560773564575442006-01-29T10:37:00.000-08:002006-01-30T08:03:14.433-08:00

Pregnant and Uninsured:i had a follow-up visit from a pregnant patient. she had seen me two months ago for initial medical care while awaiting Medicaid approval. turns out her husband, who works three jobs, makes a little bit too much for Medicaid so they didn't qualify. of course with three jobs, he's uninsured since none are full time.i put this out on the blog to make a clear point that one of

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1138424014333050652006-01-27T20:38:00.000-08:002006-01-29T10:56:05.846-08:00

Another marker of success at the office?today an older couple was referred to me by a physician working at Lovelace (our local for-profit hospital system owned by a corporation out of Tennessee). I've never heard of this doc and have no idea how the word of mouth traveled. the patient is a 59yo male with complex medical problems who is uninsured, cannot qualify for disability, is a few years away

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1138241435440310732006-01-25T17:49:00.000-08:002006-01-25T18:10:35.453-08:00

ER Dilemma:what would you recommend to this patient?37yo woman comes to see you in your clinic with swelling on the right side of her face, around the lower jaw. worsening for a few days. fever, chills, painful to open jaw or chew food. you diagnose a parodititis and due to poverty circumstances you try an injectable 24 hour antibiotic, ceftriaxone, with the knowledge that if it worsens

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1138156425143715522006-01-24T18:32:00.000-08:002006-01-26T17:24:06.663-08:00

STATE of INDIAN People's HEALTHSunday, January 22, 2006Indians Call For Better Health CareBy Jackie Jadrnak Journal Staff Writer More than a half-century ago, federal Indian land was ceded to Bernalillo County to build a hospital.The 1952 contract transferring that land said 100 hospital beds would be dedicated to Indians, and their care paid for by the federal government. Now, Native

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1138151986370386322006-01-24T16:52:00.000-08:002006-01-24T17:19:46.386-08:00

Clinic Vignettes:Yesterday i saw a patient for the second time. a 35 yo male who complains of severe abdominal pain. He had already been seen by GI and received a CT scan of his abdomin, a Colonoscopy, an EGD (where they look into your stomach with a camera internally) and numerous blood tests. all normal. you guessed it, he's insured. the first time i saw him i identified that he carried

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1137477298978683292006-01-16T20:23:00.000-08:002006-01-16T22:05:21.343-08:00

It's on -- future physicians in California makin' noise on health care!Last week I was blown away by med students. I spoke at a conference on universal health care, organized by some great medical students at UCLA, and attended by over 100 medical and premedical students from ALL the southern california medical schools. The topic I was asked to speak about was how to be a Universal Health Care

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1136432354031079472006-01-04T19:22:00.000-08:002006-01-04T19:39:14.046-08:00

Vegetarian Diesel Pickup Trucks?About two years ago I ran across a really strange idea. A few wing-nuts were talking about how Diesel engines could be powered by used vegetable oil and someone even drove their car across the country using only french fry grease from McDonalds. I was intrigued so I investigated and learned that Mr. Diesel was a German inventor who made an internal combustion

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1135914809889415672005-12-29T19:33:00.000-08:002005-12-29T20:23:45.916-08:00

Former sex worker leads HIV/AIDS project -- it just makes sense"My chief goal is to ensure that not a single sex worker offers her service without condoms. We want to bring down the infection rate to zero." -- Bharati Dey. Who is Ms Bharati Dey? She's a former prostitute who now at age 40 serves as director of the World Health Organization-funded HIV/AIDS project for several thousand sex workers

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1134177792912011332005-12-09T16:47:00.000-08:002005-12-10T08:05:05.876-08:00

Are Republicans Conservative?There's a first for everything, I guess.Yesterday I was caring for a man with a fairly bad case of cellulitis and abscess from injection drug use. He was on his fifth day of injectable antibiotics to calm the infection in his hand down. Being an opiate user, his pain tolerance is fairly poor so he was hating the intramuscular injections and hoping that I would just

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1133246120463830492005-11-28T22:23:00.000-08:002005-11-28T22:41:47.603-08:00

I heart Consejo de Latinos UnidosCalifornia based Consejo de Latinos Unidos brought the issue of 'price-gouging of uninsured patients by hospitals who receive millions in tax breaks' to national attention first. Now they're holdin' the catholic hospitals to their religion and mission. What happened to "thou shalt not price-gouge your neighbor?" It's simple -- nonprofit hospitals (under which

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1133159470275323012005-11-27T22:21:00.000-08:002005-11-28T00:01:19.546-08:00

Reality news and entertaining politicsI Love the way Adrienne Marie Brown (a cool cat) answers the age old question: Why do you think youth are apathetic about political involvement?I don’t want to point fingers, but media giveth and media taketh away. This past year media has really tapped youth away from politics. It was already such a blow when Bush the Lesser ended up president, and before we

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1132994449134629792005-11-26T00:38:00.000-08:002005-11-26T00:43:36.200-08:00

Save a Turkey?Hope y'all had a wonderful thanksgiving, whether you spent it with family, friends, or working in the hospital (like some of my fellow interns), and whether you thanked God, yo'mama, or anyone else meaningful to you.My bro and I ate some yummy enchiladas in our vegetarian way of celebrating thanksgiving. Both Nalin and I have chosen to remain vegetarian for the animals (I'll save

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1132480271824057322005-11-20T00:49:00.000-08:002005-11-20T01:54:23.020-08:00

Language is Power.Alright folks, gather 'round. I've got to tell you something: I'm on a mission. I'm on a mission to break down some of the language we use that's absolutely loaded with stereotypes, judgments, and institutionalized racism in our society, and more specifically, in the casual and serious discussions that occur around medicine and health.Some may call me touchy or politically

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1131941797893178182005-11-13T20:02:00.000-08:002005-11-13T20:26:31.210-08:00

Myofascial Memorieslast week i was treated to an interesting insight. a young woman entered the clinic, complaining of bilateral breast tenderness with a small amount of milky discharge over the past few weeks. she had been seen at another clinic three weeks prior and some hormone levels were drawn. she didn't have the results and didn't remember which clinic she had been seen at.upon examination

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1131862139721497072005-11-12T21:55:00.000-08:002005-11-12T22:09:56.966-08:00

Getting lost is a beautiful thingSome inspiring thoughts from an interesting article on James West, inventors, patents, and where the US stands in the future of innovation:"When inventors work independently, the invention itself is seen as an opportunity, whereas in the corporate world accidents are seen as failures," said Peter Arnell, a marketing consultant who coaches companies about

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1131350509770226682005-11-06T23:55:00.000-08:002005-11-07T00:06:00.230-08:00

The California Special Election, or simply, "I'm voting with her"I've always voted in New Jersey or NYC, so transferring my voting to California was a big step for me. I procrastinated on doing the transfer, but i'm so glad that I did. This special election tomorrow is BIG. As a healthcare provider, I'm extra interested in a few of the propositions (proposition 73 and 78 are especially

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1130997909715419552005-11-02T22:00:00.000-08:002005-11-13T20:02:11.956-08:00

let's talk about what it means to be an ALLY. PART 1 – Privilege and Internalized Superiority i'm not talking about war-time alliances, i'm talking about the role of professionals and white people in social justice work. you have to start with the truism - "the road to hell is paved with good intentions." sit with that for a bit because it will come back to bite you hard if you ignore it,

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1130473995782543862005-10-27T19:04:00.000-07:002006-01-04T19:46:08.366-08:00

Case Study33 year old woman, spanish speaking, undocumented, great sense of humor calls early in the day. she works until 6:30pm washing cars so she's glad we are open until 7pm. She complains of right sided numbness and tingling, both arm and leg, for two days which is now beginning to improve.Later in the day, at the clinic, she presents as a jovial, slightly overwieght, intelligent woman,

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1129265728943562742005-10-13T21:54:00.000-07:002005-11-19T17:53:52.193-08:00

The Grace of a Late Paymenta few months ago I took care of a young man with pneumonia. he was quite sick, with moderate dehydration. he had a history of IVDU (using intravenous drugs) and was Hepatitis C positive. the man was now hard working in the construction business, a day laborer, a devout Christian, and sober. he showed up at the clinic when we were closed and I happened to be there,

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1127704115259880652005-09-25T19:29:00.000-07:002005-09-25T20:08:35.266-07:00

Miracle Baby - Only $30,000.00!A few months ago I was approached by a volunteer health worker in my clinic. She timidly asked me if I could help her understand her University Hospital bill. We sat down and over the next half an hour she apprised me of her situation. I was stunned, and I've done alot of advocacy work as some of you might suspect.This is a young woman who had a rare medical

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1127094567127369192005-09-15T22:49:00.000-07:002005-09-18T18:54:17.456-07:00

Week in Review - Septemberthis was an exciting week at the Topahkal Family Practice Office. Last weekend we participated in a health fair with the traditional medicine practitioners. The event saw about 200 people show up. We presented four different discussions in the morning - 1. diabetes 2. stress reduction 3. Ventosas 4. Environmental Health and Natural Soap Making. In the afternoon local

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1126759633792630722005-09-14T21:42:00.000-07:002005-09-14T21:47:13.796-07:00

Spanglish JokeComo se dice "niece" en Espanol?Rodillas.(thanks to the six year old bilingual boy who taught me that. i still don't know how to say niece though...)andru

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1126419081914453862005-09-10T16:45:00.000-07:002005-09-10T23:51:59.946-07:00

"911 is a Joke", accountability, and MedicaidLast night my brother and I went to an 80's party hosted by a fellow resident. The resident and his girlfriend went all out -- there was a glow in the dark mega rubix cube, 3 televisions side-by-side playing a videotape he put together of his favorite scenes from movies from the 80's, poprocks everywhere, bottles of beer with glowsticks in them as

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1125632501904361162005-09-01T20:29:00.000-07:002005-09-01T20:41:41.910-07:00

my health insurance premium rose 100%that's double for those of us not so good at math.and how does this relate to the cost of inflation?i pay for a catastrohpic health plan in case of injury or major illness. when i called the company (Celtic) to inquire as to why this amazing increase, the guy laughed at my frustration and told me it was all legal and approved by my state. so i called the

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1125586486098331262005-09-01T07:42:00.000-07:002005-09-01T07:54:46.103-07:00

Pharmacy Research -the excessive profit isn't just for the drug companies...sparked by one of my patients, i did some research lately on the cost of medicines at various large pharmacies. it changed me in a fundamental way. i've had a beef with the drug industry for a while now after studying the price structure of medications, made by the same companies, and sold at hugely different prices in

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1125337031554639372005-08-29T09:50:00.000-07:002005-08-29T10:37:11.563-07:00

It's been a few months since i last posted. i entered a vortex of personal growth, clinic expansion, and political upheaval. when it rains, it pours.:>The Topahkal Clinic Coolaborative is growing beautifully. We have four part time practitioners and have expanded our hours to six half days a week. with an average of about 8 patients per half day, we are financially solid and our patient bas

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1122874172234865242005-07-31T22:18:00.000-07:002005-07-31T22:44:39.660-07:00

Driving in a planeToday, on a flight back to Los Angeles from San Francisco, where I was visiting my wonderful friend Nicole over the weekend, the flight attendants were cracking me up. Almost every time i've flown southwest, the flight attendants have been hilarious and full of spunk. Today, though, we landed at LAX and the plane was driving around the airport, looking for "parking" as many

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1122445466411324202005-07-26T22:33:00.000-07:002005-07-26T23:26:10.546-07:00

Do they make t-shirts for this?So, I am post-post call today (I was on call two nights ago). I survived my first on-call night of residency! Somehow I feel accomplished -- not because I saved any lives, not because I even came close to "managing" the babies in the intermediate-risk nursery overnight, but because...well, I just survived. Do they have t-shirts for this?When I was on-call, all of

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1122011348523718292005-07-21T22:11:00.000-07:002005-07-25T22:05:36.340-07:00

Welcome to LAFacts from Harper's Index, a feature of Harper's Magazine, July 2005 issue:Number of Americans who spend more than a quarter of their income on health care: 14,300,000Estimated amount that illegal immigrants pay into Social Security each year: $6,400,000,000Recent experiences in my Family medicine residency and in Los Angeles:Number of times that I've seen, in my two weeks of my

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1120019924598354322005-06-28T21:30:00.000-07:002005-06-29T23:16:42.160-07:00

Ultrasound Business LaunchedThe Topahkal Collaborative saw the birth of our Ultrasound business this past week. On saturday, June 25th, we did our first 6 ultrasounds, charging $75 per study. 2 were pregnancy dating ultrasounds (usual cost $250 or more). three were pelvic ultrasounds and one was a RUQ liver/gallbladder/kidney ultrasound (usual cost at least $500).There was one interesting/

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1117261908785405332005-05-27T18:03:00.000-07:002005-05-29T12:46:26.523-07:00

Topahkal Patient StoriesThis was an amazing week at the clinic and one more day to go. We saw about 35 patients so far, not to mention alot of phone calls. I had the wonderful help of a volunteer nurse practitioner, Lorraine, and a family practice doctor, Em. Thanks!!!The week started off with a medical urgency. While I was sitting at UNMH financial aid office helping a lady sort out her

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1116642975093432922005-05-20T13:17:00.000-07:002005-05-20T19:36:15.133-07:00

Last week I "voluntarily" resigned my position as adjunct faculty member and locum tenens provider at the University of New Mexico Hospital. I joined a long and growing list of people who have either been pushed out or have read the writing on the wall and chosen to leave.For me, it was a solid push. The precipitating incident was a phone call i made to one of the family practice clinics. Our

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1115337419095019622005-05-05T16:50:00.000-07:002005-05-05T16:56:59.386-07:00

The other day i was eating lunch at a restaurant near my clinic, talking to the owner about vegetarian mexican food. he's this great chef who can do wonders with eggplant. a friend of his came in who looked really familiar to me but i couldn't totally place him. i said hello and we tried for a few moments to connect. well, it turns out that he remembered who i was later and found me in my

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1114360767683646472005-04-24T08:53:00.000-07:002005-04-24T10:55:16.460-07:00

Patient Stories from the TopahkalCase 1:47yo male with newly diagnosed diabetes mellitis. Married, no children. Initial lab workup revealed a significant dyslipidemia (triglycerides 880, cholesterol 306) and a fairly strong case of diabetes (hgb A1C 10.8, mean blood sugar level 268). Initial approach was to start the patient on a standard dose of Gemfibrozil to control his severe

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1113872434751298732005-04-18T17:48:00.000-07:002005-04-18T18:58:04.736-07:00

Freaks come out at night (carnival of the uncapitalists)I had no idea how many carnivals exist online these days. There's a carnival of the cats and a carnival of the dogs; a carnival of the medical folks and a carnival of the indian folks; a carnival of the capitalists and a carnival of the revolutions...and even a carnival of the carnivals.Well why not a carnival of the uncapitalists? Fret not,

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1113094624289885332005-04-09T17:38:00.000-07:002005-04-09T17:57:04.290-07:00

Civil rights Lawsuit - Interpretation / Translation Services at our Public HospitalThis week marks the launching of a legal challenge 8 years in the making. Advocates for Native Americans (Navajo), Spanish speaking immigrants/citizens and Vietnamese refugees announced publicly this past friday that with the help of the NM Center on Law and Poverty and the ACLU the University Hospital will face a

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1113062561413908572005-04-09T09:02:00.000-07:002005-04-18T18:11:32.466-07:00

Physicians of power -- prescribing powerThis week, Bob Goodman, founder of No Free Lunch -- took the American College of Physicians (ACP) -- the organization that represents physicians trained in internal medicine -- to TASK.Here's some of the press release from No Free Lunch, an organization that educates physicians (and other health care professionals) about the influence of the pharmaceutical

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1112683588533400352005-04-04T23:30:00.000-07:002005-04-04T23:46:28.536-07:00

A few weeks at the Topakal (our medicine clinic)The last few weeks at the clinic have been full of fun and surprises. Volunteers:We've had an art therapy student hanging out twice a week, bringing lots of color and deep insights to patients in the waiting room. Thanks to Celest for pursuing her dreams in collaboration with us. If providers out there haven't had a chance to work with art

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1112371303651974802005-04-01T07:53:00.000-08:002005-04-01T11:58:58.783-08:00

Storming the CastleTwo interesting developments in our local efforts to redirect the resources of our public hospital away from privatization back towards its intended mission to serve the uninsured.1. another community minded public health person, who is also trained as a physician, was appointed to the clinical operations board by the county by a 4-1 vote early this week. This is another

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1112071859059245972005-03-28T19:57:00.000-08:002005-03-28T21:11:56.223-08:00

March Matching MadnessThis is SO last week, but I'm behind on posting to this blog. Recently, I posted about the residency "matching" process for myself and other 4th year medical students. And then school happened, and then I went to the AMSA national convention (more on this to come), and that's where I found out where I'm going for the next three years of my life, for family medicine training!

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1111375271209970052005-03-20T19:02:00.000-08:002005-03-20T19:21:11.213-08:00

Update on county public hospital finances and politics.I had the pleasure of attending my first Board of Regents Health Sciences Center sub committee meeting this past week and i learned some interesting truths there. first off, for those not familiar with power politics, the board of regents is the highest level board at a university. in new mexico, all members are appointed by the governor.

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1110937433223674922005-03-15T17:23:00.000-08:002005-03-15T17:43:53.230-08:00

Hiphop for healthcareLast fall, I represented the American Medical Student Association on a panel on "generation debt and healthcare" at the Campaign for a National Health Plan NOW's new york conference. I had the fortune of being on a panel with the kickass speaker and activist Adrienne Marie Brown and the wonderful L. James from a neat organization called the Grassroots Artists Movement, which

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1110838156319571182005-03-14T13:23:00.000-08:002005-03-14T14:13:57.256-08:00

Yay! I matched!Yay I matched! No, that doesn't mean i found my mate on an internet site, that means I found out today at noon (online, no less), that I will in fact be moving on to a family medicine residency next year, as a match means that at least one program said "hey kid, we like you, come on board...". On Thursday, I'll find out where I matched to, and that's a BINDING contract. Yup, I've

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1110352259597291802005-03-09T06:26:00.000-08:002005-03-08T23:39:39.226-08:00

Charity or Fair Prices?A number of folks have mistaken this enterprise as charity care. I'd like to set the record spinning in the right direction. By labeling this as charity care, folks are able to rationalize their own financial situations as the necessary cost of education and business.A Fair Priced Medical Practice isnt' charity, it's business. It's just not a predator model of business.

andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1110088156934331492005-03-05T21:34:00.000-08:002005-03-07T22:16:18.170-08:00

A simple how-to guide for "starving the beast"1. Cut taxes, claiming a scary budget surplus if taxes aren't cut.2. Spend money unwisely, on unnecessary ventures (like wiping out people in another country, or like not allowing the government to negotiate on drug prices for a government drug program), line the pockets of corporations.3. Create a striking budget deficit.4. Employ "Bait-and-switch":

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1110083779116876752005-03-05T19:39:00.000-08:002005-03-05T20:36:19.120-08:00

A child needs more than healthcare and food to make it in this world...Last fall, I accompanied a family medicine doctor on several home visits to check up on a few patients in the town his clinic was based in. Each visit had such a profound impact on me -- not only could I finally see the patient in the context of his or her community (neighborhood, house/apt, family), but the limits of modern

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1109638986040865572005-02-28T17:03:00.000-08:002005-02-28T17:39:45.563-08:00

Grassroots Medicine for the community -- the Just Healthcare Clinic "People have such simple needs, yet we have such a complex system that benefits the insurance companies, the docs, the drug companies and HMOs. Our health care in this country is irrational. We need a rational system that offers affordable access for primary care."That's a quote by Dr. Andru Ziwasimon, co-host of this blog, from

Anjali Tanejahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com5