In the video above, I talk in a TV interview about how some doctors are making their patients sign “gag orders” preventing them from talking about their doctors on social media. Is this fair? I talk about physician’s reputation on line and why this is important.
The anchor was also nice enough to mention my podcast and ask me what’s that about. I mentioned that I talk about social media and medicine topics including the recent failure of Congress to pay a measure to prevent a 27% Medicare physician payment cut as of January 1, 2012.
The interview was recorded on Wednesday, December 21, 2011. I invite you to check out some more of my TV interviews at MikeSevilla.TV
I’m happy to announce that the premiere of the Family Medicine Rocks podcast will be Thursday, March 17, 2011 on BlogTalkRadio. What will this show be about – you ask? Well, it will be similar to the last show in that this show will be “Passionate About Medicine And Social Media.”
I will talk about some current events having to do with medicine and social media. I’ll also mix in things that are going on in my life. The new content will including topics, ideas, and guests from the world of Family Medicine. I did this a little bit on the last show.
For example, topics for Show Number 1 will include my transition to the new website, blog, and podcast. I have been getting a lot of questions about “My Rebranding Strategy,” and I’ll have commentary on that. It is also Match Day for many medical schools across the nation, in that, this is the day were graduating medical students find out where they will be doing their residency training.
I will also talk about the #LiveKneeSurgery that took place live on the internet at Swedish Medical Center earlier this week. And, of course, it is St. Patrick’s Day and the first day of the NCAA Mens Basketball tournament – also known as March Madness.
So, lots to talk about, and maybe some surprises as well. Hope you will be able to join me on Family Medicine Rocks Show One on Thursday, March 17th, 2011 at 12:30pm Eastern Time/9:30am Pacific Time on BlogTalkRadio. There will be a live chat room where you can make fun of me. There will be a live webcam for you to see me do the show live before your eyes. And, if you cannot listen live, then you can always listen later to the archived podcast. Thanks for your continued support of me and the show!
Everyone knows that when it comes to germs and kids, it sometimes can be difficult to limit the spread of infection – especially in the day care setting. In the video above, I talked with local TV news last week about this topic and also the topic of trying to prevent infection in college students during finals week. If you find the above video helpful, I invite you to check out my other videos over at MikeSevilla.TV. Enjoy!
Even though it’s Thursday, there is not going to be a Doctor Anonymous Show tonight. However, in the video above, you can see a segment from last week’s Show 194 which was on Saturday night. It was a really fun show with my co-host Kat. On our Saturday nite shows, we talk about the news of the week when it comes to current events, health/medicine stories, and some not-so-serious news. In the video above, Kat and I talk about the recent observance of Veteran’s Day 2010.
You can listen to the entire audio podcast in the sidebar of the blog. Or, you can download Show 194 by going to the iTunes page for the show, and then listen anytime. I also encourage you to check out the show’s Facebook page, and click the big “Like” button at the top. Finally, you can check out other videos of my on my YouTube page. Enjoy!
The Great American Smokeout is an annual event that encourages smokers to quit for at least 1 day in the hope that this might challenge them to stop permanently. The American Cancer Society and other organizations observe this event. This year, the Great American Smokeout is Thursday, November 18, 2010.
In the video above, I was interviewed by local TV news about the event, the risks of prolonged tobacco use, and what to do to prepare for your quit day. One of the most important things, I think, is to make sure that you have a good support system with friends and family – when you’re trying to quit smoking. For more information, I encourage you to check out the American Cancer Society site. Did you know that 2010 is the 35th year of the event? If you found the video above helpful, then I encourage you to check out other videos on my youtube site. Enjoy!
In the video above, you will see an interview I was asked to do on Thursday, November 11, 2010 on local TV news about alcoholic energy drinks like four loko that has been in the news recently. I talk about the potential harmful effects of the ingredients of a product like this. As of this posting, there have been a number of states, colleges, and universities who have taken steps to ban these type of beverages.
At the end of my interview, I talk about how I don’t think banning a product like this is going to solve the problem. In the article, “Banning Four Loko Doesn’t Solve Problems,” by Alex Belz from The North Wind explains:
It seems these health officials are either unaware of or choosing to ignore the fact that combining a caffeinated beverage with an alcoholic one is a time-tested formula for a decent drink. So far, they’ve not proposed banning drinks like Jager Bombs and vodka and Red Bulls from being served in bars, but perhaps that’s just around the corner.
As of this post, it has been only hours since the ban was announced in Washington State has been announced. Since the ban does not take effect for about seven days, guess what is happening? According to The Seattle Times, a “Buying Rush Follows Washington Ban On Four Loko.”
Now, don’t misunderstand. I have read the stories of the sickness, illness, and tragedies that have occurred associated with this product. However, it wasn’t due to the product. It was due to irresponsible use of the product. An editorial from The New Hampshire sums it up the best, “If you want to discourage something, educate us on its risks. It makes more sense to convince us to follow a practice than to force it upon us (particularly in this case, when it’s not that hard to get across the state’s border). Education is the way to go.”
News of the layoffs began spreading primarily from the Doctor Anonymous blog, which is maintained by Youngstown-area family physician Dr. Mike Sevilla, a NEOUCOM graduate.
Something that is still really interesting to me is that there is no official press release on the NEOUCOM school website (as of this posting). But, yet it looks like news organizations like Med City News, Akron Beacon Journal, and Ravenna Record Courier (local newspaper where the med school is located) received a some kind of press release and/or talked with their PR people (I would guess the med school PR people are really not happy with me right now)
One of the things that I hope comes out of this incident is that the med school consider being a little more transparent when it comes to major decisions and major moves like this. The perception of a coverup or the perception of deception really doesn’t help build bridges with the people and the stakeholders who are supposed to be your supporters. Thanks again to MedCity News for following up on this story!
In San Diego this week, the American Medical Association announced some guidelines to help physicians navigate social media:
Use privacy settings to safeguard personal information and content to the fullest extent possible on social networking sites.
Routinely monitor their own Internet presence to ensure that the personal and professional information on their own sites and content posted about them by others, is accurate and appropriate.
Maintain appropriate boundaries of the patient-physician relationship when interacting with patients online and ensure patient privacy and confidentiality is maintained.
Consider separating personal and professional content online.
Recognize that actions online and content posted can negatively affect their reputations among patients and colleagues, and may even have consequences for their medical careers.
About a month ago, my home state Ohio State Medical Association released a “Social Media Toolkit” to assist physicians which goes a little bit deeper as far as practical steps and tips.
The importance of these two moves at a state and national level from organized medicine cannot be overstated. This is HUGE. Hopefully my professional organization, the American Academy of Family Physicians, will follow suit with some guidance for their physician members.
I have said all along that people like professional organizations will not be the ones to push physicians to social media use. It will ultimately be patients who drive physicians to social media. However, I agree with Doctor_V in saying that this major step by a physician organization will help solidify the importance of the use of social media.
As regular readers of this blog know, I’m curious and sometimes have an opinion of what happens at my medical school alma mater – as exhibited by this post,this post, and this post. I was recently informed of another situation that occurred on Election Day 2010. And, before I go on, I should tell you that this information is 2nd hand information and may well be inaccurate. However, as of when this text is posted, there is no official word from the school on their website and no word in the press about the statements made in this post. (Also check out the video post above)
Anyway, the school is like a lot of other state schools out there in that there is no money in education. So, according to what was told to me, the school chose to “downsize” or restructure – which basically means eliminate some positions to limit costs. The interesting things about this story are when it happened – Election Day – Why? Was it to try to avoid press coverage with all the national and state elections going on the same day? That’s possible.
The other interesting thing that I heard was the manner in which it happened. You hear about this in other aspects of corporate America and see on TV/movie dramas – The people who are let go – They are told they are let go – And then immediately asked to leave the premises – Essentially escorted out of the building. Does that actually happen? Apparently (according to reports) – It did happen.
That part of the story made me sad. The other part of the story that made me sad is that the people who were let go. People who have been loyal to the school and people who gave a lot of themselves to a school and employer that they enjoyed – they were shown the door and told to get out – Why? – Because they were too expensive to stay on. Meanwhile, according to this news story, the new university president has a base salary of $375,000. According to this news story, the new dean has a salary of $350,000. And, according to this story, five years ago, a name change cost a school about $300,000. Interesting, huh?
Now, I admit I don’t know all the ins and outs of medical education. From what I do understand, it is a tough game. But, what do I know, I’m just a doctor? It will be interesting if and when people like alumni hear about this story. What will their reaction be? Has the school anticipated that? Probably not. I understand that tough decisions have to be made in corporate America. But, this is just another example of a school and an institution who will do whatever it takes to achieve its final vision and goal – Even if it means alienating those people who care about the school the most…
I want to apologize up front for this rambling post. I have been doing a lot of thinking over the past month. And, boy, let me tell you, I have never done as much traveling as I have done in October 2010 with destinations including Seattle, Columbus, Dayton, Philadelphia, and Hershey. I had a lot of fun, but I do feel a little burned out when the month was over(and still a little bit now as well).
I guess, I should also say right away, that NO, I’m not giving up blogging, or podcasting, or any of my current projects. It’s just that every once in a while, I like to mix it up a bit and try some things out. I appreciate your patience as I do things out of my usual routine.
That being said, the podcast is going to take a little bit of a break from the usual schedule. I’m still going to be doing shows, but not exactly with the days, or times, or people that you’re used to. I’m going to be experimenting with doing a little more video to tell a social media story. And, I really miss writing. So, text blogging may return in the near future.
One of the things that I have learned over the past month is that even though there are not as many comments on the blog as there once was, and even though there appears that there is not a lot of public dialogue going on with my projects – I have received a lot of personal messages of appreciation for what I do out here for social media and social health.
And, for that, I sincerely thank you. Welcome to those of you who have met me and this site in the past month, and thanks to all of you out there who have followed me from the beginning. Change is constant and I want to continue to stay ahead of the curve on things. This is still fun for me, and when it is no longer the case, I’m outta here. Til then, I will continue to try to innovate and have even more fun out here on the internet…
