April 1, 2009
By:Peter J. McDonnell, MD
A recent article describes the corrupting influence of money and the pursuit thereof. The villains in this piece are none other than anesthesiologists, radiologists, and ophthalmologists. Some might consider the article a thoughtful analysis of medical economics, whereas others might view it as the lamentations of a subset of physicians jealous of their colleagues who have adapted to economic realities to be highly productive and provide dramatic improvement in quality of life for their patients.
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March 15, 2009
By:Peter J. McDonnell, MD
It seems that the most successful organizations do a good job of moving forward by keeping the major issues on the front burner.
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February 15, 2009
By:Peter J. McDonnell, MD
Everyone is given a special talent, which, if developed, can allow them to perform their talent really well. This explains why there are great singers, superb artists or musicians, and gifted mechanics, to name a few professions. Those talents often are limited to that particular setting, however; they are not always transferable into another area.
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January 15, 2009
By:Peter J. McDonnell, MD
Most physicians micromanage when a problem occurs in the office, instantly analyzing the issue and announcing the changes they want colleagues and staff to make. However, employees on the front line in factories, doctors' offices, etc., have more information, and often can come up with better solutions than the "all-knowing" manager. Delegation helps employees learn from the problem-solving experience, and that makes them more valuable.
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January 1, 2009
By:Peter J. McDonnell, MD
We live in a connected world thanks in part to former Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore. Dr. McDonnell shares his ambitions for the New Year: to rival Al Gore and win the Nobel Peace Prize in Literature.
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December 15, 2008
By:Peter J. McDonnell, MD
Some speculate that the current economic crisis is a result of financial institutions' misplaced optimism and trust in their companies. Ophthalmologists, who run practices, departments, divisions, etc., have to strike the right balance between sharing and recognizing the realities of whatever problems organizations face, and express the confidence that they can be overcome if the right things are done.
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December 1, 2008
By:Peter J. McDonnell, MD
We're to the point that medical care for our children is a discretionary item, less of a priority than digital cable. Blurry vision from a cataract is something that can be dealt with next year or whenever the economy sorts itself out. While it may be impossible to peer into the future, it increasingly appears that accessing medical care may not be the recession-proof priority for Americans that it has been in the past.
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November 15, 2008
By:Peter J. McDonnell, MD
One concern of the theory of evolution is how a highly complex organ such as the eye might develop if there are not intermediate forms of rudimentary eyes that confer a survival advantage to the organism. An intermediate life form recently has been discovered, and Ophthalmology Times Chief Medical Editor Dr. McDonnell hypothesizes that it may have implications for patient care.
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November 1, 2008
By:Andrew G. Lee, MD
Ophthalmic resident and fellowship education programs in the United States are responding to the changing requirements of working in a modern health-care delivery system and new incentives have been created for transforming the "apprenticeship model" to a "competency-based" model of education.
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