Jayme Robinson, shown with one of her daughters, was hurting and apprehensive late last year, hoping to get surgery for a strangulated hernia.

For uninsured Georgians, specialty care can be hard to come by

Tammie Cox of Calhoun needed a cervical polyp removed. She had to wait several weeks for surgery, while dealing with cramping and bleeding. S. Rita Wilson, a Rome woman, had a dangerous problem with a large uterine fibroid, which was finally removed after four months and three emergency room visits. Jayme Robinson of Lithia Springs…

The new health care — for better or worse

The new health care — for better or worse

The ‘‘good old days’’ of health care are disappearing -– if they’re not gone already. Those were the days of consumers going anywhere they wanted to get medical care, and not paying any attention to the price, or to their state of ‘‘wellness.’’ And the days of doctors and hospitals charging an extremely high price…

A child’s brain is at its most flexible or pliable state in the earliest months and years of life. Photo courtesy of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation

Healthy young brains a key to Georgia’s future

“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” Those words are from 19th-century writer and abolitionist Frederick Douglass, who had to personally overcome the burden of being born and raised in slavery. But they are still relevant today: They were used to introduce a recent policy statement by a leading pediatrics…

Online records – a medical revolution

Online records – a medical revolution

During my recent office visit, the doctor sat at a computer, typing notes, as I described my symptoms. This was a new experience for me. And I liked it. My regular physician –- trusted but busy — couldn’t give me an appointment for several days, and I needed help faster than that. My usual doc…

Emory teaming up with MinuteClinic

Emory teaming up with MinuteClinic

The dash by Atlanta health systems toward forming new partnerships continued Monday with the announcement of an affiliation between Emory Healthcare and MinuteClinic, which operates retail clinics in CVS/pharmacy stores. The initiative underscores a new emphasis on retail care as health reform and the private market drive new ideas for providing medical services in an…

Poor County Rich In Lessons

Poor county is rich in lessons for med students (video)

This fall, 40 young doctors-in-training visited local clinics throughout impoverished Athens, mainly just to sit and hear what patients have to say. “We’ve all had experiences going to doctors who don’t listen; we want to train doctors who listen,” said Dr. Clive Slaughter, who organizes community training for medical students at the Georgia Health Sciences…

Nurses see regulatory snags in state

Nurses see regulatory snags in state

The state’s leading nursing organization says nurses are battling a batch of red tape in Georgia, with new obstacles added to an already frustrating system. The newest hurdle comes from the state’s recently passed immigration law. Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp told the Georgia Nurses Association conference in Atlanta on Thursday that nurses and…

Doctor supply hamstrung by residency gap

Doctor supply hamstrung by residency gap

Georgia has a medical export problem. Three of every four graduates of Georgia medical schools this year went to do their residency training in other states. That’s important because the bulk of physicians end up practicing within 60 miles of where they did their training. And Georgia is also mired in a doctor shortage that shows…

Students of MCG & UGA Medical School

Fake patients train as performers, help future doctors learn skills (video)

Medical students at the new Georgia Health Sciences University campus in Athens have a lot more drama in their lives these days. They’re interviewing and examining fake patients who have been trained to simulate signs and symptoms of illness using the same techniques as actors on TV. A team of GHSU/UGA researchers hopes to show…

Updates on dentistry proposal, dialysis deal

Updates on dentistry proposal, dialysis deal

The Georgia Board of Dentistry on Friday rejected a proposed rule that public health officials feared would have restricted dental hygienists’ work with low-income patients. Several health groups had said the provision, if approved, would require a dentist to examine a patient before a hygienist can apply sealants, clean teeth and perform other preventive dental…