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Physicians

Percussion – An Obsolete Physician Skill?

June 22, 2020 By Bryan Vartabedian · Reading Time: 2 minutes

Not long ago the internet was captivated by the video clip of a physician using a wine glass to teach percussion. The display elicited a sense of nostalgia and long-lost wisdom. The clip put 20th and 21st century medicine into stark contrast. But when was the last time you used percussion to make a diagnosis? Predictably, every smartypants in the audience has ... Continue Reading about Percussion – An Obsolete Physician Skill?

Tagged With: Diagnostic testing, MD Future, Medical education, Physical exam

Patients

The Request for a Blood Test – Why More Testing May Not be Better

December 10, 2018 By Bryan Vartabedian · Reading Time: < 1 minutes

I’ve heard it a thousand times. 'The patient wanted testing done.' So the doctor ran a blood test. But few people really want a blood test. What they want is to know that they don’t have something horrible. I’ve seen it a thousand times with young parents. Anxiety competes with their trust in me as we discuss what could be going on with their child. I never ... Continue Reading about The Request for a Blood Test – Why More Testing May Not be Better

Tagged With: Diagnostic testing, Doctoring 101, Medical decision making

Physicians, Process/Flow

Medical Tests – The More You Order, the More You Explain

August 9, 2018 By Bryan Vartabedian · Reading Time: < 1 minutes

I spoke with a young pediatrician recently who complained about her late hours in the office. A lot of calling patients with questions about labs. On cursory review, she seems to do a lot of medical tests. It makes sense. Here’s the math: Two sessions per day of 10-12 children per session and everyone gets a comprehensive metabolic panel (as an example). 48 hours ... Continue Reading about Medical Tests – The More You Order, the More You Explain

Tagged With: Diagnostic testing, Doctoring 101

Physicians, Technology

23andMe and a Doctor’s Control

April 11, 2017 By Bryan Vartabedian · Reading Time: 2 minutes

This is the opening of a Quartz article reporting on the FDA’s recent 23andMe approval to sell analysis for 10 genetically linked diseases: Doctors are losing their role as the gatekeeper of our health information, for better or worse. The article concludes with this question: As patients get more information, the important question to ask is: Will they know what ... Continue Reading about 23andMe and a Doctor’s Control

Tagged With: Diagnostic testing

Physicians, Process/Flow

A Few Ideas on Diagnostic Testing

August 23, 2016 By Bryan Vartabedian · Reading Time: 2 minutes

A young colleague approached me about how to conduct an infrequently ordered and challenging diagnostic test for pancreatic insufficiency. When I asked about the indication, I learned that mom was a worried. The drive to test was really about reassurance. Not an uncommon scenario. I'm shaping some ideas on tests. A few thoughts: Testing is a small part of ... Continue Reading about A Few Ideas on Diagnostic Testing

Tagged With: Diagnostic testing

Information, Physicians, Technology

Consumer Lab Testing: Will the Doctor be Out?

April 27, 2015 By Bryan Vartabedian · Reading Time: < 1 minutes

Health care’s race to the consumer was met with some chatter last week with the announcement that LabCorp will allow patients to order their own diagnostic testing through their consumer lab. This is good, but consumer lab testing can be a tricky proposition.  Numbers and results devoid of context are only numbers.  Outside of the body from which the number comes ... Continue Reading about Consumer Lab Testing: Will the Doctor be Out?

Tagged With: Diagnostic testing

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Bryan Vartabedian, MD

Bryan Vartabedian, MD
Bryan Vartabedian is the Chief Pediatrics Officer at Texas Children’s Hospital North Austin and one of health care’s influential
voices on technology & medicine.
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With a mashup of curated and original content that crosses the spaces of digital health, media, communication, technology, patient experience, digital culture, and the humanities, 33 charts offers unique insight and analysis on the changing face of medicine.

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