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Splenic Infarction

A 53-year-old woman presented with sudden onset of left upper quadrant abdominal pain. She had a history of atrial fibrillation, hypertension, and congestive heart failure.

Apple Core Lesion

A 48-year-old woman was hospitalized for acute-onset abdominal pain. She had a history of adult-onset Still disease and severe osteoarthritis. She had been taking 650 mg of aspirin every 4 hours to relieve her arthritis pain and fevers.

Based in Atlanta, Elizabeth Woodcock is a speaker and author with more than 20 years of experience in the practice management industry. Author of ten best-selling books, she holds an MBA from The Wharton School. Learn more at www.elizabethwoodcock.com. You can also reach her directly at [email protected].

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Bacterial meningitis and herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) encephalitis are both associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Thus, hospitalization and prompt initiation of therapy are essential.

Cheap Bonus Ideas

Be creative with performance rewards. Give movie tickets to employees who go “above and beyond” the call of duty.

Simple Quality Check

Assign one clinical staff member to check the expiration dates on all prescription samples once a month, and keep a log of these inspections.

Saving Face

At sites where cosmesis is critical, such as on the face, use aluminum chloride and pressure for hemostasis rather than electrocautery.

About 70% of patients with gout are treated exclusively in the primary care setting. Because the prevalence of gout is rising, particularly among older patients, you are increasingly likely to encounter this disease in your practice.

A 41-year-old woman presents to the emergency department with chest pain and dysphagia. Routine laboratory studies reveal profound neutropenia. She denies recent fever, chills, or weight loss.

Sandeep Juahar, who wrote an excellent warts-and-all account of his medical education in Intern: A Doctor’s Initiation, is now old enough to be having a midlife crisis. In a recent New York Times essay, he may or may not have been projecting his own current feelings of disillusion onto the entire medical profession. He writes about the sorry state of medical practice today.