Robert J. Winn's Blog
How to Advocate for Yourself at the Doctor’s Office
Visiting the doctor is not supposed to be an action that evokes fear, yet it does for so many people. Some of them are worried about conditions that they might have, and others are afraid of having to advocate for themselves. Individuals who fall into the latter group...
Is Crowdfunding the New Health Insurance?
In 2015, the average cost of a hospital stay for cancer patients was $31,390. That’s half of the median household income for that year. It costs, on average, $292,000 to treat the most common type of childhood cancer. While some can rely on comprehensive insurance to...
What Can Be Done About Physician Burnout?
Today’s physicians are expected to juggle more tasks, stay aware of constant changes to government and insurance regulations, and spend more time with patients than ever before. This increased amount of responsibilities leads to higher levels of stress, which in turn...
Skills Needed to Succeed in Emergency Medicine
While all medical specialties result in saving lives, in no other specialty but emergency medicine do you get to have a hand in saving lives every single day. If you’re considering specializing in emergency medicine, you need to possess these skills for success....
Will Woebot Solve Our Mental Health Crisis?
A human relationship is based on trust and, in some ways, bravery. The choice to come forward to talk about our fears, our struggles, our tragedies can be a difficult one; human communication demands that we reach out to and confide in another person. Making that...
Herd Immunity Isn’t Enough: Why You Should Get a Flu Shot
Another year, another flu season. We all think we know how to protect ourselves from the onslaught of fevers, coughs, and sniffles that take our workplaces and schools by storm from October through May. We restock our desks with Purell, remember to take our...
Gun Control Is a Public Health Concern
Since the tragic shooting at Columbine, the US has lived through some of the worst acts of domestic terrorism that the developed world has ever seen. From schools to churches to concerts to clubs to army barracks, many places formerly believed to be safe community...
Assessing Urgent Care: When Last Resorts Become Common Practice (Part 2)
(Continued from Part I) Clearly, patients aren't using primary care services as much as they should - but can that all be chalked up to convenience? Studies say no. According to an 2015 NPR poll, 20% of surveyed patients choose urgent or emergency care services...
Assessing Urgent Care: When Last Resorts Become Common Practice (Part 1)
You wake up with a cough. It's not a bad one, you decide, and definitely not enough to keep you home from work. Rent's due in a week, and you know that missing out on the ten hours of the construction work your boss found you would put you awfully close to not being...
Corrections Health Care: Challenges and Opportunities
When we talk about community health care, most people prefer to keep the conversation focused on our achievements and future possibilities. We talk about the local clinics that provide flu shots and screenings to uninsured families, about school health education...