The National Day of Listening happens every year, the day after Thanksgiving.  I know it was a while back but due to both a past cfha.net blog and a recent patient encounter I began thinking about this concept again.  This year during National Day of Listening, I chose to interview my father.  He has lived a fulfilling life in his 78 years.  When we sat down to kick the “interview” off he, with sincere curiosity, asked “You are not doing this because you think I’m going to die are you”?  After I debunked this myth of his, we proceeded.  With a digital recorder on the table, we sat and talked over coffee for about two hours.  My entire life, I have had a great communicative relationship with my father but something was different this time.  This time my sole intent was just to listen, nothing else. I had no intentions, no predispositions, no expectations, just open ears. I learned a lot about my father that day that I had never known before.

In the chaotic environment of health care reform, the focus on health care coverage, improved outcomes, and the need for cost control have triggered a veritable onslaught of projects intended to support the transformation of what is an incredibly inefficient, often times ineffective system.

During New Year's Day the media was so inundated with Resolution oriented commercials you could almost see the affirming banners of declaration whizzing by your head--"Quit smoking now" or "Lose that weight you always wanted to" were repeated ad-nauseum.  Although the barrage was inexorable, there was good reason for the timing of it all-to take advantage of a state of readiness; regardless of how fleeting it may be.  Everyone has good intentions around this time of year, what we need help with is follow-through.  And now that we are into the second week of the New Year I thought it would be good to check in on the progress. 

Yes, it is that time of year to look back on what we have accomplished in 2009 and begin to consider what we are going to do differently in 2010 that we didn't do in 2009 (for a real treat, read how much foreign policy has changed in the past 10 years). And we did accomplish a lot. Healthcare made it out of the House alive and out of the Senate on life support. Partisan politics showed us again why political ideologies trump the American public's views on what should be done in healthcare. Let's be honest, it is ultimately about reelection, right? But something had to be done as people are dying from lack of insurance and costs are skyrocketing! 

Each year we make a resolution to do something a little better than the year before and to make good on that promise is always a challenge. Sometimes it is that we set unrealistic goals and for others of us it is that we do not know what goals to set. Most years I profess to hug my children a little tighter (although not possible unless I want to be investigated by child welfare), love my husband a little deeper (something I always can do), and be the best person I can be to those whose lives I touch.

As you walk towards the nearest coffee place, what you see are people enthralled with their smartphones. You may have heard or observed teenagers enchantment with texting. You definitely know about Facebook even if you do not have an account or you forgot how to login after having lost the password when your teenage nephew told you how to open an account to check the last Thanksgivings photos.

Imagine, if you will, that you were transformed into Sandy Blount for a day.  You are to teach a one-day "intro to collaborative care" seminar to physicians.  Before the workshop you email the participating physicians 3 articles or book chapters to give them an overview of collaborative care and to build enthusiasm for the seminar.  Which 3 publications would you choose, and why?  Out of the box answers are encouraged.

The facts regarding the pernicious nature of smoking, second and third hand smoke (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=what-is-third-hand-smoke) are abundant and clear.  Tobacco use is the leading cause for preventable morbidity and mortality and quitting is the number one thing our patients can do to better their health.  The problem: tobacco is extremely addictive.  Back in the 80’s C. Everett Koop declared tobacco “as addictive as heroin and cocaine”.  For many reasons an integrated primary care setting is an excellent place to help patients end their nicotine addiction. 

Now I have never honestly owned a Ford but my Uncle Ronnie worked for Ford for many years. He was devoted and loyal. He believed in his product and the fact that it was American made. He used to brag about how each car was touched by American hands prior to being shipped to its destination. That always stuck with me. The sense of pride and devotion he had to Ford despite the challenges of the job, the economy.

I was in Kansas City this past week for a conference, and realized a travesty was occurring on Saturday, which I had no control over: My hotel did not carry CSPAN.