Outside the regulatory arena, the reading becomes somewhat more interesting. Journals and assorted periodicals cover every specialty.  Health care books could fill a whole aisle or more at Barnes & Noble, and they do.  Many of them are huge tomes by self-indulgent practitioners that leave one immediate impression: When did this guy have time to see patients? 

But there are treasures out there, and one of them is a blog by Judy Paley, a primary care doctor with a two-person practice in Denver.  And the Denver she works in is the one in Colorado, not in northwest Iowa.  That needs to be pointed out, because Dr. Paley sounds and writes like a small-town, patient-centered, community-loving doc.  Her “Medical Moments in 55 Words or Less,” as she calls her blog, have been described as health care haiku.  They are sad, funny, illuminating and the very definition of poignant. 

Give yourself a treat and check out what Dr. Paley so generously shares.