Hsieh Forbes Column On 'Left Digit Bias'

My latest Forbes column is now out: "If You Just Turned 50, 60, 70, Or 80, Your Doctor Might Suffer From 'Left Digit Bias'".

"Left digit bias" is why customers are more likely to purchase an item priced $4.99 than $5.00.  I discuss how physicians' "left digit bias" could affect medical care in older patients, and what patients can do about it.

Hsieh Forbes Column: Why More Employers Are Not Hiring Smokers And What To Do About It

My latest Forbes column is now out: "Why More Employers Are Not Hiring Smokers And What To Do About It".

I discuss how we can address "lifestyle discrimination" by employers by repealing existing bad laws, rather than imposing new bad regulations. 

Also: Have you ever wondered why you get health insurance from your employer, but not your car or homeowner's insurance? I cover that bizarre "feature" of the US economy as well.

Hsieh Forbes Column: Doctors Use Youtube And Google All The Time. Should You Be Worried?

My latest Forbes column is now out: "Doctors Use Youtube And Google All The Time. Should You Be Worried?"

It's been a fun year writing for Forbes. I look forward to continuing next year, and I hope you all have a good 2020!

Hsieh Forbes Column: I'm A Physician, And I'll Continue Eating Red Meat

My latest Forbes column is now out: "I'm A Physician, And I'll Continue Eating Red Meat".

"Looks like meat's back on the menu, boys!"

Below -- some tasty beef stew I recently made in my beloved Instant Pot electric pressure cooker.

Hsieh Forbes Column On Government Quality Metrics And Unintended Consequences

My latest Forbes piece is now out: "How Patients Pay The Price For Unintended Consequences Of Government Health Care".

I discuss how various government "quality" metrics intended to improve patient care can have the exact opposite effect.

This is an example of Goodhart's Law in action, sometimes phrased as, "When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure."

Hsieh Forbes Column On Vaping And Unintended Consequences

My latest Forbes column is now out: "Don't Make The Vaping 'Crisis' Worse With Hasty New Regulations".

Hsieh Forbes Column: Pooping Less Frequently To Save The Planet? Really?

My latest Forbes column is out: "Pooping Less Frequently To Save The Planet? Really?"

I'm totally unleashing my inner 10-year old.

Hsieh Forbes Column: Great Moments In Medical Self-Experimentation

My latest Forbes column is now out: "Great Moments In Medical Self-Experimentation".

Sometimes, you literally have to "bet on yourself" and do what you think is right, even if everyone else thinks you're crazy.

Hsieh Forbes Column On Physician Fatigue And Errors

My latest Forbes piece is now out: "Is Your Doctor Making Mistakes Because He Or She Is Too Tired?"

Hsieh Forbes Column: 18-Year-Olds Should Have Right To Smoke

My latest Forbes piece is now out, "If 18-Year-Olds Can Fight For Their Country, They Should Be Able To Smoke A Cigarette".

I discuss the latest bipartisan push to raise the legal smoking age from 18 to 21.

I frame the discussion in the form of three questions:

1) Is it the government’s job to stop legal adults from making unhealthy life choices?

2) If Congress allows 18-year-olds risk their lives in military service, shouldn’t they also be allowed to smoke?

3) Whose body is it, anyways?

For more details, read the full piece "If 18-Year-Olds Can Fight For Their Country, They Should Be Able To Smoke A Cigarette".

Hsieh Forbes Column: Health Care Vs. Liberty In Singapore

My latest Forbes column is now out: "Health Care Vs. Liberty In Singapore".

I discuss the trade-offs that Singapore residents must make when they accept government-run "universal health care" and "cost control". This is includes significant losses in liberty as well as accepting government rationing of medical services.

For more details, see the full text of "Health Care Vs. Liberty In Singapore".

Hsieh Forbes Column: How Government Policies Created The Current Disaster Of Electronic Health Records

My latest Forbes column is now out: "How Government Policies Created The Current Disaster Of Electronic Health Records".

Some key take-home points include.

* The federal government played a major role of foisting EHRs on doctors.
* Many features of the EHRs were not driven by the needs of practicing physicians, but by bureaucrats and government officials not involved in direct patient care.
* Practicing physicians find these EHR systems burdensome.
* EHRs contribute significantly to physician burnout.
* The problems with EHRs are not inherent in the technology, but rather due to government policies. 

Hsieh Forbes Column: "Should Therapists Treat Climate Change Denial As A Psychological Disorder?"

[Off topic] My latest Forbes piece is now out: "Should Therapists Treat Climate Change Denial As A Psychological Disorder?"

Spoiler: "No."

Hsieh Forbes Column: "Should Doctors Google Their Patients?"

My latest Forbes piece is now out: "Should Doctors Google Their Patients?".

Law Of The ER

Rada Jones, MD: "68 laws of the ER".

I, of course, liked:

64. Sage's First Advice: Skip the CT if the patient with abdominal pain is eating McDonald's.

Hsieh Forbes Column: "So You Got A Consumer DNA Test For Christmas -- Now What?"

My latest Forbes column is now out: "So You Got A Consumer DNA Test For Christmas -- Now What?"

I discuss some unintended consequences of direct-to-consumer DNA testing, as well as the growing use of publicly available genetic data bases for tracking people.

Hsieh Forbes Column: "Could #MeToo Hurt Women's Health Care?"

Even good movements can create bad unintended consequences. My latest column in Forbes asks: "Could #MeToo Hurt Women's Health Care?"

I discuss recent research that fears of false accusations of sexual assault could prevent men from giving life-saving CPR to women in cardiac arrest.  

Hsieh Forbes Column: When Government-Backed 'Nudgers' Go Bad

My latest Forbes piece is now out: "When Government-Backed 'Nudgers' Go Bad".

I discuss how bad science and bad government policy may have affected the diets of millions of American school children.

Hsieh Forbes Column: The Promise And Perils Of New Apple Watch Medical Technologies

My latest Forbes piece is now up: "The Promise And Perils Of New Apple Watch Medical Technologies".

Hsieh Forbes Column: How Licensing Laws Harm Mothers, Infants, And Lactation Consultants

My latest Forbes column is now out: "How Licensing Laws Harm Mothers, Infants, And Lactation Consultants".

I discuss the new law in the state of Georgia mandating licensure of lactation consultants, and how that harms minority and low-income mothers and babies.

Fortunately, the Institute For Justice is on the case, fighting this unjust law.

More details at, "How Licensing Laws Harm Mothers, Infants, And Lactation Consultants".