Dean Potempa Begins Second Year as Wall Street Journal Health Expert
Your comments welcome on posts about pediatric, primary, and palliative care.
UMSN Dean Kathleen Potempa, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, is answering tough health care questions again. The last week of February was host to 2014's first roundtable of Wall Street Journal health experts: two dozen prestigious leaders from hospital administration, medical education, business, nonprofits, philanthropy, and other sectors.
As the sole representative for nursing, Dean Potempa repeatedly steered discussions back to the needs of patients, families, and caregivers, as well as to the health of the U.S. health system as a whole.
Everyone can join the discussion. Click on the questions below to read Dean Potempa's responses (excerpted after each question), and to comment if you choose to:
- What are the most common misconceptions new parents have about their child’s health? "Find a provider who makes asking questions easy, and never makes you feel inadequate or uninformed for asking."
- How can we reduce end-of-life health care costs? "We have to become comfortable with the difficult conversations around death and advanced care—and more aware of the huge costs of neglecting them."
- What is the biggest mistake patients make when picking a primary-care doctor? "Don't settle for less than you deserve.... Consider whether providers will care about you as a person, a family member and someone with unique values and beliefs. If not, how will you be able to work together on hard decisions—let alone on the many lifestyle choices that could prevent chronic illness?"
Read all of Dean Potempa's WSJ posts; follow her on Twitter at @KathleenPotempa.
