S02:E11 Hiding Behind My Smile

[Whimsy]

Quote

Max and Luna make friends in an unexpected place as he struggles with the realities of being a single father. Meanwhile, Kapoor takes a big step in order to help his family.

Airdate 1/21/2020

[ams1001]

We'll just hire six people to take notes on every patient. Done.

Right.

This show has no interest in reality, does it?

And how long was this kid in the hospital that Sharpe was able to determine that he's terminal in between being followed around by doctors complaining about screens? This is all on the same day, right? 

Like some random phone-rep is going to know what it would cost to cover everyone on their waiting list.

I'm determined to come up with one nice thing to say about this show. Luna is adorable.

Edited January 22, 2020 by ams1001

[LittleIggy]

Luna is adorable.

I can’t believe that there was no record of that patient having lupus.

Floyd can’t move to CA. He has to go to his mom’s house every Sunday for lunch! 😏

[apn85]

I also wondered how Helen automatically knew the poor kid was terminal and had 4 months to live that quick. Came down and told him in the ER. Not a scan to be had. 

And this new lady who also conveniently lost her husband (what are the odds?! 😜) and has a baby daughter meeting Max in the doctor's office...I am not here for that if that's where they're going. 

[ams1001]

10 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Floyd can’t move to CA. He has to go to his mom’s house every Sunday for lunch! 😏

Lol...I had the same thought. His mom's not gonna let him move to San Francisco!

I was bothered by Max taking the woman behind the scenes to watch her daughter being operated on. There's a reason they don't let family watch! Even for a minor procedure like that (I had the same thing when I was 15; my mom was allowed to accompany me to outside the operating room, where they gave me the drugs to put me under, and then she went back to the waiting room and...waited).

Iggy needs a therapist.

[Mia Nina]

I don't expect NA to be highly serialized but there is absolutely nothing going on. Max suffering in silence is not a story arc. Evie and Reynolds need to figure something out or break up already. 

Sharpe was out of character yet again. They've turned her into Max without showing how the transition began and what exactly is motivating Helen. Running the entire hospital is not new to her since she did it last season and she's supposed to be a "celebrity" doctor who ran a very important department for years. She was the boss until a few weeks ago. 

Plus that last scene came off as if she was simply enjoying the power trip which gives her and Max's compassion a weird sinister spin. I know the show is already exploring that angle with Iggy, but at the rate this is going all the main doctors should be joining him soon.

Oh and again, while it's great that Max and Helen want to help every single patient with the most amazing solution their ideas have to be somewhat grounded in reality. The complete disregard for practical concerns is worrying since budgeting is quite a serious issue and should not be brushed aside simply because it's Brantley's job to bring it up. 

Not to mention the fact that the show appears to be walking back a lesson Max learned last season when Reynolds' cop patient died even when Reynolds did everything right. Not every situation can be "fixed". 

I like this show despite its faults, but it's getting harder to enjoy it. IMO it needs an arc, consistency, and more Casey.

Edited January 22, 2020 by Mia Nina

[sas616]

How much time was supposed to be passed between last week's episode and this week's.   Because I was amazed to Bloom limping around the ER when last week she wasn't supposed to even stand.   Especially since Ella just showed to move in with Kapoor.   Why did she wait 6-8 weeks?  It wasn't like he had to remodel for her...and speaking of that.   I knew it was coming, but how ridiculous was it for Kapoor to be able to get the room set up in a couple of hrs.  

[txhorns79]

 

On 1/21/2020 at 10:27 PM, ams1001 said:

We'll just hire six people to take notes on every patient. Done.

Max comes up with a stupid, impractical rule?  Well Helen can just hire some medical scribes and send a department full of doctors on house calls for some indefinite period to make it work!  Where will the money to support this come from?  Who knows, but problem solved!  Same with Bloom's patient!  The senior meal program has a huge wait list due to a lack of funding?  Well, Bloom just happened to come into a huge pile of money she doesn't want!  Problem solved!  So the lesson is essentially either have an independently wealthy doctor who hates her wealth, or have a vaguely defined bottomless pile of money to buy your way out of self-created problems.

[ams1001]

5 minutes ago, txhorns79 said:

 

Max comes up with a stupid, impractical rule?  Well Helen can just hire some medical scribes and send a department full of doctors on house calls for some indefinite period to make it work!  Where will the money to support this come from?  Who knows, but problem solved!  Same with Bloom's patient!  The senior meal program has a huge wait list due to a lack of funding?  Well, Bloom just happened to come into a huge pile of money she doesn't want!  Problem solved!  So the lesson is essentially either have an independently wealthy doctor who hates her wealth, or have a vaguely defined bottomless pile of money to buy your way out of self-created problems.

The no screens at patient bedside is just dumb. Like, yes, I want my doctor focused on me, but I also want my doctor to be accurately recording what we talked about in my chart, not trying to remember it until they get to a computer on the other side of the room (which other doctors will also probably be trying to use at the same time). My primary care doc has a computer in each exam room and they update my chart as we go, and send any prescriptions right to my pharmacy right then.

Edited January 23, 2020 by ams1001

[bros402]

1. The place Sharpe was walking by near the beginning looked sorta like MSKCC in Manhattan, the older buildings in that area - if it wasn't MSKCC, it looked a helluva lot like the area around MSK!

2. How did she know the lymphoma came back? We did not see any scans, and it would take much longer than, what, 10 minutes? to get results of any definitive test regarding cancer or not cancer. You could get back a CBC that quickly, but that would just show the counts, which could be affected by anything.

3. The no screens thing makes some sense - why didn't the doctors just *gasp* switch back to paper charts? My oncologist at MSK only comes in with paper, talks to me about my results, and we go from there. My local oncologist comes in with a laptop to read off my test results (fresh off the automated differential) and then he does the regular questions like "How are you doing?" "Any symptoms? Fever, chills, that kind of stuff?" and then after those regular questions, he steps away from the laptop and does the regular exam. It would make much more sense for Max to do a directive to limit screen time - perhaps have the nurses/medical assistants take more information down when they see the patient for vitals (or asking them the purpose of their visit). Or just hire more billing people, since it sounded like the entirety of their complains were about an alleged "26 pages" of billing codes.

[alexvillage]

Even if we ignore that no doctor gives such a definitive prediction as Sharpe did - doctors don't really say the exact date and they don't come out and say that there is nothing that can be done in the way she did - she determined all this while he was still in the ER.

The writers might be very unhappy with their job, creating all these impossible scenarios, to they are just bad at writing. 

I am still appalled by the NPD diagnosis. Narcissistic people struggle with empathy. Iggy can be a lot of things but he does not lack empathy. Why is that storyline even there?

[Johnny Dollar]

Very believable things that happened this episode:

A large city hospital bans the use of computers by its doctors in their interactions with patients, thereby increasing the odds of errors and losing their ability to quickly access patient records for information about their medical records. 

Said hospital orders their doctors to visit patients at home, severely limiting their ability to treat as many patients as possible with the admittedly limited resources available.

A character, who until very recently, couldn’t even stand, let alone walk, and who had a severe drug dependency, now walks with nary a wince and performs open heart surgery while the patient is on a stretcher.

A 65-ish doctor completely makes over his home in about an hour to accommodate the needs of the OCD 40-ish mother of his soon to be grandchild. 

A highly respected and internationally renowned oncologist commits forgery and fraud just so people would stop following her. 

A veteran of the Marines with three tours, has a potentially debilitating disease and an incredibly rare blood type without any of this information being known prior to her being in an accident. 

The head of the psychiatry department is so unfamiliar with the traits of someone with NPD that he needs to read up about it in the DSM. 

The Medical Director subjects his infant child to unwarranted and invasive testing because he thinks she caught his cancer. 
 

 

[rove4]

Well I'm still enjoying the show.  I've been working in hospitals for 25 years and I don't give a flying fig how realistic/unrealistic the show is .  I didn't go into this expecting a documentary.  So, you go, Helen!  

[Boofish]

29 minutes ago, rove4 said:

Well I'm still enjoying the show.  I've been working in hospitals for 25 years and I don't give a flying fig how realistic/unrealistic the show is .  I didn't go into this expecting a documentary.  So, you go, Helen!  

Same. If I want reality I can just watch the news.

[preeya]

4 hours ago, Johnny Dollar said:

Very believable things that happened this episode:

A large city hospital bans the use of computers by its doctors in their interactions with patients, thereby increasing the odds of errors and losing their ability to quickly access patient records for information about their medical records. 

Said hospital orders their doctors to visit patients at home, severely limiting their ability to treat as many patients as possible with the admittedly limited resources available.

A character, who until very recently, couldn’t even stand, let alone walk, and who had a severe drug dependency, now walks with nary a wince and performs open heart surgery while the patient is on a stretcher.

A 65-ish doctor completely makes over his home in about an hour to accommodate the needs of the OCD 40-ish mother of his soon to be grandchild. 

A highly respected and internationally renowned oncologist commits forgery and fraud just so people would stop following her. 

A veteran of the Marines with three tours, has a potentially debilitating disease and an incredibly rare blood type without any of this information being known prior to her being in an accident. 

The head of the psychiatry department is so unfamiliar with the traits of someone with NPD that he needs to read up about it in the DSM. 

The Medical Director subjects his infant child to unwarranted and invasive testing because he thinks she caught his cancer. 
 

 

You should become the person that provides the episode descriptions, then we wouldn't be surprised or critical when the shows air.

[mojito]

Isn't Sharpe doing the job that Max asked her to do long ago but she turned down? I'm glad she changed her mind. That poor hospital administrator....I liked when she was chewing Sharpe out and Sharpe told her to walk faster.

[ams1001]

4 hours ago, mojito said:

Isn't Sharpe doing the job that Max asked her to do long ago but she turned down? I'm glad she changed her mind. That poor hospital administrator....I liked when she was chewing Sharpe out and Sharpe told her to walk faster.

Except no one gave her the authority to do the job (not that Max will care). 

[doodlebug]

20 hours ago, bros402 said:

1. The place Sharpe was walking by near the beginning looked sorta like MSKCC in Manhattan, the older buildings in that area - if it wasn't MSKCC, it looked a helluva lot like the area around MSK!

2. How did she know the lymphoma came back? We did not see any scans, and it would take much longer than, what, 10 minutes? to get results of any definitive test regarding cancer or not cancer. You could get back a CBC that quickly, but that would just show the counts, which could be affected by anything.

3. The no screens thing makes some sense - why didn't the doctors just *gasp* switch back to paper charts? My oncologist at MSK only comes in with paper, talks to me about my results, and we go from there. My local oncologist comes in with a laptop to read off my test results (fresh off the automated differential) and then he does the regular questions like "How are you doing?" "Any symptoms? Fever, chills, that kind of stuff?" and then after those regular questions, he steps away from the laptop and does the regular exam. It would make much more sense for Max to do a directive to limit screen time - perhaps have the nurses/medical assistants take more information down when they see the patient for vitals (or asking them the purpose of their visit). Or just hire more billing people, since it sounded like the entirety of their complains were about an alleged "26 pages" of billing codes.

2.  There is  no way that Sharpe could've been sure the lymphoma had returned without a full evaluation including a bone marrow biopsy.  Only then, could she have told him his prognosis.  BTW, they do bone marrow transplants these days for many kinds of lymphomas and there are multiple chemotherapy regimens that can significantly increase the life span of patients.  There is no way on God's green earth that anyone is going to tell and 18 year old who looks to be in decent physical condition to just throw in the towel and die.  And, of course, nobody can predict the time he had left.  I have a friend whose husband had cancer that hadn't responded to any treatment and was growing rapidly.  When he entered hospice, she asked the doctor how long.  The doctor told her it was a guessing game, but, based on the situation, he thought her husband would have less than 2 months.  Her husband lived more than 2 YEARS with no further treatment of his cancer.  No explanation for why it suddenly slowed down.

3.  The reason doctors don't use paper charts is because the federal government says that all medical records must be electronic.  So, if your doctor keeps longhand notes, he or someone else, has to transcribe them into an electronic record.  Physicians and hospitals that don't use EMR's (electronic medical records) face big penalties from Medicare.  The hospital system for which I work is paper free.  We only have paper charts in emergencies like power outages. When I go into an exam room, the only way for me to access the medical record is to use the computer.  I am supposed to verify the patient by name and date of birth which I do for all patients that I don't recognize on sight.  The only way I can do that is with the EMR.  Often, patients don't remember the name of the green blood pressure pill they're taking or what the results of the ultrasound test done by their family doctor was.  In practices where doctors get referrals from other physicians and the ER, it is a huge waste of time if I cannot access the medical record while talking to the patient.  And it is much more efficient for me to enter any orders or prescriptions right then and there.  That way, they can get the tests scheduled or completed and pick up their prescriptions right away instead of waiting until the end of the day.  Also, if the patient cannot remember the name of the blood test their family doc did or when they last had a Pap smear or what the name of the antibiotic was that they took; I can find it a lot quicker in the EMR than I ever could in the old paper charts.

As for scribes, they are mainly useful for docs who hate to do their charting.  Most of us do ours in spare moments during the day or after finishing for the day.  A scribe would need to come into the room with the doctor for the history and exam as well.  A lot of patients, at least in my line (gynecology) would rather I used the computer than brought in a stranger.  Also, the scribe cannot order blood work or X rays or send a prescription to the pharmacy; the doctor has to do all of those things.  In addition, at some point, the doctor needs to review the patient's medical history and check off on a problem list (another government thing).  Doing it right then and there with the patient is far more effective and accurate than waiting until later and hoping I don't forget anything.  Hiring scribes will not save any time nor will it help the doctor remember the details of a patient's medical history or help him/her to see what other doctors have thought and done.  I can and do do those things before entering the exam room, but, often, I have questions or need clarification and it helps to open the chart and review that stuff with the patient right there.

Scribes, BTW, are not free and need full salaries and benefits.  As for hiring 6 scribes for an entire department, it is to laugh.  I work for a large medical entity in the Midwest.  When it comes to OB/GYN's; the system has well over 200 working full time.  Now, not all of us are in the office at the same time and we do have vacations and conferences and sick days; but, if my boss wanted to hire enough scribes for our department, 6 wouldn't be enough to even cover the number of OB/GYN's seeing patients at the main hospital campus on any given weekday.  My department does offer scribes, BTW, but, if I want to use one, I have to agree to add 4-6 patients to my daily schedule to compensate.  The idea being that all the time I am saving by not doing my own charting needs to be accounted for and this will help defray the cost of the scribe.   I find I remember patients better after the fact if I do my own charting, which helps a lot when I am reviewing test results after a visit or if a patient calls with a problem or question.

I have no idea how Bloom is back at work and barely limping when she couldn't even stand unassisted last week unless it has been a couple of months since the last episode.  And, of course, the problem with that is that the Kappoor's son's baby mama should already have moved into his place months ago and Iggy would've already managed to look up Narcissistic personality disorder before now.  Then again, the surgeon who got stabbed last week is back at work full time, too.  The continuity on this show sucks.

As for Max demanding that the world stand still so that his child could have an unnecessary invasive procedure which presents significant risks really boggles the mind.  And that the pediatrician caved in and somehow corralled all of the specialists including a pathologist to drop whatever they were doing and do it right now despite there being no indication let alone an emergency, might be the reason that New Amsterdam seems to be such a poor place to receive care.

 

 

[bros402]

18 hours ago, Johnny Dollar said:

Very believable things that happened this episode:

A large city hospital bans the use of computers by its doctors in their interactions with patients, thereby increasing the odds of errors and losing their ability to quickly access patient records for information about their medical records. 

Said hospital orders their doctors to visit patients at home, severely limiting their ability to treat as many patients as possible with the admittedly limited resources available.

A character, who until very recently, couldn’t even stand, let alone walk, and who had a severe drug dependency, now walks with nary a wince and performs open heart surgery while the patient is on a stretcher.

A 65-ish doctor completely makes over his home in about an hour to accommodate the needs of the OCD 40-ish mother of his soon to be grandchild. 

A highly respected and internationally renowned oncologist commits forgery and fraud just so people would stop following her. 

A veteran of the Marines with three tours, has a potentially debilitating disease and an incredibly rare blood type without any of this information being known prior to her being in an accident. 

The head of the psychiatry department is so unfamiliar with the traits of someone with NPD that he needs to read up about it in the DSM. 

The Medical Director subjects his infant child to unwarranted and invasive testing because he thinks she caught his cancer. 
 

 

 

3 hours ago, doodlebug said:

2.  There is  no way that Sharpe could've been sure the lymphoma had returned without a full evaluation including a bone marrow biopsy.  Only then, could she have told him his prognosis.  BTW, they do bone marrow transplants these days for many kinds of lymphomas and there are multiple chemotherapy regimens that can significantly increase the life span of patients.  There is no way on God's green earth that anyone is going to tell and 18 year old who looks to be in decent physical condition to just throw in the towel and die.  And, of course, nobody can predict the time he had left.  I have a friend whose husband had cancer that hadn't responded to any treatment and was growing rapidly.  When he entered hospice, she asked the doctor how long.  The doctor told her it was a guessing game, but, based on the situation, he thought her husband would have less than 2 months.  Her husband lived more than 2 YEARS with no further treatment of his cancer.  No explanation for why it suddenly slowed down.

3.  The reason doctors don't use paper charts is because the federal government says that all medical records must be electronic.  So, if your doctor keeps longhand notes, he or someone else, has to transcribe them into an electronic record.  Physicians and hospitals that don't use EMR's (electronic medical records) face big penalties from Medicare.  The hospital system for which I work is paper free.  We only have paper charts in emergencies like power outages. When I go into an exam room, the only way for me to access the medical record is to use the computer.  I am supposed to verify the patient by name and date of birth which I do for all patients that I don't recognize on sight.  The only way I can do that is with the EMR.  Often, patients don't remember the name of the green blood pressure pill they're taking or what the results of the ultrasound test done by their family doctor was.  In practices where doctors get referrals from other physicians and the ER, it is a huge waste of time if I cannot access the medical record while talking to the patient.  And it is much more efficient for me to enter any orders or prescriptions right then and there.  That way, they can get the tests scheduled or completed and pick up their prescriptions right away instead of waiting until the end of the day.  Also, if the patient cannot remember the name of the blood test their family doc did or when they last had a Pap smear or what the name of the antibiotic was that they took; I can find it a lot quicker in the EMR than I ever could in the old paper charts.

As for scribes, they are mainly useful for docs who hate to do their charting.  Most of us do ours in spare moments during the day or after finishing for the day.  A scribe would need to come into the room with the doctor for the history and exam as well.  A lot of patients, at least in my line (gynecology) would rather I used the computer than brought in a stranger.  Also, the scribe cannot order blood work or X rays or send a prescription to the pharmacy; the doctor has to do all of those things.  In addition, at some point, the doctor needs to review the patient's medical history and check off on a problem list (another government thing).  Doing it right then and there with the patient is far more effective and accurate than waiting until later and hoping I don't forget anything.  Hiring scribes will not save any time nor will it help the doctor remember the details of a patient's medical history or help him/her to see what other doctors have thought and done.  I can and do do those things before entering the exam room, but, often, I have questions or need clarification and it helps to open the chart and review that stuff with the patient right there.

Scribes, BTW, are not free and need full salaries and benefits.  As for hiring 6 scribes for an entire department, it is to laugh.  I work for a large medical entity in the Midwest.  When it comes to OB/GYN's; the system has well over 200 working full time.  Now, not all of us are in the office at the same time and we do have vacations and conferences and sick days; but, if my boss wanted to hire enough scribes for our department, 6 wouldn't be enough to even cover the number of OB/GYN's seeing patients at the main hospital campus on any given weekday.  My department does offer scribes, BTW, but, if I want to use one, I have to agree to add 4-6 patients to my daily schedule to compensate.  The idea being that all the time I am saving by not doing my own charting needs to be accounted for and this will help defray the cost of the scribe.   I find I remember patients better after the fact if I do my own charting, which helps a lot when I am reviewing test results after a visit or if a patient calls with a problem or question.

I have no idea how Bloom is back at work and barely limping when she couldn't even stand unassisted last week unless it has been a couple of months since the last episode.  And, of course, the problem with that is that the Kappoor's son's baby mama should already have moved into his place months ago and Iggy would've already managed to look up Narcissistic personality disorder before now.  Then again, the surgeon who got stabbed last week is back at work full time, too.  The continuity on this show sucks.

As for Max demanding that the world stand still so that his child could have an unnecessary invasive procedure which presents significant risks really boggles the mind.  And that the pediatrician caved in and somehow corralled all of the specialists including a pathologist to drop whatever they were doing and do it right now despite there being no indication let alone an emergency, might be the reason that New Amsterdam seems to be such a poor place to receive care.

 

 

The entire cancer plot line was driving me BONKERS - I have cancer, I have learned a lot about cancer in the almost 5 years since I was diagnosed. I don't know everything, but I know quite a bit - and definitely enough that a doctor wouldn't go "yeah we've done everything you're boned kid"

That kid should've checked out against medical advice, gone to any other hospital in this universe, and gotten evaluated by a competent physician.

Yeah, I know the EMR thing, with my blood work at MSK, it says at the top of it "printed by XXXX, NP, Physician: Dr. XXXXXXX, Patient: [me]" so they obviously got it from the EMR - they probably just bring in the paper so they don't have to log onto the computer and enter their password/swipe their card, all that fund stuff.

Also, maybe Bloom just injected some of her trust fund into her leg to make it stop hurting as much? That might be it!

And yeah, Max wielding his position like that to get a dangerous test on his kid was just... yeah - the doctor should've given him the "in this room be a dad, not a doctor" speech when he started panicking in the exam room - maybe went "ok, how about in a month, we'll do another scan on it, and take a look again"

[doodlebug]

6 hours ago, bros402 said:

And yeah, Max wielding his position like that to get a dangerous test on his kid was just... yeah - the doctor should've given him the "in this room be a dad, not a doctor" speech when he started panicking in the exam room - maybe went "ok, how about in a month, we'll do another scan on it, and take a look again"

For a guy who is supposed to be advocating for the little guy, finding resources to provide better care; Max certainly has a 'me first' attitude about his own family when it comes to medicine.  Recall that, when his wife was pregnant, he wanted her admitted to the hospital for the last couple months of her pregnancy because it would be more convenient for him to have her there.  Not to mention installing a full size fetal monitor in their bedroom at home when she wouldn't stay at the hospital despite the fact that there was no medical benefit.

All of these people, despite supposedly having completed medical school and residencies, are really kind of dumb.  Bloom's malnourished old guy was pretty obvious, too, I was shouting the diagnosis at the TV about 30 seconds into their first conversation.  Any second year medical student should've known what tests to run and what his particular combination of symptoms might mean.  If she really had to look it up as she told him; she really needs to go back and review basic diagnostics. 

As for her inheriting a ton of money and then randomly donating it to a senior meals program that she knew nothing about; once again, she is not too bright.  And, of course, the administrative assistant charged with answering the phone would have absolutely no idea how much money might be needed to expand the program to eliminate the waiting list, nor could it happen overnight.

Edited January 24, 2020 by doodlebug

[preeya]

29 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

And, of course, the administrative assistant charged with answering the phone would have absolutely no idea how much money might be needed to expand the program to eliminate the waiting list, nor could it happen overnight.

Over night??  She had a solution with just the phone call.

[Mia Nina]

1 hour ago, preeya said:

Over night??  She had a solution with just the phone call.

This. Obviously narrative shortcuts are essential to move things along, but every case is condensed into oblivion. 

There is no downside (I think) to seeing cases develop over a number of episodes. While they do a fantastic job casting patients and people for us to care about, a sympathetic patient is no substitute for actual emotional investment. But, perhaps that's all the show is aiming for, that "feel good", "warm blanket" vibe with the occasional proverbial wrench thrown in conveniently before hiatus.

 

[bros402]

16 hours ago, doodlebug said:

For a guy who is supposed to be advocating for the little guy, finding resources to provide better care; Max certainly has a 'me first' attitude about his own family when it comes to medicine.  Recall that, when his wife was pregnant, he wanted her admitted to the hospital for the last couple months of her pregnancy because it would be more convenient for him to have her there.  Not to mention installing a full size fetal monitor in their bedroom at home when she wouldn't stay at the hospital despite the fact that there was no medical benefit.

All of these people, despite supposedly having completed medical school and residencies, are really kind of dumb.  Bloom's malnourished old guy was pretty obvious, too, I was shouting the diagnosis at the TV about 30 seconds into their first conversation.  Any second year medical student should've known what tests to run and what his particular combination of symptoms might mean.  If she really had to look it up as she told him; she really needs to go back and review basic diagnostics. 

As for her inheriting a ton of money and then randomly donating it to a senior meals program that she knew nothing about; once again, she is not too bright.  And, of course, the administrative assistant charged with answering the phone would have absolutely no idea how much money might be needed to expand the program to eliminate the waiting list, nor could it happen overnight.

Yuup - Max does like the perks of his position when he can use it for himself and his own.

I am not a doctor or in the medical profession, but my first thought was "That guy looks skinny. Is he not eating enough?"

And yeah, Bloom just donating money to the program in like 5 minutes was just hilarious. What she should have done was talk to a lawyer, maybe talk to Max, start a little charity or fund with her money in it (collecting interest!) have them fund grants for New Amsterdam patients with Totally Not Meals On Wheelz. Like how a college does endowments/scholarships for specific things, sometimes super obscure.

[alexvillage]

7 hours ago, bros402 said:

And yeah, Bloom just donating money to the program in like 5 minutes was just hilarious. What she should have done was talk to a lawyer, maybe talk to Max, start a little charity or fund with her money in it (collecting interest!) have them fund grants for New Amsterdam patients with Totally Not Meals On Wheelz. Like how a college does endowments/scholarships for specific things, sometimes super obscure.

She also solved hunger among the homeless in New York. 

[Sake614]

On 1/23/2020 at 2:40 AM, bros402 said:

The place Sharpe was walking by near the beginning looked sorta like MSKCC in Manhattan, the older buildings in that area - if it wasn't MSKCC, it looked a helluva lot like the area around MSK!

That’s the apartment building on 32nd and 1st, directly across the street from NYU. Bellevue is right down the block on 30th snd is the real hospital where NA takes place.

regarding the home visits, I actually thought Sharpe was kidding. Or at least mocking the doctors for bitching that they need screens just to know their patient’s names. At least I hope she was. But knowing this show, she may have been perfectly serious.

Edited January 25, 2020 by Sake614

[Mia Nina]

14 hours ago, bros402 said:

And yeah, Bloom just donating money to the program in like 5 minutes was just hilarious. What she should have done was talk to a lawyer, maybe talk to Max, start a little charity or fund with her money in it (collecting interest!) have them fund grants for New Amsterdam patients with Totally Not Meals On Wheelz. Like how a college does endowments/scholarships for specific things, sometimes super obscure.

Yes, and New Amsterdam needed the money. It could have been a great way to supply funds, help her own patient, and make Max/Helen's less profitable ideas workable. I guess it's still a possibility that Bloom could still be a source of funds down the line, but it was a good opportunity to ground the hospitals programs for some time.

[bros402]

17 hours ago, alexvillage said:

She also solved hunger among the homeless in New York. 

Not among the homeless, only the people who need Meals on Wheels!

11 hours ago, Sake614 said:

That’s the apartment building on 32nd and 1st, directly across the street from NYU. Bellevue is right down the block on 30th snd is the real hospital where NA takes place.

regarding the home visits, I actually thought Sharpe was kidding. Or at least mocking the doctors for bitching that they need screens just to know their patient’s names. At least I hope she was. But knowing this show, she may have been perfectly serious.

Ohhhh - that's why it looked familiar! It's right near California Cryobank! I made a deposit there 5 years ago.

I also thought Sharpe was kidding - since that was a good threat to get them to learn their patients names - tell them that otherwise they would have to do home visits.

But yeah it is probably real.

10 hours ago, Mia Nina said:

Yes, and New Amsterdam needed the money. It could have been a great way to supply funds, help her own patient, and make Max/Helen's less profitable ideas workable. I guess it's still a possibility that Bloom could still be a source of funds down the line, but it was a good opportunity to ground the hospitals programs for some time.

I hope they do something like that in the future. Bloom doesn't even have to have it be known it is associated with her, she could have a lawyer hide the money behind a bunch of shell companies so her name isn't attached to it!

They should also have An arc where they don't have the money for a program, Max can't find it anywhere in the budget, and they actually have to fundraise. Sharpe could probably earn a good chunk of it with her fame - although they seem to be retconning it a bit, since the patient in this episode said that Dr. Sharpe had treated him 4 years ago. Maybe she took on the case of a kid for PR, or just to do flex her medical muscles?

[AnnA]

On January 23, 2020 at 11:52 AM, rove4 said:

Well I'm still enjoying the show.  I've been working in hospitals for 25 years and I don't give a flying fig how realistic/unrealistic the show is .  I didn't go into this expecting a documentary.  So, you go, Helen!  

 

On January 23, 2020 at 12:22 PM, Boofish said:

Same. If I want reality I can just watch the news.

Thank you!   I couldn't agree more.

[rove4]

20 hours ago, AnnA said:

 

Thank you!   I couldn't agree more.

Yeah, if I only watched scripted shows that were 100% reality 100% of the time, I'd not be watching anything on tv.  I like the characters on this show so I'm just glad that the show was renewed for three more seasons.  Long live Max!  Long live Helen!  Long live Kapoor! Long live Iggy!  Long live Reynolds!  Hell, even long live Bloom!  😁

[AnnA]

11 hours ago, rove4 said:

Yeah, if I only watched scripted shows that were 100% reality 100% of the time, I'd not be watching anything on tv.  I like the characters on this show so I'm just glad that the show was renewed for three more seasons.  Long live Max!  Long live Helen!  Long live Kapoor! Long live Iggy!  Long live Reynolds!  Hell, even long live Bloom!  😁

I had no idea it was renewed for three more seasons.   Thanks for the info.   That makes me happy.

Edited January 28, 2020 by AnnA

[Dowel Jones]

On 1/24/2020 at 6:40 AM, doodlebug said:

As for her inheriting a ton of money and then randomly donating it to a senior meals program that she knew nothing about; once again, she is not too bright. 

I can see the BOD from Meals on Wheels seeing the check, and exclaiming in unison "How about that!  Now we can expand into the other boroughs and take on even more clients!"

[Johnny Dollar]

Don’t get me wrong. I love this show and every one of its ridiculous story lines and saintly perfect characters. Snarking on it just makes it more enjoyable. And it’s rarely boring. 

[starri]

That is not the cover of the DSM-5.  

My job is fundamentally different than internists, but I always take handwritten notes and then end up transcribing them later.  I think the only time I can remember using a computer while interacting with the patients was when I did ambulatory medicine as an intern.  Psych units can't have computers out as a general rule, but the only time I look at mine when I'm seeing a patient in my office is to send prescriptions to the pharmacy.

When I was a medical student, the main hospital that I worked at did the absolute bare minimum electronic records-keeping in order to continue to be reimbursed.  Everything was still paper.  One of nephrology attendings had handwriting that was so bad, it just looked like a random series of circles.

Am I just being too nice, or is Bloom a lot more tolerable since she got clean?

[HeShallBMySquishy]

Okay, so am just catching up, and ... no way in hell would Helen be simply walking around with another patient's urine sample in their bare hands while also touching an exposed infant and walking down the hallway. That patient's sample would be placed in a secured plastic bag with a red biohazard symbol against a yellow background, and handled by someone already wearing gloves.

Take this from someone who has had to give blood and urine every few months.

I'm not medically trained, so I just go with what others on this board tell me, who I actually rely on, more than my friends on FB, who always seem to have found some magical cure. The only reason I still watch this show is that I like a lot of the actors and performers on this show, with my favourite being Freema Agyeman and her character.

And, I don't think it can be stated enough (and is mainly my main reason for watching), Ryan Eggold is gorgeous. I could stare at his bearded face and get lost in those puppy dog eye for days. I'm serious, if Max needed something serious stat, just have Ryan flash those eyes at me, and ... whoo, boy!

If anyone is unsure of what the biohazard symbol is, it's this:

Edited January 29, 2020 by HeShallBMySquishy

[hula-la]

2 hours ago, HeShallBMySquishy said:

Okay, so am just catching up, and ... no way in hell would Helen be simply walking around with another patient's urine sample in their bare hands while also touching an exposed infant and walking down the hallway. That patient's sample would be placed in a secured plastic bag with a red biohazard symbol against a yellow background, and handled by someone already wearing gloves.

Take this from someone who has had to give blood and urine every few months.

Thank you! I'm not a Dr. (and never should be), but did volunteer at Planned Parenthood, where we did urine samples for pregnancy tests, and had the same thing. I recognise doctors aren't perfect, but I kept thinking "you're touching the baby with your pee pee hands"!

[Amethyst]

This show does irritate me at times, but I think the writers are aware that it's not that accurate, hence the upbeat jazzy music and lighthearted tone.  It's not as clever as Scrubs, but I don't mind it.  

17 hours ago, starri said:

Am I just being too nice, or is Bloom a lot more tolerable since she got clean?

She definitely is, thankfully.  I thought it was due to her hookup with the PT, but I guess it's more than that.  

[Dowel Jones]

1 hour ago, Amethyst said:

her hookup with the PT,

I laughed when the guy got the computer running, and she looked at him and said "You are so lucky we're in the Emergency Department right now."

[apn85]

On 1/23/2020 at 7:45 PM, ams1001 said:

Except no one gave her the authority to do the job (not that Max will care). 

She could burn the hospital down and Max would just be all, "It's fine, I'll clean it up." 😆

[Brookside]

They truly do work miracles at New Amsterdam -- the babies there start walking at 6 months.

[possibilities]

On 1/23/2020 at 11:27 PM, doodlebug said:

  A scribe would need to come into the room with the doctor for the history and exam as well. 

Actually, this is not necessarily so. I saw a specialist in Boston who used a scribe who was listening remotely. The doctor would sometimes make comments to describe the visuals that were not evident to the recording -- for example if he asked me a yes or no question and I nodded instead of saying "yes" he would verbally say that I had said yes. Or when he examined me, he would narrate what he was doing-- which I also found helpful and vastly preferable to those docs who are making notes and not telling me what is going on. He told me he preferred to use a scribe so that he could put all his focus on the examination and could listen better. And he was, in fact, one of the most attentive listeners I've had among all the doctors I've seen, which is a lot, since my body is like a used car you bought for $200 and spend the rest of your life pushing along the side of the road when it breaks down, and looking for parts at the junkyard every time a new thing rusts into oblivion.

I'm not saying scribes are or are not a good system or that they work for all doctors. But using a scribe definitely does not require a scribe to be in the room. In fact, none of the doctors I've seen who use scribes have ever had them in the room.

Using scribes is not that radical of an idea. There is apparently a whole industry based on this service nowadays. I also knew someone who worked as a medical transcriber in the 1990s. She also worked remotely. I don't know why the doctor she did it for hired her, but he was a gynecologist.

On 1/22/2020 at 11:12 PM, txhorns79 said:

So the lesson is essentially either have an independently wealthy doctor who hates her wealth, or have a vaguely defined bottomless pile of money to buy your way out of self-created problems.

Actually bottomless piles of money would in fact solve quite a few real world problems. It's not a fantasy that money would work for quite a lot of things. It's only a fantasy that the show continually comes up with the piles of money. I don't think widespread malnutrition among elders is a self-created problem, and a massive infusion of cash would solve that one, at least. I think the show is saying "Fund this stuff! It's needed!" If they were trying to imply that the money is provided in the real world, they wouldn't do a story about a many years waiting list for food.

 

I thought it was really funny when Max and the other parent were talking about adults introducing themselves the way they introduce babies, with descriptives before the name.

I know I'm years behind, watching this show when nobody else is thinking about it. Oh well.

[bros402]

20 hours ago, possibilities said:

Actually, this is not necessarily so. I saw a specialist in Boston who used a scribe who was listening remotely. The doctor would sometimes make comments to describe the visuals that were not evident to the recording -- for example if he asked me a yes or no question and I nodded instead of saying "yes" he would verbally say that I had said yes. Or when he examined me, he would narrate what he was doing-- which I also found helpful and vastly preferable to those docs who are making notes and not telling me what is going on. He told me he preferred to use a scribe so that he could put all his focus on the examination and could listen better. And he was, in fact, one of the most attentive listeners I've had among all the doctors I've seen, which is a lot, since my body is like a used car you bought for $200 and spend the rest of your life pushing along the side of the road when it breaks down, and looking for parts at the junkyard every time a new thing rusts into oblivion.

I'm not saying scribes are or are not a good system or that they work for all doctors. But using a scribe definitely does not require a scribe to be in the room. In fact, none of the doctors I've seen who use scribes have ever had them in the room.

Using scribes is not that radical of an idea. There is apparently a whole industry based on this service nowadays. I also knew someone who worked as a medical transcriber in the 1990s. She also worked remotely. I don't know why the doctor she did it for hired her, but he was a gynecologist.

Actually bottomless piles of money would in fact solve quite a few real world problems. It's not a fantasy that money would work for quite a lot of things. It's only a fantasy that the show continually comes up with the piles of money. I don't think widespread malnutrition among elders is a self-created problem, and a massive infusion of cash would solve that one, at least. I think the show is saying "Fund this stuff! It's needed!" If they were trying to imply that the money is provided in the real world, they wouldn't do a story about a many years waiting list for food.

 

I thought it was really funny when Max and the other parent were talking about adults introducing themselves the way they introduce babies, with descriptives before the name.

I know I'm years behind, watching this show when nobody else is thinking about it. Oh well.

Enjoy the show

and my Worst Doctor posts, when those start to appear :D