We're going to be at the WSMA meeting this Friday and Saturday. So if you're attending, please come by and say hi. We'll have the video camera there and will be recording questions, so think about what you'd like to ask the presidential candidates.We'll also have chocolate bars and will be answering questions about being an iMedExchange advisor - so even more reason to come see us.
Even though the presidential-candidate-questions is the Hot Topic right now on iMedExchange, there are completely unrelated things being discussed in the forums as well - so don't forget to login and join the conversations.

Today, in our 3rd physician profile, you'll meet iMedExchange advisor Dr. Ramona Bates.

Name: Ramona Bates, MD

Location: Little Rock, AR

Medical School: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

Residency, etc.: I did a Flexible Internship at Earl K Long Hospital in Baton Rouge, then a general surgery residency at Ohio Valley Medical Center in Wheeling, WV, and a plastic surgery residency at Boston University Hospital.

Practice environment: It's truly a solo practice. I do everything from seeing patients, doing procedures and running the business, to returning phone calls and making appointments. Fridays are set aside for reading journals, doing small scar revisions in the office and personal errands.

I'm here at the WSMA (Washington State Medical Association) conference today. Bud, Diana, and I are introducing physicians here to iMedExchange, and helping them record video questions for the presidential candidates.
(Here's Diana showing iMedExchange to Dr. Russell). We have several new advisor applications, and we've met some great doctors. We'll be here for the rest of the day, and tomorrow too, so stop by if you're at the conference!

Being at the WSMA conference continues to be fun and productive. However, things got even more exciting when I met an ER doctor here who also makes amazing medical coats! He has some of them here at the conference, and Diana and I had a fun time trying them on. Here we are wearing our favorites! Dr. Kohn has been a great sport about us trying on his coats. He's going to be featured in a physician-profile blog entry soon, so look out for an introduction to him.

One of the best parts of my job is having the opportunity to visit physicians from all over the country and hear their perspectives on everything ranging from healthcare to politics to life. The physicians of Chicago certainly don't disappoint.

Chicago is home to some of the top hospitals and teaching/research institutions in the world and we had a chance to meet with some of the physicians from the area on Friday and Saturday.

A special thank you to Dr. Ogan Gurel who was kind enough to host several small get-togethers with top physicians from the windy city. We thoroughly enjoyed the time spent with everyone.

If you've read some of our blogs about Alaska over the past few months, you know we are particularly fond of the state and its physicians. As the days grow darker and the weather cooler, things continue to warm up with their physician involvement with iMedExchange.

The physician community in Alaska has the unique characteristic of being literally removed from the rest of the lower 48. I suspect this is one reason why Alaskan physicians are beginning to really understand the potential for iMedExchange...connecting physicians with their colleagues around the country leveraging their computer.

Monday evening, Dr. Michael Alter and his wife Kathy hosted a wonderful dinner for his colleagues and some members of the iMedExchange team. We are incredibly honored to have physicians who are excited about the future of iMedExchange and who go out of their way to host events to share the opportunity with colleagues. A huge thank you to Dr. Alter! You are a true asset to the iMedExchange community.

Tivo is one of the best technology gadgets because I can watch my favorite shows after my business travels. A consistent favorite of mine is the Discovery Channel’s World’s Deadliest Catch. Much to my surprise, while settling in for my four hour flight from Seattle to Anchorage this week, I saw a very familiar face. It was Captain John Hilstrand from the Time Bandit fishing boat based in Homer, Alaska and star of World's Deadliest Catch!

In my youth, my father frequently said, “It never hurts to ask", advice I use every day in my work. With that attitude, I engaged with Captain John mid-flight. I hesitated a little, knowing that people with new-found fame often want to keep their anonymity from time to time. But if you know any Alaskans, you probably know they’re some of the friendliest folks around. After casually turning to the Captain and saying, “Heading up to throw a few pots?” he kindly engaged in conversation and shared many tidbits about his business and life.

So to Captain John, I wish you a restful few days with your grandmother and may your boat be blessed with safety and countless crab in the Bering Sea.

This past week-end I had the privilege of being interviewed by InTimeTV. InTimeTV is a unique, Chicago based company that produces web-based video programs primarily for physicians. There are some talented people behind the InTimeTV organization including the Executive Producer Jack McInerney and John Cieslik. Jack is a veteran entrepreneur and has worked hard to develop a product that allows for virtually seamless streaming of high quality content.

It was fascinating to watch the process by which this group creates shows ranging from "Insights in Medicine" to "i-Harvard" to "Healthcare Executive." Physicians host the programs and invite colleagues from around the country to join them for a discussion of anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes.

You can view the program in which I was interviewed by Ogan Gurel, MD/MPhil on Saturday October 6 by clicking HERE. The programs stream live as they are filmed, then they are placed on the web site as an archived show. Viewers are able to send in questions to the hosts via email if they are watching and want to interact.

Keep an eye on this organization, they are really developing some nice content and physicians I have talked with seem to enjoy the variety and quality of programs.

It's an understatement to say that coffee is a part of life in Seattle. (There are 65 Starbucks within 2 miles of the iMedExchange offices!) But just as with beer, wine and other fine foods, some of the best quality is most often found from artisan businesses. Such is the case with Seattle Coffee Works, a great new coffee venue founded by Sebastian Simsch.
The iMedExchange office just got a new Concordia espresso machine - so to celebrate we invited Sebastian to lead a coffee tasting. Sebastian not only provided a great opportunity to compare top quality coffees from Costa Rica, Mexico, Kenya and Tanzania, he provided a history and culture lesson to go with the coffees.
Now that we have the knowledge and equipment to make our own espresso drinks, all physicians and friends that find themselves near our downtown Seattle office....please remember that the coffee is always ready and you are always welcome.

Today, in our 4th physician profile, you'll meet iMedExchange advisor Dr. Elizabeth Bensen.


Name: Elizabeth Bensen, MD

Specialty: Physiatry

Medical School: University of Wisconsin, Madison

Practice: Multi-Specialty group practice in Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin.

How I chose my specialty: Physiatry combines the idea of orthopedics, sports medicine and neurology with a priority on rehabilitating the patient.

Recently read: The Glass Castle, The Harry Potter series (with my kids) and re-read Into the Wild.

For a while I've had an idea for something that would make a great Ally McBeal episode script. I’m going to share it now in the spirit of encouraging our physicians to start posting in the humor forum.

This episode would be a case involving two tenants in a condominium building. Here's what would lead up to the case: Tenant A’s bathroom wall was Tenant B’s living room wall. Tenant A, before going out for the evening, used the bathroom and flushed. As he locked the door behind him, he didn’t hear that his toilet had not flushed properly. The toilet overflowed all night in excess of 1000 gallons of water.

Tenant B, awoke after a good night’s sleep, to walk out to her kitchen to grab a cup of coffee. She took her coffee to the living room and sat down on her sofa; which backs up against the joining wall that also serves as Tenant A’s bathroom wall. When Tenant B sat, she became completely saturated and realized her sofa was soaked! Her sofa, hardwoods, area rug, CD’s, stereo (which she had sitting on the floor), were all ruined.
Now the fun begins:

Tenant B promptly files a claim with her homeowner’s insurance, of course. The insurance company pays for the damages. But then turns around and sues Tenant A to recoup its losses using the subrogation clause, claiming Tenant A was negligent by going to the bathroom, flushing, and then leaving his apartment without ensuring that the toilet flushed properly. Surprised, Tenant A sues the property management company claiming the property management company should have installed a better toilet. The management company sues the toilet manufacturer claiming the toilet malfunctioned. The toilet manufacturer sues Tenant A claiming none other than (drum roll please…) Tenant A had an EBM (enormous bowel movement). One that was so large and unusual that it could not be processed by the toilet, which was in perfect functioning order.
I bet you’ll never think of Evidence Based Medicine the same way – and I'd love to see Ally McBeal keep a straight-face as she made that argument to the judge!

If you have anything funny you’d like to share, please log in and post it in the Humor Forum. Happy flushing!

I am currently attending the Web 2.0 Summit held every Fall in the epicenter of technology innovation....The Bay Area. This event has become the primary event for Web 2.0 leaders from across the world.

This year, the hot topic at the conference has been the rise of Facebook...the popular social networking site started by Harvard drop-out Mark Zuckerberg. The site was once the domain of college students and is now used by people worldwide for connecting and staying up to date with friends. iMedExchange has a lot in common with Facebook....at least architecturally. This will become more apparent in the coming months as we release new functions and features.

In addition to Facebook, Google's Marissa Mayer made some interesting comments about Google's forray into healthcare. Most of Mayer's comments involved the digitization of heath information. While Google is known for search, they have a massive infrastructure that can handle mind-boggling amounts of data. She made some obtuse comments about medical x-rays and personal healthcare records. The inference was that Google feels well positioned to help the US Healthcare industry digitize and catalog medical x-rays and somehow also have an impact on the adoption of personal health records. We'll see....no question they have a lot of capital and some creative minds.

In coming blog posts, I think I'll provide some overviews of Web 2.0 companies and the interesting technologies that are shaping social networking at large. If you have personal favorites or comments, please feel free to respond to the blog post.

Today, in our 5th physician profile, you'll meet iMedExchange advisor Dr. Howard Luks.

Name: Howard Luks, MD

Specialty: Orthopedic Surgeon

Practice: Private Practice & Chief of Arthroscopy at University Orthopedics and Westchester Medical Center

Medical School : New York Medical College in Calhalla, New York

How I chose my specialty: As an athlete, I never finished a varsity season due to injuries – spending ample time with my orthopedic surgeon who peaked my curiosity into the specialty.

Why I joined the iMedExchange Advisor Network: I thoroughly enjoy the politics and business of medicine. iMedExchange is a place where I can express my thoughts and listen to the thoughts of others. It’s also a place where physicians can come together on personal, business or political challenges facing our profession.

If I wasn't a physician, I'd be an: Ocean Biologist

I am creating a blog on web cams largely because they can be such a great tool for our physician community. Several physicians have uploaded their questions for presidential candidates using a web cam and realized that it can actually be pretty easy to do.

To open up the world of Internet video to those of you who have yet to travel down this path, I thought I'd provide a few web sites for reviews of cameras and a few sites for easy instructions on how to use web cams.

Though I love being a part of the exciting happenings each week at iMedExchange, it was a little hard to return this Monday, because I cut out early on Friday afternoon to take the ferry over to Whidbey Island, WA to stay at one of my favorite places with my husband: The Inn at Langley.

We left our two, beautiful girls, ages 7 and 13, in the care of their grandparents and arrived at the Inn shortly after 4pm. We took advantage of the big Jacuzzi tub that overlooks the water, bundled up on our waterfront deck, and watched the birds and clouds float by. We enjoyed our dinner in front of the fire and watched the full moon reflect all its brightness. We had the best night’s sleep in a very long time.

The next morning we read the paper over the complimentary and delicious breakfast at the Inn and then spent an hour getting massages with Kara at the Inn’s Spa Essencia.

We took a leisurely drive out to South Whidbey State Park to enjoy the nature of the island. From there, our craving for local Penn Cove mussels drove us to Toby’s Tavern in Coupeville where we ate every one of our 2lb bowl. The mussels were so good we went back the next day for another pound and ended up sharing a table with a great couple who shared my husband’s love for photography.

We love the island and all its offerings. If you have the chance, I highly recommend a visit. And, if you have a favorite place to visit, I hope you will tell your colleagues about it in the Forums under Travel.