Avoid Hospitals

When is the best time to avoid hospitals like plaque?

If you CAN, stay out of the hospital during summer-especially July. Why? That's the month when medical students become interns, interns become residents, and residents become fellows and full-fledged doctors. They are NEW on the job.

Summer hospital horror stories aren't just medical lore:

• Adjusted mortality rate rises 4 percent in July and August click (National Bureau of Economic Research) for the average major teaching hospital.
• 14 more deaths occur at major teaching hospitals than normally without turnover.

Another tip: Try to schedule surgeries first thing in the morning, and preferably early in the week, when doctors are at their best and before schedules get backed up, Sherer says. click (Dr. David Sherer's Hospital Survival Guide).

So get wise, ask, and read! Your Hospital won't tell you a lot of things.

Summer is gone and Fall is here. Enjoy. Avoid me & the hospital if you can :-)