Plastic Surgeon of the Millennium D. Ralph Millard Dies at 92
Plastic Surgeon of the Millennium D. Ralph Millard Dies at 92
Picture: D. Ralph Millard, MD and Diane Hamilton, PhD
My cousin, D. Ralph Millard, once nominated as one of the 10 “plastic surgeons of the millenium” died recently of heart failure. The Miami Herald included an article about this amazing man’s life. According to that article, “He was best known for developing “rotation advancement’’ surgery in the ‘50s. The method conserves tissue that doctors had routinely removed when correcting a cleft lip, producing a natural-looking mouth in much less time. Before he developed it, surgical procedures were performed on patients into their late teens. With his method, most children are operated on by 4 or 5. Millard also made major advances in corrective rhinoplasty— nose surgery—for people disfigured by accidents, cancer, war wounds, even cocaine abuse. “His work is considered pure artistry,” Dr. Bernard Fogel, dean emeritus of the medical school, told The Miami Herald when Millard retired in 2000, three months before the death of his wife of 45 years, Barbara Smith Millard. “He’s a giant.”
To read the rest of the article, click here.
Ralph was an inspiration to me and so many others. For information about Dr. Ralph Millard and the Millard Society, click here.
Considering Plastic Surgery? Site Lets Patients Share Stories
Sites like HysterSisters have been popular for women who want to get together and discuss their menopause and hysterectomy-related issues. Now there is a site for people to utilize who may be considering plastic surgery. The site MakeMeHeal.com offers a variety of information including everything from post-surgical underwear choices to information about what products may be helpful to heal after specific surgeries.
If a patient is considering eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) for example, they can go to the link specifically about that procedure to find out details about the surgery including how long it will take to recover, homeopathic remedies for pain relief, what other comfort products are available, and even what makeup works the best as camouflage.
Like the HysterSisters site, the MakeMeHeal site offers a message board. According to their site, “Our plastic surgery message boards are for all of us who want to talk, listen, share, help, and support fellow women and men interested in cosmetic surgery and non-surgical procedures. You can read messages without logging in. To post a message, please log in or register. It’s free…and being a member gives you access to important information.”
The site even offers a directory of doctors. Be aware that the doctors with a lot of information and recommendations may also be advertising on the site. It is important that you research any physician on additional sites. Patients can rate their doctors and even upload their own before and after pictures. There is a “create your photo album” option available for those interested in keeping track of several operations.
I recently asked Dr. Robert Spies, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Arizona what he thought about this site. Dr. Spies stated, “It’s an informative, easy-to-navigate website that provides excellent up-to-date information on the latest plastic surgery procedures.” For additional information about specific operations, see the following links from Dr. Robert Spies, MD at Arizona Plastic Surgical Center:
Facelifts
Breast Augmentation
Liposuction
Tummy Tuck
Non-Surgical Procedures like Botox
Are You in a Hurry? Average Wait Times Might Drive You Crazy but You Can Still be Productive
Anyone who knows me will probably tell you I am on the fast-moving side. I don’t like to wait in long lines or in traffic. I recently had a doctor make me wait over 3 hours just to see him. Because this just happened, I found the following chart listing some average wait times to be interesting:
What’s the Hurry
A look at average wait times:
- Hospital emergency room: 4 hours, 7 minutes
- California Department of Motor Vehicles: 42 minutes, 32 seconds
- Main security line at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport during Monday morning rush: 25 minutes
- PRIMARY-CARE PHYSICIAN: 22 minutes
- McDonald’s drive-through window: 2 minutes, 54 seconds
Sources: Press Ganey Associates; California DMV; Transportation Security Administration; QSR Magazine
via online.wsj.com
Before Ipads and other portable devices, it was a lot more frustrating for me to wait. Now I can actually be productive while sitting in that doctor’s waiting room for 3 hours. I can multi-task and not simply read their latest copy of Fly Fishing.
Many may think that some of these devices are too expensive and not worth the investment. I think for some people, the cost of our time must be factored into the equation. How much is your time worth? Many people travel, carpool or do a lot of activities where they are just simply sitting doing nothing. Some people like the downtime. For me, I get a little antsy.
The beauty of having audio books, educational seminars, and access to the Internet, can not only make the frustration of waiting more bearable, but it is the ultimate way to multi-task, allowing you to actually learn something and be productive as well. This can be important when you are forced to sit and wait and wait and wait . . . did I mention my doctor made me wait for 3 HOURS?
Is it OK for Doctors to Use Social Media?
The question may be where to draw the line? Is it OK to offer medical information online if there is a demand for it? The New York Times reported: a survey by Pew Internet and American Life Project reported 61% of Americans will go online for health information. Doctors are looking for guidance as to what is acceptable in terms of how close of a relationship is deemed appropriate in terms of communication. This has lead to the first set of guidelines ever published on using e-mail in patient care. Anonymity is a huge issue when dealing with patients and HIPAA (The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). HIPAA was devised partly to ensure protecting the privacy of Americans’ personal health records by protecting the security and confidentiality of health care information.
However, helpful information can be shared through social media if it is general in nature and doesn’t involve specific patient information. Mayo clinic is even tweeting these days. Are you ready to be friends with your physician on Facebook? Are there better avenues such as LinkedIn or other more professional sites where contact would be a better option? Michael Lara, MD recently stated that he felt there are 5 social medial tools for physicians that he considers helpful:
- Facebook Practice Page
- Google Reader for Medical Articles and News
- YouTube Channel for Patient Education Library
- Twitter for Connecting with Colleagues
- Practice Blog
I know a lot of physicians from my 15 years being a pharmaceutical representative and being married to a plastic surgeon. From my experience, I see that they have a lot on their plates; learning social media may not be a priority for them. That is not to say they may not benefit from hiring a social media manager. Wouldn’t it be interesting to see which of your messages gets through to your physician in a timelier manner some day. . . the message you sent where you had to sit on the phone system listening to the recording asking you to push 1 for appointment desk, 2 for billing . . . or the message that you tweeted to them quickly from your iphone . . .