Lifestyle

This week's list of must-read stories includes a novel way of measuring physician fatigue, a look at how high-deductible insurance plans squeeze doctors, and one doctor's take on the relative value (or lack thereof) of being on a "Best Doctors" list.

In more than 50 years of medical practice, I only have one memory of my physician-dad being involved in a medical malpractice case. Perhaps there were others, but nothing that I can recall. The one was bad enough.

Commoditycare is coming. To distinguish yourself, you will need to innovate and avoid the traps driving your competitors. Patients and payers will be watching you and voting with their wallets.

If you're able to predict the activity of Congress and the decision-making logic of the Supreme Court then you're probably in good shape for developing a strategy to prepare for the Affordable Care Act. In the absence of such knowledge, you may at the least want to focus on the following:

Bordeaux, France is the quintessential European city. It has a convenient On/Off Tourist Bus service, fantastic public transportation that comes along so frequently you really don't need to rent a car, and easy walking using the free tourist office maps or following, carefully, the tram routes that lead to destinations.

President Obama last week unveiled plans to shield millions of people living in the country illegally from deportation, but his controversial initiative doesn't address one looming – and complex – problem: Healthcare.

This week's list of must-read stories includes a book excerpt on pinpointing the moment death occurs, a call for docs to join the Twittersphere, and a look at drug companies' new emphasis on digital marketing.

"Black Friday" has become a misnomer, with most big chain stores opening their doors – and their sales – on Thursday evening. It also turns out that Walmart and Target are no longer the kings of Black Friday, at least when it comes to having the largest markdowns.

Only if you know where to shop, goes the old punch line. But a recent Wall Street Journal article cites new research on the long-argued subject that is worth riffing upon.

Recently, the International Energy Agency (IEA) published a report on total global investments in one specific form of "energy" in 2012. It pegged investment in this form of energy at between $310 billion and $360 billion. What is it? The answer might surprise you.

His name was Dr. Charles Augustus Leale. On the evening of April 14, 1865, he was a 23-year-old US Army surgeon and the first doctor to reach President Abraham Lincoln the night he was assassinated at Ford's Theatre in Washington, DC.