dr. hodad

MaryW commented on the word dr. hodad

Makary has warned of "Dr. HODAD," the nickname of a medical menace around Harvard hospitals during his student days. An acronym for "Hands of Death and Destruction," HODADs are eminent but dangerous surgeons with excellent bedside manner who attract legions of patients, including prominent people and celebrities. Nurses, residents, and house staff physicians know about them but are afraid to speak up. HODADs create complications, harm patients, lengthen hospital stays, and produce urgent consultations from their colleagues—all of which ironically have a positive effect on the hospital's revenues.

James B. Lieber, Killer Care: How Medical Error Became America's Third Largest Cause of Death, and What Can Be Done About It (New York: OR Books, 2015), ch 3.

March 1, 2016