Good morning. Welcome to the Postcall newsletter: the chillest weekly newsletter for Canadian doctors that you can skim in 100 seconds or less. We’re the newsletter that has you squeezing every last drop like it’s the last of your Capri Sun. Damn, that’s good.

Also, since we’re brand new, we’re trying to spread far and wide. Share us with your friends who can handle a bit of humour, and you can get some free merch!

Here's what we got for ya today:

• Supreme Court Justice Gets Judged ⚖️

• Groundhog Day in EMRs 🖥️ 

• 🤑 The government will pay up to $13K of your new car. Here’s how.

• Quick bites 🍉

• 😆 Laugh of the Day

But first, some numbers to start the day:

Supreme Court Justice Gets Judged ⚖️ 

Uh oh. 👀 Turns out, it’s not exactly kosher when you accept gifts when you’re in a position of public trust, and it’s extra spicy when you’re a judge on the highest court in the land.

What we know: In 2008, Justice Alito (US Supreme Court Judge appointed in 2006) accepted a free flight to a luxury fishing resort in Alaska on a private jet owned by Paul Singer, the hugely wealthy hedge-fund owner and major conservative donor.

Why it's interesting: 🎣 "So what, the guy wanted to fish with some buddies!" But this tale has more scales than meets the eye. When one of Mr. Singer’s companies later appeared before the court in a multibillion-dollar lawsuit against the Argentine government, it won its case, eventually netting $2.4 billion. Justice Alito did not recuse himself, and voted in the majority.

We're not saying he's selling justice by the seashore, BUT we’re not… not saying it? And this past Tuesday, Justice Alito has hit back in an unprecedented opinion piece.

Bottom line: Mama was right. Be careful who you accept gifts from, whether they’re a sales rep from a big pharma company 😜 , or a billionaire hedge fund owner. 🚫🎁 

The Copy-Paste Conundrum 🔄

Were we lazy before AI came around? Seems like it - a study by JAMA reveals that approximately 50% of text in electronic medical records (EMRs) is copied from previous entries (and this is increasing over the years, from 33% in 2015 to over 54% in 2020)

Why it matters: The extensive duplication in EMRs makes timely care REALLY hard to deliver. For instance, if a physician sees three instances of a certain antibiotic use, they might wrongly conclude that the patient has received three courses of antibiotics, when in fact, the patient only received it once and the record was copied twice (big yikes). This could lead to a mistaken perception of antibiotic resistance, impacting future treatment decisions.

The issue of copied information can also lead to 'note bloat', where the medical record becomes excessively long due to repeated information, making it more difficult for healthcare providers to find relevant, current information quickly.

What's next: In software, there’s a concept called version control (otherwise known as git)... my guess is soon this will become a natural feature of EMRs. That combined with smart phrases and macros built-in (shortcuts that save time) reduce the temptation to copy entire paragraphs. But we as physicians need to be ready to adapt to these changes, as some short term learning can lead to better documentation, improve efficiency, and enhance patient care quality.

Our take: It's like Groundhog Day in the world of medical records, where information keeps reliving its past. Forcing our medical colleagues into Bill Murray's shoes doesn't exactly improve patient care.

Details

Show me the MONEY 💰️ 

Thinking about buying a car soon? Here’s a big time tip: the government is down to help pay for up to $13,000 of the bill

Here is a list of all the current incentives governments are offering you for your next car.

Federal: $5000, direct through dealership. (iZEV) Program is continuing until March 31, 2025 (or until available funding is exhausted). List of eligible vehicles.

BC: Up to $4000 through Go Electric (apply here)

QC: Up to $8000 (apply here)

NL: Up to $5000 (direct through dealer)

NB: Up to $5000 (direct through dealer)

PEI: Up to $5000 and a free EV charger (apply here)

NS: Up to $3000 (apply here)

Quick Bites

1: Rivian (an upstart EV company) is coming after Tesla’s market share by pricing its R2 compact SUV as low as $40K USD.

2: “Say bye to news” - Facebook Canada. Why? Bill C-18 forces tech platforms to share money with publishers, and Zucks isn’t in the money sharing business. That’s why you want to subscribe to Postcall 🤗 

3: What did Beethoven and Abe Lincoln have in common? Syphilis. B.C. syphilis outbreak grows (from ~400/year to ~900/year in 10 years), and VCH recommending offering annual screening for all sexually active adults under age 25 and for pregnant patients in their first trimester, then again at the time of the delivery.

4: With summer coming around… here’s how to grill the perfect tomahawk steak.

5: Google AI was able to distinguish between the retinal images of two patients, one who suffered a cardiovascular event in the following five years and one who did not, 70% of the time (SCORE method = 72% of the time).

6: A friendly seal joins surfers on their boards (2min video)

7: TikTokers tout berberine as 'nature's Ozempic.' Here's why doctors say it's not

Laugh of the Day 😜 

That’s a wrap for this edition of Postcall. Share the Newsletter and we’ll hook it up. Seriously, we bought some prizes and we’re dying to give em to you.