The future of COVID vaccines is unclear with ACIP on hold and the high likelihood of David Weldon as head of CDC. That concerns me more than getting 4 expired tests.
you're not wrong. I like to use the term Unclassified but Sensitive to discuss any current operations or responses, when reporting back to DOGE. DOGE computer servers are unsecured and are linked to a variety of secured systems within the Executive Branch. As the weakest link, DOGE's system is the most vulnerable and is most likely been compromised by foreign adversaries or 3rd party actors, working on behalf of our adversaries. 2M employees providing a weekly summary of their activities, no matter how benign, is a wealth of information that could be mined for useful intelligence.
This is such an important topic and worthy of discussion because we need the remaining CDC workers free to do what they were hired to do: attend to the health and safety of Americans. It's important for all of us to be aware and support federal workers in all agencies.
Please, however, accept a bit of levity/cynicism as I ask everyone to get up in the balcony and consider the one email every CDC staffer has to write weekly and compare this to the notes physicians must write a few times an hour in an EHR note. Yes, there is some incredibly valuable information in those notes. And there is also a lot of garbage that is required by insurance and not helping in the care of patients. If a physician does not write their notes promptly and with those elements, there are threats of job loss. Is this time well spent or is it more like the five bullet point email to DOGE done over and over every day?
This may not be the time and place for that observation, but we've rolled over throughout the years and instead, we probably should've been writing the first letter of each bullet point to spell out STUPID or a Waste Of Time.
You're making a fair point. For me, writing IS thinking. So, it's not inherently a bad exercise to write out what we've done and why. I think the difference is that these emails are clearly nefarious in their intent and will achieve nothing other than to give DOGE the incorrect idea that they know who they can fire. If these emails were written to and for the direct supervisors who could then use it as a way to improve efficiency and course correct, I'd be more inclined to understand it. As it is, it's just DOGE harassment of other government employees who *actually do stuff* that matters.
Mary Beth, I appreciate much of your comment coming from a physician, especially. Today Kaiser Family put out a report that insurance premiums and costs are outpacing the general inflation rate. (No surprise to people like myself/patients with long term serious chronic illness/disability.) Also today an announcement from Mass General Brigham that a second large round of layoffs will take place starting Monday. While the President of MASS General Brigham pulled in $6 million and got a raise of 12%. I currently have docs who speak into a mike, while reviewing my extensive med history (even after I've been going to them for years), never even examining me, hardly giving me a chance to speak so they can accomplish notes at the same time. This allows them to squeeze in many more patients. One of those docs actually told me that he must do it this way in order to make the money he wants. Complex patients used to be triaged ahead for obvious reason. Now we are rushed through, given only 15 minutes, wait 6-8 months for specialists we've known for years, our specialists don't confer, or we are actually denied care as we are too "complex" to take on. It is getting literally quite dangerous for us. Doctor's have lost private practices, and worse, autonomy. And of course it is much worse for low-income folks, disabled, Black, Latino/Latina, Indigenous Americans. Yes, organization and standing out should have been done along time ago.
The future of COVID vaccines is unclear with ACIP on hold and the high likelihood of David Weldon as head of CDC. That concerns me more than getting 4 expired tests.
Yeah I agree with that. The ACIP story is huge and we're watching it.
you're not wrong. I like to use the term Unclassified but Sensitive to discuss any current operations or responses, when reporting back to DOGE. DOGE computer servers are unsecured and are linked to a variety of secured systems within the Executive Branch. As the weakest link, DOGE's system is the most vulnerable and is most likely been compromised by foreign adversaries or 3rd party actors, working on behalf of our adversaries. 2M employees providing a weekly summary of their activities, no matter how benign, is a wealth of information that could be mined for useful intelligence.
I continue to admire your bravery and choice to be so outspoken, whilst on the inside, Greg!
This is such an important topic and worthy of discussion because we need the remaining CDC workers free to do what they were hired to do: attend to the health and safety of Americans. It's important for all of us to be aware and support federal workers in all agencies.
Please, however, accept a bit of levity/cynicism as I ask everyone to get up in the balcony and consider the one email every CDC staffer has to write weekly and compare this to the notes physicians must write a few times an hour in an EHR note. Yes, there is some incredibly valuable information in those notes. And there is also a lot of garbage that is required by insurance and not helping in the care of patients. If a physician does not write their notes promptly and with those elements, there are threats of job loss. Is this time well spent or is it more like the five bullet point email to DOGE done over and over every day?
This may not be the time and place for that observation, but we've rolled over throughout the years and instead, we probably should've been writing the first letter of each bullet point to spell out STUPID or a Waste Of Time.
You're making a fair point. For me, writing IS thinking. So, it's not inherently a bad exercise to write out what we've done and why. I think the difference is that these emails are clearly nefarious in their intent and will achieve nothing other than to give DOGE the incorrect idea that they know who they can fire. If these emails were written to and for the direct supervisors who could then use it as a way to improve efficiency and course correct, I'd be more inclined to understand it. As it is, it's just DOGE harassment of other government employees who *actually do stuff* that matters.
Mary Beth, I appreciate much of your comment coming from a physician, especially. Today Kaiser Family put out a report that insurance premiums and costs are outpacing the general inflation rate. (No surprise to people like myself/patients with long term serious chronic illness/disability.) Also today an announcement from Mass General Brigham that a second large round of layoffs will take place starting Monday. While the President of MASS General Brigham pulled in $6 million and got a raise of 12%. I currently have docs who speak into a mike, while reviewing my extensive med history (even after I've been going to them for years), never even examining me, hardly giving me a chance to speak so they can accomplish notes at the same time. This allows them to squeeze in many more patients. One of those docs actually told me that he must do it this way in order to make the money he wants. Complex patients used to be triaged ahead for obvious reason. Now we are rushed through, given only 15 minutes, wait 6-8 months for specialists we've known for years, our specialists don't confer, or we are actually denied care as we are too "complex" to take on. It is getting literally quite dangerous for us. Doctor's have lost private practices, and worse, autonomy. And of course it is much worse for low-income folks, disabled, Black, Latino/Latina, Indigenous Americans. Yes, organization and standing out should have been done along time ago.