Foreword

Have you ever opened the morning newspaper to the editorial page and cheered silently for the sheer chutzpah of the person who dared to shout to the world that which you've been wanting to scream over the loudspeaker ... but never, oh never, would you -- or could you -- do such a brazen thing?

Many of us are cheering for George Heymont for being a teacher of a painful reality. Physicians may be able to perform miracles in the operating room, but they need a miracle to dictate one clear, concise, grammatically-correct medical report. Never has there been a book on the fine art of dictation -- certainly not a book taking direct aim at the exposed neurovascular bundle coursing through a physician's ego.

In a past life George was a respected opera critic, winning three Cable Car awards for journalistic excellence in the San Francisco Bay area. He nurtured young talent and was the thorn in the sides of those who needed to keep their day jobs.

As every gardener knows, without the thorns there will be no roses. And there are some glistening red pointed thorns along the HTML pathway laid out in Dictation Therapy for Doctors -- thorns which are meant to inflict a little pain for the good of patient care by promoting understandable, accurate healthcare documentation.

This is a book that dares to teach anyone committed to the delivery of quality healthcare. Whether you are a medical student, general practitioner, world-renowned cardiac surgeon, health information manager, medical transcriptionist, nurse, social worker or another member of the healthcare team, you will find value in exploring the nooks and crannies of this novel messenger of dictation wisdom. And then, when you've had all the learning you can take for one day, sit back in an ergonomically correct chair and laugh at Gerard Donelan's cartoons until the tears flow and your day becomes a bit brighter.

Thank you, George, from your friend in the majority who values your minority opinion. Without the thorns, there would be no roses.

--- Catherine S. Baxter

Forewq