I was moved watching Tim Russert’s memorial service yesterday.  We both grew up in Buffalo and rooted for the Bills, regardless of outcome.  We never met, but we share common values, including:

• the importance of family
• a sense of spiritual connectedness
• optimism
• a focus on communication and relationships as a central source of meaning and joy
• the pleasure of story-telling
• preservation of our child-like sense of curiosity and wonder
• intense desire to hone our craft skills

Whenever I perform surgical coverage assignments, I start the day as I leave my car, saying to myself, “Only good days in healthcare.”

What do you think?

• Does attitude make a difference in the current dynamically changing healthcare environment
• What do you do that you find helpful
• Can attitude improve our ability to collaborate and improve care for our communities

As always, I welcome your input.

Kenneth H. Cohn