Fair warning: in the weeks leading up to the October 21 launch of the Journal of Participatory Medicine, just about everything you see here is going to tie in to the society and journal.

A fundamental tenet of PM is that patients (ordinary citizens, toi et moi) have more to contribute than we’ve ever thought. It’s not that we’re physicians; it’s that a lot of what needs to improve in how healthcare is conducted is not rocket science – just bring your everyday empowered *citizen* head.

Toward that end, may I direct your attention to my personal blog, where I discuss the $2,467.18 phone bill I received in the email Friday night from Verizon Wireless:

It all started when I carefully researched my options (who, me?) while preparing for my trip to Medicine 2.0 in Canada. I made an informed choice, then a few things went haywire.

BUT, how it happened (and how it’s getting resolved) hold some worthwhile lessons for people working on the new world of empowered patient-provider relationships. Have a look.