This week, hundreds of our fellow physicians and medical students gathered in Washington, D.C., for the AMA’s National Advocacy Conference, which is held in the capital city each February. Attendees heard from members of Congress, top administration officials including HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, journalists and other experts about the health policy issues ...
Read more...
Energy drinks are a booming industry, and safety concerns are starting to come to light.
I write about these caffeine-fueled beverages in my latest USA Today column: Treat energy drinks like drugs.
Safety concerns require energy drinks to be more closely scrutinized. Beverage manufacturers should clearly label the caffeine content. Adults should limit their ...
Read more...
I'm proud to announce my new book, co-written with Susan Gay: Establishing, Managing, and Protecting Your Online Reputation: A Social Media Guide for Physicians and Medical Practices.
The Foreword is written by Robert Wachter, MD, with endorsements from Eric Topol, MD, Abraham Verghese, MD, Jerome ...
Read more...
I’d like to thank various media outlets for recently citing KevinMD.com.
1. How to find the best medical information online. Los Angeles Times.
"We need to face the reality that because of the Internet, patients are more empowered," Pho said. "We can't see ourselves as gatekeepers. We need to see ourselves as curators who can shepherd patients through an abundance of information."
2. Can Public Health Messages Be Entertaining? ZDoggMD Thinks So. ...
Read more...
Thinking of seeing a new doctor online for your runny nose or cough? It may be convenient for patients, and cheaper for health plans, but it may not be what's best. Online visits for acute illness increase the rate of unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions, and can miss important diagnoses.
I write about it in my latest USA Today column, The doctor ...
Read more...
Get your flu vaccine now, if you haven't already.
And in the future, be sure to get it early in the season.
Read more in my column on CNN, In the future, get vaccinated earlier:
One reason why the flu outbreak is so prevalent this year is that the predominant strain, H3N2, ...
Read more...
Want to know the most viewed posts on KevinMD in 2012? Here they are, in order of pageviews.
Happy New Year, and thank you all for your engaged readership and discussion during these turbulent health care times.
1. Why one-third of hospitals will close by 2020. A third of hospitals now in existence in the United States will not cross the 2020 ...
Read more...
I’d like to thank various media outlets for recently citing KevinMD.com.
1. Professionalism: Can it be taught? CMAJ.
Though tech-savvy, medical students need to learn what is and isn’t appropriate to do on the Internet, even if their peers in other fields of study haven’t yet grown tired of uploading photos of eye-glazing, face-reddening, vodka-induced debauchery. “They need to be cognizant of online professionalism right from the beginning of their medical training,” ...
Read more...
Today marks the fourth major re-design of the site since 2004. And I want to thank all the readers, and those who participate in the discussions that follow, because the continuing growth of the site would not have been possible without you.
The current re-design, which was about 2 months in the making, offers a cleaner look with more white space. I want to guide you through a few highlights.
Trending posts
In ...
Read more...
When Apple launched the App Store, Epocrates had a front seat at the table, and collaborated with Apple to make sure its software would be one of the first available for iPhone users.
As medical professionals, this didn’t come as a surprise. We expected Epocrates to be “the first”. It had been the undisputed king of medical and mobile before the word “apps” became everyday vernacular. Epocrates was dominating the medical ...
Read more...
"A comprehensive and extremely useful roadmap for doctors."
-Eric Topol, MD, author of The Creative Destruction of Medicine
Learn More...
Past 6 Months
Dear lawmakers: This is what it’s like to be a doctor today
Matthew Moeller, MD | PhysicianA gun owner responds to Sandy Hook
Edwin Leap, MD | PhysicianIs Chris Christie too obese to run for president?
Jeffrey Parks, MD | PhysicianIf I’m wrong about guns, can you please explain why?
Claire McCarthy, MD | PhysicianPrimary care doctors may no longer be needed
Doug Olson, MD | PhysicianWalgreens moves into primary care, and it’s our own damn fault
Kevin Pho, MD | Kevin's Take