Part of the KevinMD toolkit series.
"How can I find a doctor online?"
A seemingly simple question, but patients are often confronted with too much information on the Internet, with variable quality.
Finding a doctor a similar to completing a puzzle. Like puzzle pieces, there are many resources available, including word of mouth, hospitals, insurance companies, and physician ...
Read more...
One of the more contentious topics on my site is the scope of practice for non-physician providers, such as nurse practitioners. This echos the debate on the national stage where leaders of physician organizations, who want to protect their scope of practice, conflict with those of nurse practitioners’, who want to perform the tasks that physicians traditionally have.
Simply Google “nurse practitioner” on this site, for instance, and you’ll see ...
Read more...
Part of the KevinMD toolkit series.
A lot of people ask me, “What tools do you use for blogging, speaking, when you’re on the road, seeing patients etc. …” So I decided to start a series that describe what tools I use, and why.
The first explored my speaking toolkit. This one details the technical tools I use to run KevinMD.com. I’ll discuss ...
Read more...
A version of this column was published in USA Today on April 1, 2013.
Prescription drug abuse is a growing national tragedy. One of the biggest culprits is opioid painkillers, such as Oxycontin and Percocet. Shockingly, more than 200 million of these types of drugs are prescribed annually, and they account for more than 16,000 deaths a year. And for every death, significantly ...
Read more...
As part of the health reform movement, hospitals that meet various quality measures, like reduced readmission rates or improved patient satisfaction measures, get financially rewarded. Those that don’t will be penalized.
How’s it going so far?
Well, it appears that safety net hospitals that can least afford a financial hit are getting dinged, while doctor-owned hospitals are getting rewarded.
Oops.
According to Kaiser Health ...
Read more...
“Daddy, a bomb blew up in Boston!”
That was how my 4-year old greeted me when I came home this evening.
Of course, I already knew about the horrific attacks during the Boston Marathon, first on Twitter, then realizing the gravity of the event as mainstream media caught up.
I practice in Nashua, NH, which is about 45 minutes north of Boston. But ...
Read more...
The following column was published on March 26th, 2013 in the New York Times’ Room for Debate blog.
In the coming years, health care reform will drive consolidation in the industry. Reformers, including the president himself, point to integrated health systems like Kaiser Permanente as the future of health care delivery. While this movement may improve patient care, whether it will shield ...
Read more...
Will your next primary care appointment be at a drugstore?
Yes, if Walgreens can help it.
It was recently announced that the drug chain will have its nurse practitioners and physician assistants begin to diagnose and manage chronic conditions, such as hypertension and diabetes.
"We're not trying to take over primary care, but we think we can help support physicians and transform the ...
Read more...
Part of the KevinMD toolkit series.
A lot of people ask me, “What tools do you use for blogging, speaking, when you’re on the road, seeing patients etc. ...” So I decided to start a series that describe what tools I use, and why.
First in this series are tools I use for my social media keynote presentations. ...
Read more...
The Boston Globe recently had a front page story on how a neurosurgeon sued a patient’s husband for a blog critical of the physician.
According to the story, the patient underwent a complicated back operation as a result of her bone cancer. She tragically had a stroke post-operatively, and that’s where the situation between the family and doctor deteriorated. On the advice of his psychiatrist, the patient’s husband wrote a ...
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