Primary Care

Patients vs. customers: the ethics of health care as a business

Physician
March 3, 2023

Medicine is both a business and a profession, with the business aspect being the provision of health care services for a fee and the professional aspect being the delivery of medical care for the patient’s benefit.

The business of medicine refers to the broader economic and political systems that shape the health care industry, such as government policies, insurance regulations, and the influence of pharmaceutical companies and other industry stakeholders.

The terms …

Read more…

From patient-centered care to paperwork-centered practice: the decline of primary care

Physician
March 2, 2023

A lot has been written about physician burnout, often it is attributed to the administrative burden, with some estimates that U.S. physicians spend an average of 1.84 hours a day completing documentation outside work hours. I’ve felt for some time that the administrative burden in primary care is increasing, but not due to the commonly cited endless EHR clicks or the burden of insurance companies’ forms and prior authorizations. It’s …

Read more…

Retiring from medicine: the good, the bad, and the ugly

Physician
March 1, 2023

I retired as a physician at age 70, when COVID-19  came to town and the clinic I was working closed. During these past three years, I have had the luxury of a long view of my career. Every now and then, I feel the urge to pick up my stethoscope again and return to the practice of medicine. I’m tempted by the several good aspects of being a doctor.

The good

The conversations …

Read more…

Addressing disparities in gynecological care for women with physical disabilities

Policy
March 1, 2023

I recently read a story in which a woman named H. Lee, who has muscular dystrophy, details a decade-long struggle to receive adequate cervical cancer screening. Providers have been unable to find her cervix due to the curvature of her spine, examined her in her wheelchair because there were no height-adjustable examination tables, and outright turned her away for “liability reasons.”

By the time she finds an accessible provider, she …

Read more…

Educating health care professionals on effective communication in rare disease diagnoses is crucial to improving the rare disease patient narrative 

Conditions
February 28, 2023

For over 14 years, the last day of February, a month known for its rare number of days, has been recognized by organizations across the globe as Rare Disease Day. With over 300 million patients worldwide impacted by 7,000+ rare diseases, the day serves as an international campaign to raise awareness around rare diseases and advocate for improved care for rare disease patients.

An often overlooked aspect of the rare …

Read more…

Combining academic medicine and private practice: a success story

Physician
February 26, 2023

In the United States, physicians are typically categorized as either academics or private practitioners. However, a case can be made that it is possible to construct a career path that incorporates both professional avenues. I was put in an excellent position to realize this during my fellowship at LSU, which structured some parts of its community medicine program in a way that resembled private practice.

I enjoyed my experience as a …

Read more…

Why your intuition is key to better physical and emotional health

Physician
February 26, 2023

In residency, we are trained to follow our intuition. In pediatrics,  this translates into learning how to recognize a sick kid. Of course, we are taught what to look for on the physical exam and the labs and what protocols to follow, but we are also taught how to listen to our instincts. When our gut tells us we have a sick kid, we don’t overthink; we set into action. …

Read more…

Unlocking the power of gratitude [PODCAST]

Podcast
February 25, 2023
YouTube video

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes!

Join us on this episode as we explore the power of gratitude with Cindy Tsai, an internal medicine physician. We all hear about the benefits of gratitude and the importance of being thankful for what we have. …

Read more…

Certified, but denied: the impact of board certification on patient care [PODCAST]

Podcast
February 22, 2023
YouTube video

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes!

In this episode, we’re joined by Emmanuel K. Konstantakos, an orthopedic surgeon, and Jeff Morris, an attorney and CEO of the American Board of Physician Specialties. They discuss the ongoing debate about physician board certifications and the …

Read more…

Healing clinician-associated trauma: a call for connection

Physician
February 22, 2023

Our modern existence is a state of perpetual disconnection.

Earbuds in. Staring down at our screens. Avoiding eye contact.

Disconnected from each other and ourselves, we go about our lives in adult parallel play.

Numbing any hint of uncomfortable feelings with more Netflix or scrolling.

The social, political, and health consequences of this existence have accelerated over the last three years. As a result, the physician-patient relationship is more fractured than ever. Physicians are …

Read more…

The rise of direct pay: a solution to the fragmented, impersonal and costly medical system

Physician
February 22, 2023

It used to be easy. You didn’t worry about your health care or how to pay for it. You had a family physician who cared for you in the office and the hospital. They coordinated every aspect of your care, including working with consultants. And after discharge, they would resume caring for you knowing what had occurred firsthand. That was then.

This is now.

Patients rarely see their primary care physician in …

Read more…

Breaking the stigma: Making HIV and COVID screening routine in primary care [PODCAST]

Podcast
February 20, 2023
YouTube video

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes!

In this episode, we welcome clinical research assistant professor, Maranda C. Ward, to discuss the importance of routine screening for both HIV and COVID-19 in primary care. During the COVID pandemic, we became familiar with answering questions …

Read more…

Breaking the communication barrier: a survival guide for doctors, nurses, and patients [PODCAST]

Podcast
February 17, 2023
YouTube video

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes!

In this episode, we sit down with attorney and author Michael J. Grace to discuss his book, The Mumbo Jumbo Fix: A Survival Guide for Effective Doctor-Patient-Nurse Communication. As a defense lawyer representing health care providers, …

Read more…

Discover the power of occupational therapy: a solution for doctors and patients

Physician
February 17, 2023

Many of us physicians are starting off 2023 with various new resolutions, including efficiency and “doing better,” but how do we get there? Our variable training experiences may prevent us from working with health professionals around us who can make our life easier and more efficient. Occupational therapists (or OTs) are that magical unicorn you may have overlooked.

Occupational therapists are regulated health care professionals with advanced training in physical and …

Read more…

Gaslighting and dismissal: the consequences of invalidating patients’ concerns

Physician
February 12, 2023

Social media has really exposed the trauma caused by gaslighting, dismissal, and misogyny by medical professionals. Chronic illness groups are rife with posts recounting the poor treatment they suffered at the hands of doctors. Imagine presenting with extreme fatigue, intermittent balance problems, and tingling in your hands and, after a cursory exam, being told your symptoms are due to stress and to lose weight. Two years later, you are diagnosed …

Read more…

Why being a perfectionist can be good for patient care [PODCAST]

Podcast
February 10, 2023
YouTube video

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes!

In this episode, we welcome Scott Abramson, a neurologist with over 40 years of experience in the field. We discuss the topic of perfectionism in the medical profession, and how it can have both positive and negative …

Read more…

Breaking the glass ceiling in medicine: the struggles and strengths of female doctors

Physician
February 10, 2023

There’s some pretty good evidence out there that women physicians provide really good medical care—in some cases, better than their male counterparts. For instance, a 2017 study showed that hospitalized Medicare patients under the care of a female doctor had lower rates of 30-day mortality and readmission to the hospital than those cared for by a male doctor. A study in Canada in 2016 found that patients of female doctors …

Read more…

The unexpected gift of friendship in trying times

Conditions
February 9, 2023

I spotted her on the opposite sidewalk, standing right next to the idling police cruiser. Petite. Brunette. Late 80s and leaning over her red walker as she stared, transfixed, as the EMTs eased her husband into the back of the ambulance.

A few minutes earlier, one of the many sidewalk onlookers had explained: “Poor old man was just crossing the street. Someone said he’d just gone to buy a bagel for …

Read more…

A thank you to those who take care of us

Physician
February 9, 2023

As patients, we often think of our health care providers as infallible beings who can easily handle their profession’s emotional and physical tolls. However, the reality is that health care professionals are human too, and they are not immune to the effects of burnout, depression, and even suicide.

One forgotten fact about our health care system is that providers are constantly exposed to the suffering of others and are faced with …

Read more…

69
pages

CME Spotlights