KevinMD.com: Social media’s leading physician voice
The KevinMD newsletterReal physician voices, twice a weekFree, and one click to unsubscribe.
Subscribe free →

February 2022

Physician voices

Fellow physicians, what is our path forward?

As our health care system teeters yet again on the brink of collapse, the big questions on so many of our minds are: What does our future hold for us as physicians? What is our path forward? As physicians, we…

As our health care system teeters yet again on the brink of collapse, the big questions on so many of our minds are: What does our future hold for us as physicians? What is our path forward?

As physicians, we currently live and work in a constant state of crisis. We’ve seen record numbers of patients, experienced personnel shortages, and instituted crisis staffing and standards of care. We’ve cared for patients …

Read more…

Fellow physicians, what is our path forward?

Conditions and diseases

Misinformation in transgender health care is harming patient care

Living in the U.S., chances are you get some regular mail that you never signed up for — a magazine, a journal, a sales flier. As medical professionals, we also get these free journals related to our field. We don't…

Living in the U.S., chances are you get some regular mail that you never signed up for — a magazine, a journal, a sales flier. As medical professionals, we also get these free journals related to our field. We don’t always have the time to fact-check a publication. And with names that appear to be legitimate, we might take information at face value. This is especially true if we are …

Read more…

Misinformation in transgender health care is harming patient care

Physician finance

Estate planning and asset protection challenges and strategies for single physicians

While chatting with a physician client of mine recently, an important topic came up that she hadn’t really asked about previously. My client is in her late 40s and is currently single with no plans of getting married. She’s the…

While chatting with a physician client of mine recently, an important topic came up that she hadn’t really asked about previously. My client is in her late 40s and is currently single with no plans of getting married. She’s the only child of her aged parents, and after working as a physician for over 15 years, she has become financially successful enough to slow her career down a bit. Her …

Read more…

Estate planning and asset protection challenges and strategies for single physicians

Real physician voices, twice a week

Free, and one click to unsubscribe.

No spam. We never share your email.

The Podcast by KevinMD

Medical-legal consulting as a side gig [PODCAST]

This episode is sponsored by Athelas, the number one provider of remote patient monitoring. "Medical-legal consulting is a great way to use your medical training in a non-clinical field that helps people. I started this field 14 years ago and…

Listen on Apple Podcasts · Spotify

Listen and followApple PodcastsSpotifyYouTubeMore apps · Browse all episodes

This episode is sponsored by Athelas, the number one provider of remote patient monitoring.

“Medical-legal consulting is a great way to use your medical training in a non-clinical field that helps people. I started this field 14 years ago and have trained over 1,600 physicians to be medical-legal …

Read more…

Medical-legal consulting as a side gig [PODCAST]

Health technology

Here’s a crazy thought: Make technology work for doctors

We are surrounded by technology. This hasn't always been the case in the health care industry—we can be a bit more "deliberate," if you will—but the pandemic notably accelerated the pace at which organizations invested in new technology. Rock Health's…

We are surrounded by technology.

This hasn’t always been the case in the health care industry—we can be a bit more “deliberate,” if you will—but the pandemic notably accelerated the pace at which organizations invested in new technology. Rock Health’s 2021 year-end report found that digital health funding among U.S.-based startups reached a record $29.1 billion in 2021, which almost doubled the number ($14.9 billion) from 2020. The …

Read more…

Here’s a crazy thought: Make technology work for doctors

Medical education

Beyond Jimmy Buffet: The new medical conference

The new reality of medical conferences shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic requires a new language and a fundamental rethink to make these major showcases of medical organizations and societies a place where physicians and patients can share their experiences and…

The new reality of medical conferences shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic requires a new language and a fundamental rethink to make these major showcases of medical organizations and societies a place where physicians and patients can share their experiences and perspectives.

We can no longer characterize medical conferences as – in the words of an old Jimmy Buffet tune – “a Holiday Inn full of surgeons” who meet there every year …

Read more…

Beyond Jimmy Buffet: The new medical conference

Physician voices

Kids are not OK: Health care is failing them

Our medical system is failing our children. The rate of chronic diseases in children is skyrocketing. Obesity has increased. Behavioral health issues are at new highs, making suicide a leading cause of death in children. During the pandemic, rates of…

Our medical system is failing our children. The rate of chronic diseases in children is skyrocketing. Obesity has increased. Behavioral health issues are at new highs, making suicide a leading cause of death in children. During the pandemic, rates of pediatric preventive health visits, vaccinations, and screening tests have decreased, thereby losing opportunities for early intervention.

These failures were evident before COVID …

Read more…

Kids are not OK: Health care is failing them

Conditions and diseases

Recognizing high functioning depression

High functioning depression (or HFD) is the mental health diagnosis given to an individual who exhibits symptoms of high-level depression but manages to maintain overall functionality in life. An HFD person will often engage in activities that would be considered…

High functioning depression (or HFD) is the mental health diagnosis given to an individual who exhibits symptoms of high-level depression but manages to maintain overall functionality in life. An HFD person will often engage in activities that would be considered “normal” and healthy for a typical person, maintaining a job and even social relationships (though they may not appear as close and involved as typically expected). However, they might find …

Read more…

Recognizing high functioning depression

The Podcast by KevinMD

Fund this: Policies can fill medical funding gaps for all [PODCAST]

This episode is sponsored by Athelas, the number one provider of remote patient monitoring. "Instead of trying to earn a spot on a talk show to help a person dealing with costly treatments for illness, perhaps it is best to…

Listen on Apple Podcasts · Spotify

Listen and followApple PodcastsSpotifyYouTubeMore apps · Browse all episodes

This episode is sponsored by Athelas, the number one provider of remote patient monitoring.

“Instead of trying to earn a spot on a talk show to help a person dealing with costly treatments for illness, perhaps it is best to lobby policymakers to pass legislation that impacts …

Read more…

Fund this: Policies can fill medical funding gaps for all [PODCAST]

Conditions and diseases

A random act of kindness on a plane

2

My wife and I were on a short flight from Rome to Brindisi in the region called Puglia in the southern part of Italy last year. As we were starting to taxi down the runway, I heard a child crying…

My wife and I were on a short flight from Rome to Brindisi in the region called Puglia in the southern part of Italy last year.

As we were starting to taxi down the runway, I heard a child crying a few rows behind us, but it was very different from a baby’s or a normal child’s crying. It reminded me of when I have experienced autistic children screaming, usually from …

Read more…

A random act of kindness on a plane

Physician voices

Losing our most valuable non-renewable resource: physicians

3

Suppose you have watched the news, been on social media, or have had any conversations with others. In that case, it should not be a surprise that health care workers are physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted and extremely burned out.…

Suppose you have watched the news, been on social media, or have had any conversations with others. In that case, it should not be a surprise that health care workers are physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted and extremely burned out.

We are currently entering our third year of a global pandemic. So, burnout physicians are not a big surprise, especially when doctors’ opinions are marginalized over political beliefs about a virus. …

Read more…

Losing our most valuable non-renewable resource: physicians

Physician voices

A love letter from your doctor

You know who you are. I’m writing to tell you no matter how wrenching our time was together, or messy, or scary, or short were the hours, I love you. I cherish you. And no matter how hard I tried,…

You know who you are.

I’m writing to tell you no matter how wrenching our time was together, or messy, or scary, or short were the hours, I love you. I cherish you. And no matter how hard I tried, it was you who gave more. Because you let me in when I showed up unannounced in my pale blouse and loud heels.

You might have been curled up

…

Read more…

A love letter from your doctor

The Podcast by KevinMD

Autism spectrum disorder and the masks we wear [PODCAST]

This episode is sponsored by Athelas, the number one provider of remote patient monitoring. "In the ongoing saga of the pandemic, there is the debate whether to wear a mask or not. These are physical masks that temporarily hide our…

Listen on Apple Podcasts · Spotify

Listen and followApple PodcastsSpotifyYouTubeMore apps · Browse all episodes

This episode is sponsored by Athelas, the number one provider of remote patient monitoring.

“In the ongoing saga of the pandemic, there is the debate whether to wear a mask or not. These are physical masks that temporarily hide our face, but we all wear another type of …

Read more…

Autism spectrum disorder and the masks we wear [PODCAST]

Physician voices

Dog poop, the social contract, and pandemic behaviors

6

Dogs have been part of my extended family for most of my sixty-plus years. With a dog comes poop. It doesn’t really matter on a farm, but in the city, there is an expectation, a social contract of sorts. In…

Dogs have been part of my extended family for most of my sixty-plus years. With a dog comes poop.

It doesn’t really matter on a farm, but in the city, there is an expectation, a social contract of sorts. In the public parks and boulevards, the dog owner is expected to scoop the poop.

While some dog walkers dutifully pick up their dog’s poop, others don’t bother, and before I know it, …

Read more…

Dog poop, the social contract, and pandemic behaviors

Health policy

Stand and deliver: Health care systems need to serve up health equity missions

One year after the White House instated an executive order focusing on health equity and support for underserved communities, changes are in progress. But even with the positive news that the Omicron surge has peaked with the seven-day case average…

One year after the White House instated an executive order focusing on health equity and support for underserved communities, changes are in progress. But even with the positive news that the Omicron surge has peaked with the seven-day case average dropping, gaping holes in health disparities are still unanswered.

Some hospitals and health care systems such as CoxHealth have hired diversity, equity, …

Read more…

Stand and deliver: Health care systems need to serve up health equity missions

Medical education

9 medical student tips to prepare for the Match

Medical students are quickly familiarized with which specialties are most competitive when they finish their first year. The prior year’s Match statistics can make the process seem daunting. As if the enormous amount of material to be learned is not…

Medical students are quickly familiarized with which specialties are most competitive when they finish their first year. The prior year’s Match statistics can make the process seem daunting. As if the enormous amount of material to be learned is not enough, students also face the anxiety of adequately preparing for a coveted residency position. There might be additional stressors for a medical student in a small city or rural area …

Read more…

9 medical student tips to prepare for the Match

Conditions and diseases

Eating disorders are mental health illnesses that don’t have a certain “look”

A few days ago, I talked to a mentor and brought up my anorexia recovery journey. Using my voice after years of suffering in silence has been instrumental in releasing myself from the inner torment while trying to create purpose…

A few days ago, I talked to a mentor and brought up my anorexia recovery journey. Using my voice after years of suffering in silence has been instrumental in releasing myself from the inner torment while trying to create purpose from the pain. When I mentioned my struggle with anorexia, the mentor responded, “How are you doing, now?” followed by one of my most dreaded comments: “I mean … You …

Read more…

Eating disorders are mental health illnesses that don’t have a certain “look”

The Podcast by KevinMD

Why is Covaxin not in the FDA’s toolbox? [PODCAST]

This episode is sponsored by Athelas, the number one provider of remote patient monitoring. "As a clinician who has received two Pfizer doses and a booster without any side effects, I wholeheartedly embrace vaccination to solve this pressing public health…

Listen on Apple Podcasts · Spotify

Listen and followApple PodcastsSpotifyYouTubeMore apps · Browse all episodes

This episode is sponsored by Athelas, the number one provider of remote patient monitoring.

“As a clinician who has received two Pfizer doses and a booster without any side effects, I wholeheartedly embrace vaccination to solve this pressing public health crisis. The key is for policymakers to …

Read more…

Why is Covaxin not in the FDA’s toolbox? [PODCAST]

Physician voices

I am not leaving medicine because I like the clinical practice part of my job

The headlines read "Why Healthcare Workers are Quitting in Droves," "Docs are Leaving Practice," and "Physician burnout declared a public health crisis." The side-gig, financial independence retire early (FIRE), and non-clinical career posts pop up in my daily professional media…

The headlines read “Why Healthcare Workers are Quitting in Droves,” “Docs are Leaving Practice,” and “Physician burnout declared a public health crisis.” The side-gig, financial independence retire early (FIRE), and non-clinical career posts pop up in my daily professional media feeds. Believing in the power of suggestion, I wonder if I  should start looking for career number two.

Start. That’s a joke. …

Read more…

I am not leaving medicine because I like the clinical practice part of my job

7
pages