It’s time to prevent the exploitation of sick people for profit

Physician
July 9, 2022

As a former emergency medicine doctor with ABEM certification, I anticipate questions about why I sought medical care. At this point, my problems are complex, and I need someone with a clear head to weigh in. At every encounter (and there have been nine or ten in three weeks), I have been both shocked and disappointed, as it seems patient well-being is barely a consideration in health care settings in …

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It’s time to prevent the exploitation of sick people for profit

A doctor for LGBTQ+ health needs

Physician
July 8, 2022

As a queer, nonbinary, poly, and kinky person, medicine has been a challenging field to fit into, both as a patient and a physician.

While a first-year med student, I was misdiagnosed and inaccurately treated for an STI due to my physician’s biased and discriminatory views. A week after my painful injection, I had to go back and ask why I wasn’t getting better. He then – in his office, not …

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A doctor for LGBTQ+ health needs

Military physicians leaving the military

Physician Finance
July 8, 2022

Military physicians leaving the military have several issues that should be carefully evaluated before executing a contract with a civilian employer.

First of all, the income is definitely going to be higher than the military physician salary. Much like a physician coming out of training, military physicians should ask whether the salary is fair, not if they will be making more than they currently earn. Medical Group Management Association (“MGMA”) benchmarks …

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Military physicians leaving the military

2 questions you should ask when choosing a surgeon

Physician
July 8, 2022

If you or a loved one needs surgery, you’re very likely terrified. You also may be shopping around to find a surgeon. Of course, you’ll want the best. (I’ve never heard someone say, “I’d like the most average surgeon I can find.”) There are lots of factors to take into account. But here are two questions you might not otherwise have thought to ask:

1. When you sit in the surgeon’s …

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2 questions you should ask when choosing a surgeon

If it’s not clinically pertinent, then stay out of my uterus

Physician
July 7, 2022

“Stay out of my uterus” is a rallying cry for women defending reproductive rights. But it’s more than just that.

Patient 1: Female went to urgent care for back pain, had a negative pregnancy test, and saw a physician who prescribed a muscle relaxer. In the end, he asked her when she would have a third child. The patient, a physician, was taken aback but answered, “I’m not.” The doctor then …

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If it’s not clinically pertinent, then stay out of my uterus

Novavax may be able to provide equitable access to another vaccine alternative

Medications
July 7, 2022

On June 7th, 2022, the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine was approved for use in adults by the Vaccine Advisory Committee of the United States Food and Drug Administration. The vaccine has already been authorized in many other nations, including Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and more, making the U.S. one of the last major nations to approve the vaccine.

The technology behind Novavax differs from the already prominent …

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Novavax may be able to provide equitable access to another vaccine alternative

6 changes that could lower the risk of developing prostate cancer

Conditions and Diseases
July 7, 2022

After skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer diagnosed in people with a prostate. Some risk factors associated with prostate cancer can’t be mitigated. Those factors include older age, a family history of prostate cancer, and race (Black men have double the risk of developing prostate cancer compared to white men).

There are, however, lifestyle changes that men can make that may reduce prostate cancer risk. Diet …

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6 changes that could lower the risk of developing prostate cancer

Be skeptical of certificate of need laws [PODCAST]

Podcast
July 6, 2022
YouTube video

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD.

“Certificate of need (CON) laws purport to lower health care costs, increase patient access and ensure quality by managing the distribution of private resources, but none of these gains has materialized. A joint report from two federal agencies—the Federal Trade Commission and the …

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Be skeptical of certificate of need laws [PODCAST]

Treating mental illness will not stop mass shootings

Health Policy
July 6, 2022

Since the mass shooting in Uvalde, TX, rapidly after that in Buffalo, NY, I have read and heard several simplistic public media pieces suggesting easy means of preventing these acts. They unanimously indicated that mass shooters (MS), especially those who are younger, can be detected before their fatal actions by their statements or writings online or on paper. If these raise concerns, they can be reported to authorities, and this …

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Treating mental illness will not stop mass shootings

Allow yourself a moment to focus on yourself, not the next patient

Physician
July 6, 2022

No, hearing that child screaming in the patient care room is not “normal.”

My best friend’s son was throwing a tantrum the other night while we were having dinner.

He did not want the Chinese food I had picked up, even though I got him the good stuff (sweet and sour chicken). He cried for a while on the couch until his father couldn’t take it anymore. He brought the child upstairs …

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Allow yourself a moment to focus on yourself, not the next patient

Know your worth: Negotiating employment contracts from a place of strength

Physician
July 6, 2022

You always have a choice as to what to negotiate in a contract. You could redline the entire agreement, infuriating your future employer or potential partner in a joint venture, nitpicking things that don’t matter, or you can hone in on the areas that will really hurt you. In this article, we are going to discuss four things to focus on in a physician employment contract that will get you …

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Know your worth: Negotiating employment contracts from a place of strength

Want to get more focused at work? Try Rafael Nadal’s rituals.

Physician
July 5, 2022

When I work as a doctor, being in the right mindset is crucial to be sharp and focused. But sometimes, concentration is more scattered, and performance is not at its prime. It’s human. But there may be a way to overcome this.

You may have noticed that Rafael Nadal is executing weird and stereotyped moves during each match. He places his hair behind his ear, pinches his nose, …

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Want to get more focused at work? Try Rafael Nadal’s rituals.

A hospice doctor’s advice on getting your finances in order

Physician Finance
July 5, 2022

An excerpt from Taking Stock: A Hospice Doctor’s Advice on Financial Independence, Building Wealth, and Living a Regret-Free Life. Copyright © 2022 Ulysses Press. Reprinted with permission from Ulysses Press. New York, NY. All rights reserved.

You are going to die.

Imagine that I have walked into your hospital room …

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A hospice doctor’s advice on getting your finances in order

As cancer patients wait, states play favorites

Health Policy
July 5, 2022

Cancer patients soon will have new treatment options in Connecticut. Health care providers recently received regulatory approval for a joint venture that will allow them to open the state’s first proton therapy center.

The lifesaving technology, which uses laser beams as a safer and more effective alternative to chemotherapy, is urgently needed. So the announcement was a big deal. But what the partners failed to mention in their news release is …

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As cancer patients wait, states play favorites

The forgotten crisis: a shortage of geriatric doctors in the U.S.

Health Policy
July 4, 2022

The scarcity of geriatricians in the United States is a severe problem in the public health sphere due to the increased number of older adults and the lack of health care professionals who specialize in this demographic.

Approximately 7,000 geriatricians are practicing in the United States, and around half of them are full-time. Research shows that 30 percent of people 65 years old and older need care from …

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The forgotten crisis: a shortage of geriatric doctors in the U.S.

How you can donate effectively after tragedy

Physician
July 4, 2022

Gun violence, war, pandemic, natural disasters — listening to the news or doom scrolling on social media during times of tragedy can leave us feeling devastated, discouraged, and angry. Tragedy can also make us feel like helping. We’re motivated to reach those affected and do something.

Giving money can be a simple way to help. In the wake of a tragedy, many of us react fast and give to the first …

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How you can donate effectively after tragedy

Treating pain without medication [PODCAST]

Podcast
July 3, 2022
YouTube video

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD.

“In my medical training, we were taught five ways to treat pain: lifestyle modifications, physical therapy, medications, injections, and surgery. Lifestyle modifications are positive changes in diet, exercise, sleep, and stress levels. This is the first-line treatment for painful inflammation. Yet we tend …

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Treating pain without medication [PODCAST]

Death is inevitable. Talk about it.

Physician
July 3, 2022

I had a patient in the ED who reminded me a lot of my grandfather, my Dada. I grew up with my Dada, listening to his stories and learning from his knowledge of the intricate workings of the world. He was a first-generation college student, science lover, world traveler, vice president of a large chemical engineering company and loving husband, father and grandfather.

When I was in high school, he also …

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Death is inevitable. Talk about it.

Creating community solutions for children’s health

Physician
July 3, 2022

Every year, I celebrate and mourn when I officially left my primary care pediatric practice full of patients and parents that I loved to launch my non-profit, Teach a Kid to Fish.

May 31, 2008, was the last day of my practice. Had I known what I was in for, my future self may have stopped me. But I’m so delighted that possibility didn’t exist.

I’m a vision-oriented person and wanted to …

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Creating community solutions for children’s health

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