| KevinMD.com

July 31, 2022Jul 31, 2022

"In early 2018 when I started full-time telemedicine, I was quite reluctant about losing the physical hands-on evaluation, especially the palpation, percussion, and auscultation components in the physical exam, and the holding hands, hugs, and handshakes of in-person visits. But…

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“In early 2018 when I started full-time telemedicine, I was quite reluctant about losing the physical hands-on evaluation, especially the palpation, percussion, and auscultation components in the physical exam, and the holding hands, hugs, and handshakes of in-person visits.

But thankfully, I remembered one of my favorite medical school professors who said …

Physician voices

Doctors need to advocate more for their patients

Ton La, Jr., MD, JD

July 31, 2022Jul 31, 2022

My first patient of residency was Mr. John. He endured life-threatening injuries that left him without speech or the ability to move his limbs. Every day had obstacles, and I met most of his family over time. Mr. John was a family man who looked after others first before himself. A self-made man. He was a man who was physically strong and dedicated to every project and goal he set …

Conditions and diseases

The role of nutrition in rheumatology patients

Diana M. Girnita, MD, PhD

July 31, 2022Jul 31, 20223

Five years ago, I met a patient that changed my view on practicing traditional medicine, especially when it comes to rheumatology. For years, I was proud to be in a booming field that provided patients with a new therapy every few years. As a physician and scientist, I believe that targeted therapy offers tools to treat patients like never before, but I have noticed that results vary over time.

Daniel was …

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Physician voices

Don’t become a doctor?

Lauren Rissman, MD

July 31, 2022Jul 31, 20225

Do not become a doctor. This was the piece of advice my parents gave me when I initially shared my desire to do so. No, neither parent is in the medical field. As I'm finishing medical training today, I fear…

Do not become a doctor. This was the piece of advice my parents gave me when I initially shared my desire to do so.

No, neither parent is in the medical field. As I’m finishing medical training today, I fear this will be the advice I will give my daughter one day. Once wide-eyed, I now look in the mirror and barely recognize myself. Seven years into post-medical school training, I …

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Don’t become a doctor?

The Podcast by KevinMD

Transition planning: financial moves for medical residents and fellows [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

July 30, 2022Jul 30, 2022

"While you may not know exactly what your transition period will look like ahead of time, you can do your best to prepare for this change. By having a plan in place, you can make sure you are ready for…

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“While you may not know exactly what your transition period will look like ahead of time, you can do your best to prepare for this change. By having a plan in place, you can make sure you are ready for the time between training and your new career so that you …

Conditions and diseases

A nut allergy nightmare at 35,000 feet

Samara Friedman, MD

July 30, 2022Jul 30, 2022

A hungry college student was on a plane flying to Italy. She was alone, as her parents had bought her a ticket to join them on the trip, but their own flight had been sold out. About an hour after…

A hungry college student was on a plane flying to Italy. She was alone, as her parents had bought her a ticket to join them on the trip, but their own flight had been sold out. About an hour after take-off, the flight attendants came down the aisle with their carts to serve dinner. She chose the chicken and quickly ate the entire meal. It was Indian-style cuisine, an odd …

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A nut allergy nightmare at 35,000 feet

Conditions and diseases

Denying essential medical care doesn’t save money — or lives

Steve Cohen, JD

July 30, 2022Jul 30, 2022

That health care in the United States is wildly expensive is beyond debate — but the actual numbers are almost beyond belief. In 2010, for example, health care costs amounted to $2.6-trillion. By 2020, those costs had risen to $4…

Health insurance premiums, out-of-pocket expenses, and direct government expenses all add up to a nearly …

Physician voices

Please stop saying “provider”

Susan J. Baumgaertel, MD

July 30, 2022Jul 30, 202215

When I started my internal medicine practice in 1996, the medical arena was vastly different than it is today. Back then, having an MD after my name actually meant something. A letter from me to an insurance company would get…

When I started my internal medicine practice in 1996, the medical arena was vastly different than it is today. Back then, having an MD after my name actually meant something.

A letter from me to an insurance company would get a needed medication covered for a patient––a time before preauthorization existed. Dr. Google was not yet born. “Provider” exclusively belonged to the insurance industry.

My patients called me “doctor” and referred to …

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Please stop saying “provider”

The Podcast by KevinMD

Robotic interventional cardiology [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

July 29, 2022Jul 29, 2022

"In the majority of robotic-assisted cases I perform, automated movements are particularly helpful in delivering gear – I can easily get balloons and stents around the C-shaped curve in the right coronary artery from the cockpit just like I would…

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“In the majority of robotic-assisted cases I perform, automated movements are particularly helpful in delivering gear – I can easily get balloons and stents around the C-shaped curve in the right coronary artery from the cockpit just like I would be able to if I were at the table. In addition …

Conditions and diseases

Seemingly unimportant acts make a big difference

Debbie Moore-Black, RN

July 29, 2022Jul 29, 20222

We were reminiscing recently at a brunch we set up. It had been many years since we had seen each other. Eventually, we went our separate ways. But we reconnected once again. Anna was one of our night shift nurses.…

We were reminiscing recently at a brunch we set up. It had been many years since we had seen each other. Eventually, we went our separate ways. But we reconnected once again.

Anna was one of our night shift nurses. She was bright and articulate. She eventually became a preceptor and mentor to many new ICU nurses.

The “night shifters” are on an island of their own. We form a special family, …

Physician voices

Do microaggressions persist after practice?

Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA

July 29, 2022Jul 29, 20226

Microaggressions are common, subtle, offending behaviors and attitudes that stem from implicit (unconscious) bias. Individuals targeted by microaggressions are different than us — different in their look, skin tone, gender, sexual preference, socioeconomic status, educational level and age. Implicit bias…

Implicit bias refers to unconscious stereotypes, assumptions, and beliefs held about an individual’s group identity. They affect our understanding, actions, and decisions and increase …

Conditions and diseases

Candid about my breast cancer

Bianca Haines

July 29, 2022Jul 29, 2022

Lump I am a pretty private person and will only disclose information with a small few I trust. However, it has been five years since my second diagnosis with breast cancer, and I felt compelled to share my journey because…

Lump

I am a pretty private person and will only disclose information with a small few I trust. However, it has been five years since my second diagnosis with breast cancer, and I felt compelled to share my journey because I’ve made it a lot longer than I thought I would.

Every day for the rest of the month, I will share what I recall, what helped, and what didn’t. My only …

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Candid about my breast cancer

The Podcast by KevinMD

What needs to change in medicine for it to be sustainable? [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

July 28, 2022Jul 28, 2022

"A prospect seeking a career in medicine must start with their own awareness of boundaries and perfectionism before entering the field. This inner work must be indoctrinated in schools and encouraged through residencies and mentorships. Furthermore, administration must model this…

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“A prospect seeking a career in medicine must start with their own awareness of boundaries and perfectionism before entering the field. This inner work must be indoctrinated in schools and encouraged through residencies and mentorships. Furthermore, administration must model this and valued it as highly as continuing education, credentialing, and skill …

Patient voices

There’s no one to drive your patient home

Denise Reich

July 28, 2022Jul 28, 20222

There's a particular bit of conversation I hope never to hear when my doctors are discussing surgery or testing. Not the details of the procedure. Not the possible outcome. Not the pain (and let's be real, we all know "some…

There’s a particular bit of conversation I hope never to hear when my doctors are discussing surgery or testing. Not the details of the procedure. Not the possible outcome. Not the pain (and let’s be real, we all know “some discomfort” is actually “pain”). It’s the post-op directions that pose a conundrum: “You’ll need someone to drive you home.”

Nothing sparks dread and uncertainty for me like that statement. It’s a …

Physician voices

The nurse who walked a million miles

Christopher Nyte, DO

July 28, 2022Jul 28, 2022

Nurses are notoriously tough, resilient, and caring. Their ability to deliver health care with a mindful spirit is uncanny. Multitasking is soon ingrained in even the greenest of this kind. Go ahead, inundate them with requests, some admittedly regretful, and…

Nurses are notoriously tough, resilient, and caring. Their ability to deliver health care with a mindful spirit is uncanny. Multitasking is soon ingrained in even the greenest of this kind.

Go ahead, inundate them with requests, some admittedly regretful, and you will witness amazing things being accomplished with few exceptions. They can be mischievous as well. After all, they’re human, right? Surely the new haughty unsuspecting intern deserves a 2:45 a.m. …

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The nurse who walked a million miles

Conditions and diseases

I received a comprehensive sex education. I still chose abstinence.

Anonymous

July 28, 2022Jul 28, 2022

Here's the story of a girl who got a comprehensive sex education and still chose abstinence. That girl was me. Did I gain this knowledge from school? Heavens no. I grew up in the South at the turn of the…

Here’s the story of a girl who got a comprehensive sex education and still chose abstinence. That girl was me.

Did I gain this knowledge from school? Heavens no. I grew up in the South at the turn of the 21st century. Abstinence-only sex education was the name of the game (still is, last I checked), especially in the school district I was in. Ironically (or maybe not so, in light …

The Podcast by KevinMD

What a good death looked like [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

July 27, 2022Jul 27, 2022

"He needed to be taken to the hospital to be pronounced, and he was put on a gurney. One frequently mouthed wish was to be taken from his home feet first. I stood beside him as he was placed in…

Listen on Apple Podcasts · Spotify

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“He needed to be taken to the hospital to be pronounced, and he was put on a gurney. One frequently mouthed wish was to be taken from his home feet first. I stood beside him as he was placed in the ambulance. His soft, sweet smile told me everything I needed …

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What a good death looked like [PODCAST]

Physician voices

I’m a physician, not a provider

Diana Londoño, MD

July 27, 2022Jul 27, 202214

Your parents likely spent months searching through baby name books, polling the family, and looking through the photo albums of ancestors to pick the perfect name for you. Maybe your parents had to see your face before they could pick…

Your parents likely spent months searching through baby name books, polling the family, and looking through the photo albums of ancestors to pick the perfect name for you.

Maybe your parents had to see your face before they could pick the perfect one. Names have history, they have power, and they embody your personality.

My daughter was officially named Daniela, yet we called her Bimbi months before she was born. That is …

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I’m a physician, not a provider

Physician voices

Health care takes its toll. Look for the moments that remind you why you’re in it.

Karina Chavez, MD

July 27, 2022Jul 27, 2022

Completing my second year as an attending during a pandemic has been, well, interesting. It has brought up a variety of emotions. It's all you've dreamt about for the past 7+ years of training, finally making it — the ability…

Completing my second year as an attending during a pandemic has been, well, interesting. It has brought up a variety of emotions. It’s all you’ve dreamt about for the past 7+ years of training, finally making it — the ability to “call the shots.” It is exhilarating yet mortifying, all wrapped in one!

You have those occasional cases you have never been exposed to during training. You lean on colleagues for …

Health policy

Gun violence is our society’s disease

Leslie Mattson, MD

July 27, 2022Jul 27, 20223

About a month ago, I had just finished hospital rounds when I heard "code active threat" on the overhead intercom. Thinking it was a drill, I continued typing patient notes until I heard a more urgent: "Please barricade in place…

About a month ago, I had just finished hospital rounds when I heard “code active threat” on the overhead intercom. Thinking it was a drill, I continued typing patient notes until I heard a more urgent: “Please barricade in place or, if able, evacuate the premises immediately.”

My heart raced as I quickly weighed my options: barricade myself alone in the physician lounge or run to the parking garage, risking the …

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Gun violence is our society’s disease