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A community-based program that brings patients and pathologists together

Physician

December 10, 2018

When I was in medical school, I loved pathology. The visual learning and deep understanding of disease were attractive enough that after second year, I took an extra year before clinical rotations to work as a post-sophomore fellow, working as a resident cutting specimens and performing autopsies. I missed patient contact but it served as a great foundation for clinical medicine …

Is it possible for physicians to oversave? And what can you do about it?

James M. Dahle, MD

Physician Finance

December 10, 2018

Have you ever thought about doing a post on oversaving? I realize most docs probably have the opposite problem, but I bet there is a subset of the FIRE crowd that this may apply to. Does this ever come up in all the interactions you have?

It was no surprise to see this question come in as a direct message on the WCI Forum, rather than an email …

What you need to know about acute flaccid myelitis

Roy Benaroch, MD

Conditions and Diseases

December 9, 2018

You’ve probably seen it on the news – a rare, polio-like illness is causing cases of paralysis in children. Here’s the latest info, based on our best current knowledge from the CDC.

Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) is a sudden illness that causes weakness in one or more extremities – one arm or (less likely) a leg, or any combination of arms and legs. The words in the name express the key …

Disability can be a devastating outcome to a doctor’s career. Here’s how handle it.

Smart Money, MD

Physician Finance

December 9, 2018

Disability can be a devastating outcome to a doctor’s career and self-image. Think about it: You busted your butt to learn how to do a Whipple procedure, end up getting into a skiing accident that ends your career right there. No worries, because you purchased the appropriate coverage of own-occupation disability insurance, right?

Having disability insurance certainly provides a protective cushion, especially you are the sole breadwinner. This is a no-brainer, …

Medical clinicians are being stress fractured

Calvin J. Maestro, MD

Physician

December 9, 2018

An excerpt from Leadership Lessons from History: A Study Guide Written for Physicians & Other Healthcare Leaders.

In June 1812, Napoleon invaded Russia along with an army of 600,000 men; fewer than 100,000 made it back. During their ignoble military withdraw, in the middle of a terrible winter, thousands of …

Emergency physicians: You rock!

Sonali Mantoo, MD

Physician

December 9, 2018

I am a critical care physician and spend a good amount of time in the emergency room seeing consults. As an internal medicine resident, we were often in the ER, admitting new patients. In my three years of residency, we spent only two to four weeks working in the emergency room. It was the one time I had an insider’s view of life as an ER physician. And, man, was …

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Emergency physicians: You rock!

A medical student takes a look into the abyss. Here’s what he learned.

Evan Schauer

Medical Education

December 8, 2018

After my surgery rotation, I was in a very bad place. I felt like two months of grueling work hours and relentless studying were wiped away in an instant by a bad test score. That single number somehow mattered more to me than every positive comment I had received from my patients, colleagues, residents, and attendings. I felt like I had put my heart and soul into that rotation, constantly …

The blood of patients is not a rhetorical device

Andrew J. L. Smith

Health Policy

December 8, 2018

Recently, social media and news organizations have been awash in the physician-led backlash to the NRA’s now infamous “stay in your lane” tweet, and consequently, awash in images of the literal blood of seriously wounded or now deceased patients. Gun control is undeniably a cause near and dear to many physicians, who are duty-bound to try desperately, many times in vain, to save the lives of too many innocent Americans …

Why mentors are so important in medicine

Health eCareers

Physician

December 8, 2018

This article is sponsored by Careers by KevinMD.com.

After spending a decade in college and medical school, followed by internships and residency, seeking additional guidance at the beginning of your career may seem excessive. You’ve already taken direction from dozens of leaders; isn’t it time to cut your own path?

Yes and no. You’ll make plenty of your …

MKSAP: 53-year-old woman with hypertension and chronic active hepatitis B infection

mksap

Conditions and Diseases

December 8, 2018

Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians.

A 53-year-old woman is evaluated during a routine follow-up visit. Medical history is significant for hypertension and chronic active hepatitis B infection. Her hepatitis B infection has been treated with tenofovir for the past 5 years with suppression of her serum hepatitis B DNA levels. She currently notes mild generalized weakness but otherwise …

During this holiday season, be aware that some people are really suffering

Linda Girgis, MD

Physician

December 7, 2018

It’s that time of year again when retail outlets start counting down the days to Christmas and deck their stores with holiday cheer. For many people, this time of year feels magical. Yet for others, it is a consumer competition to buy the absolute best gift at the lowest price. While both these groups love the holidays in their own way, there is a third group for which the holidays …

3 common complaints patients have

Suneel Dhand, MD

Physician

December 7, 2018

I enjoy talking to random people about their experiences with health care. As somebody who regularly travels all over the country, for both work and pleasure (I far prefer the latter), whenever I meet people in situations where you end up talking — be it on airplanes, a guided city tour, or at a social function — as soon as I say I’m a physician, the conversation invariably ends up …

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3 common complaints patients have

6 ways to smooth the journey to value-based care

Andrew Snyder, MD

Health Policy

December 7, 2018

I have had the fortune — both good and bad — of being at the forefront of reforming physician reimbursement as an advocate for physicians. I’ve worked on models spanning private practice, group employment, faculty practice plans, and independent physician associations.

It’s been a bruising journey.

There were the old ways — relative value units (RVUs) and other tortured renditions of …

There’s a good reason why we don’t see patients’ joy in the office

DocG, MD

Physician

December 7, 2018

I like to think of myself as a relatively optimistic person. If you have ever met me in person, you might think that I have a pretty sunny disposition on life. And for the most part, I do. Since I write every day, however, there are times when my posts may start going negative. Not for an extended period, but long enough for my readers to wonder if am just a touch …

Give millennials what they need in health care

Sandra Worrell, MD

Physician

December 6, 2018

Another study reiterates what we already know: In droves, millennials are venturing away from the traditional model of securing a primary care provider and opting not to access health care “as usual.”

Still, too many physicians do little more than shake their heads over this. We wonder when millennials will figure out they need a medical home for the best possible care – especially when a medical emergency occurs.

But, guess what? …

This isn’t just my lane, it’s my highway

Judy Melinek, MD

Health Policy

December 6, 2018

On Wednesday, I did a gunshot-wound autopsy. On Friday, I was going into the morgue to perform another when I checked Twitter and saw this.

Doctors across the U.S. and across medical specialties were already responding and sharing photos: their face shields spattered and scrubs drenched in their patients’ blood; more blood on the emergency room …

Why your practice needs a makeover

Diana Anderson, MD, MArch and Keith Mankin, MD

Physician

December 6, 2018

The spaces where we live and work can exert both strong and subtle influences on the way our brains function. They can make us anxious, distracted, inefficient or tired, affecting not only our cognitive ability but also our emotional state, mental stability, and physical well-being. Clinical medical practice, like much of life in our society, is tethered to indoor space, so physicians, staff and patients alike are particularly prone to …

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Why your practice needs a makeover

The challenge of no to arthroscopic surgery

Eric Bohm, MD and Ivan Wong, MD

Conditions and Diseases

December 6, 2018

Nearly half of Canadians aged 65 and over experience osteoarthritis in their knees. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and occurs when the protective cartilage on the ends of bones wears down over time leading to pain, stiffness and decreased mobility. It frequently occurs in the hips and knees — and can be quite painful.

To help improve mobility and treat joint pain, it has been …

The power of the tincture of time

Philip A. Masters, MD

Physician

December 6, 2018

A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.

I distinctly recall during residency a much older and well-respected clinical teacher periodically opining that what was needed in a particular patient case was “a dose of the tincture of time.”

For those less familiar with more historic terminology, a tincture is an alcoholic …

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The power of the tincture of time

Should doctors stay in their lane? A physician says yes.

Kyle Varner, MD

Physician

December 6, 2018

The National Rifle Association ruffled a lot of feathers recently when it published a tweet that said that doctors should “stay in their lane” on the subject of gun control.

As a practicing physician, you might be surprised to hear that I side with the NRA.

There’s something fundamentally different between diagnosing and treating a disease in a patient and recommending a new law because you treat people …

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