Physician

Why physicians find negotiating challenging—and what they can do to negotiate better

Physician
April 15, 2025

For many physicians, the word “negotiation” conjures up stress.

Most of us weren’t taught that negotiation is something we do every day—at work, at home, and in nearly every human interaction. Whether we’re persuading a patient to change a behavior, deciding on a restaurant with a partner, or navigating parenting decisions, we are constantly negotiating. Many physicians—especially women physicians—find negotiating extremely uncomfortable.

Why?

Because …

Read more…

A tribute to Kobe Bryant: inspiration beyond the game

Physician
April 15, 2025

Kobe Bryant’s impact on my life and career stretches far beyond the basketball court. The essence of his spirit—his commitment to excellence, his relentless pursuit of mastery, and his unyielding work ethic—has inspired me not only in the game of basketball but in the field of medicine as well.

Kobe came into my life as Michael Jordan was leaving the game. While I was fortunate enough to witness the latter half …

Read more…

From healers to influencers: How fear took over health care advice

Physician
April 14, 2025

How or when did physicians move from being teachers and healers who comfort and ease fear and pain to fear-inducing informational social media establishments?

I am a huge fan of sharing information and using tools and technology to do so with a larger audience. After all, our office or operating room are no longer the only venue where we can impact patients.

However, why have so many turned to fear-inducing videos, posts, …

Read more…

When saving a child isn’t possible: a heartbreaking day in the ED

Physician
April 13, 2025

Sometimes doing what we do is so hard. We get intimately involved in our patients’ lives, and instead of maintaining a clinical distance, you get sucked into the drama that has unfolded in their lives—the very events that bring them to the ED on this day. Then there’s a great difficulty in not judging, in not letting what you learn about them affect you or distract you from doing the …

Read more…

4 strategies to boost your medical practice’s profitability

Physician
April 12, 2025

Physicians, practices, and other health care providers seem to face a continual decline in reimbursements. According to an AMA analysis, inflation-adjusted Medicare reimbursement rates for physicians dropped 22 percent from 2001 to 2021, and insurers of Affordable Care Act plans denied 17 percent of in-network claims in 2021.

The gut reaction is often to increase growth, but that brings on problems of its own, like reduced profitability from increased overhead and …

Read more…

The modern health care professional: How to combine skills from different fields to redefine your career

Physician
April 11, 2025

Gone are the days when careers followed linear paths and job titles neatly fit into predefined boxes. Today’s health care industry celebrates versatility, and hybrid professionals are redefining what it means to succeed. A hybrid health care professional combines skills and expertise from different fields, blending knowledge to create unique value in the health care space. Whether you’re a nurse with coding skills, a doctor with a passion for data …

Read more…

We should tip health care workers too

Physician
April 11, 2025

I was checking into a hotel the other day and noticed a QR code to tip the front desk staff. In an era where we book online, check in online, and check out online, I am not exactly sure where that tip request comes from. Tipping culture has crossed a line. We can now thank anyone in the service industry with an easy Venmo payment.

And now I …

Read more…

The shocking silence of top law firms on frivolous medical lawsuits

Physician
April 10, 2025

Every year, there are 85,000 medical malpractice lawsuits, of which 66.6 percent are frivolous. In the course of my endeavor to remedy frivolous medical malpractice claims, I introduce myself to 50 of the nation’s most prestigious medical malpractice law firms, both plaintiff and defense firms. I make it known that I have developed a risk management process. I make contact to explore the possibility of collaborating with them in some …

Read more…

Flatline: Our nation is dying, and we’re ignoring the signs

Physician
April 10, 2025

She arrives at the emergency room, her body limp, her breath shallow. The gurney rushes through the glass doors, past her family, who stand frozen in place, their eyes wide with fear. Her teenage daughter grips her little brother’s hand, whispering, “Mom’s going to be OK, right?”

Inside, the team springs into action.

“No pulse.”

“No spontaneous breathing.”

“Start compressions!”

Read more…

What if we stopped sacrificing ourselves to practice medicine?

Physician
April 10, 2025

What if the cost of being a “good doctor” didn’t have to be your well-being?

For many physicians—especially those drawn to lifestyle medicine and whole-person care—this question feels quietly radical.

We’ve been conditioned to give until we’re empty. To serve at the expense of our sleep, our health, and sometimes even our sense of self.

We were taught to sacrifice.

To stay …

Read more…

Doctors don’t need yoga, they need time to smoke

Physician
April 9, 2025

Walking through the expo floor at yet another health care technology conference, I couldn’t help but feel like I was in some weird mix between a tech convention and a futuristic farmers’ market. Stalls displayed shiny new AI technologies that promised to revolutionize health care—in theory, at least. But somewhere between the AI-powered ambient scribes and smart scheduling systems, I started to wonder where we’re actually headed.

Maybe it’s …

Read more…

Having a female doctor is better for your health, but not for hers

Physician
April 8, 2025

Disclaimer: I respect and appreciate my male colleagues. No hard feelings, gents, but bear with me as I get real in this article.

Let’s break it down with some sexy stats.

Several studies, including from Annals of Internal Medicine, The Journal of the American Medical Association, and even a fancy meta-analysis (yep, the holy grail of evidence), confirm that you’re less likely to die and less likely to be readmitted to the …

Read more…

The forgotten patients: When missing people are just lost

Physician
April 7, 2025

I am a true crime buff, and I work in the emergency department. Sometimes the two seem to blur together.

In my career, I have followed my patients to the coroner’s office, going to see the autopsies on traumas, sudden deaths, or sometimes murders. We can do CT scans or MRIs. I can look at images and labs galore, but there’s nothing like looking at a fresh dissection to really appreciate …

Read more…

ADVERTISEMENT

How doctors can regain trust in the age of misinformation

Physician
April 6, 2025

Have you ever marveled that a new patient will share with you their most intimate secrets just minutes after you initiate their medical history in the exam room? Patients will discuss what they might not share with friends, spouses, significant others, and even their clergyperson. This privilege should not be taken for granted.

It is time to pause and think about patients’ trust in physicians. This article will describe the current …

Read more…

Physician wellness is a strategic imperative—not a moral crusade

Physician
April 4, 2025

To advocate effectively for physician well-being, we must be strategic rather than reactive.

In today’s ever-evolving health care landscape, transformation is not driven by passion alone but by thoughtful alignment with the priorities of those who shape the system.

It is tempting to seek fairness, to call out what is wrong, and to lament the losses inherent in modern medicine.

Culture and systemic change will not come from complaining; it will come from …

Read more…

ADVERTISEMENT

The medical malpractice system is broken: Who really benefits?

Physician
April 4, 2025

Today, a doctor’s chance of being sued for medical malpractice is 8.5 percent per year. The chance that the lawsuit is frivolous, meaning the alleged injury is from a random error of nature and not from an accidental medical error, is 66.6 percent.

Complications are inevitable. Medical errors occur during medical interventions. So do random errors of nature. At first glance, an error of …

Read more…

How hospitals are quietly taking control of physicians

Physician
April 2, 2025

Doctor, if you have recently had occasion to be granted a visit with upper hospital management in the plush executive suite, most surely it was you who stood out quite conspicuously. Being greeted, hopefully politely, by one of the administrative secretaries, you were asked to be seated and wait along with others—consultants, lower-level management, salesmen, business associates, insurance executives, and maybe even golf buddies. Notable was that you, the physician, …

Read more…

ADVERTISEMENT

10 ways health care might be killing you (and what you can do about it)

Physician
April 2, 2025

Health care is meant to heal, but what if it’s quietly doing the opposite? While we rely on medical professionals, hospitals, and treatments to keep us healthy, the system has hidden dangers that can put lives at risk. For every life saved, countless others are harmed due to systemic failures, personal oversight, or deep-rooted inequities.

This article will examine ten critical reasons why health care can become deadly …

Read more…

217
pages