Physician

Physicians writing on KevinMD about the life of the profession: the work itself, the exhaustion, what women physicians are paid and asked to carry, the losses the profession has been slow to name, and who decides how physicians work. Five maintained records draw on this archive: Physician burnout: what physicians say, in their own words, Primary care: what physicians say, in their own words, Women in medicine: what women physicians say, in their own words,, Physician suicide: what physicians say, in their own words, and Physicians and administrators: what physicians say about who runs medicine, in their own words.

From masks to medicine: How empathy shapes true medical excellence

Brett Linzer, MD

Physician

June 26, 2024

Thirty years ago, I entered Loyola Medical School, and my initiation into the culture of medicine began. As best as I could at the time, I prepared myself for the challenges ahead. I aimed to cultivate a strong will, a powerful intellect, and what I hoped would be enough emotional maturity to succeed. I did not have any family connection to medicine, but I knew our society had certain expectations …

Physicians have a blind spot that makes them prone to fraud charges

L. Joseph Parker, MD

Physician

June 26, 2024

Unlike almost every other industrialized nation on Earth, independent American physicians running their own clinics must all be entrepreneurs. Unlike all other businesses, however, there are special rules related to the business side of U.S. medical practice. These are exemplified by the Stark laws. Aptly named, these strict provisions forbid doctors from engaging in what is called physician self-referral.

Doctors are required to avoid referring patients to entities in which they …

The risks of digital health companies to psychiatric patients

Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA

Physician

June 26, 2024

In early 2022, during the coronavirus pandemic, I considered practicing psychiatry via telehealth. I looked into two telemental-health companies in particular—Cerebral and Done Global, Inc. (hereafter “Done”)—and turned them both down. I did not believe their ethics measured up. In the case of Done, I asked to be withdrawn from consideration as medical director because I believed the company lacked adequate infrastructure and was exclusively focused on treating patients with …

A “rich” life looks different for everyone: lessons from my own near deathbed regrets

Jillian Rigert, MD, DMD

Physician

June 26, 2024

During my last inpatient admission one month before medical school graduation, an attending told me, “You talk about yourself like it’s one of your patients.” That’s exactly how it often felt (and still feels) to my brain. “This story is not me … not mine … I’m not sick,” my brain would offer me.

The brain does fascinating things to help us survive. Dissociating from my illness was likely supportive of …

How mislabeling patients affects health care outcomes

Deepak Gupta, MD

Physician

June 23, 2024

When we call out to deem a patient difficult regarding access-airway-anesthesia, we do not consider the procedure, provider, proceduralist, place, phase, payer, or player as difficult. Does this mean that only patient conditions make it difficult, with conditions surrounding the procedure, provider, proceduralist, place, phase, payer, or player never coming into play? Aren’t we putting the onus solely on the patient when we document all such experiences of difficulty only …

How the time-honored tradition of a baseball catch became a “test” for a brain injury

Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA

Physician

June 23, 2024

I find myself becoming more passionate with age, swept into a sea of emotions during certain movie scenes, and even crying during my favorite rock songs as the lyrics and melody crescendo and become one.

The brain’s ability to adapt and change over time, known as neuroplasticity, means that our emotional responses can evolve based on the kinds of experiences and stimuli we are exposed to over the years. It is …

Unlocking hidden leadership: the powerful skillset of parenthood

Victoria Chiaro, DO, MPH

Physician

June 23, 2024

I came back from ACOG feeling invigorated. This year’s theme was “Leading from where you are,” and let’s just say the leader in me was re-activated. I identified with so many qualities of the speakers; I felt inspired and ready to make an impact. Specifically, I felt ready to serve on committees and lead. Once home, I was ready to pull out my laptop and write down my goals. But, …

The doctor’s struggle: How prescription opioids can lead to addiction

Christina Fraser & Jeffrey L. Fraser, MD

Physician

June 22, 2024

In the heart of America, the opioid epidemic continues to surge, claiming lives and livelihoods with an unrelenting grip. While many believe that addiction stems from illicit drug use, a significant portion of opioid addictions actually begin with a prescription from a doctor. This troubling reality is exemplified by the experiences of Dr. Jeffrey Fraser, a family practice physician from Lincoln, Nebraska, who found himself ensnared in the very crisis …

A consulting firm under fire: Examining a new criminal probe in opioid crisis

Jay K. Joshi, MD & Ron Chapman II, JD

Physician

June 21, 2024

Roughly a month ago, a prestigious consulting firm found itself, once again, in hot water for its involvement in allegedly contributing to the opioid crisis. We saw many of the same headlines competing for the top spot in our inbox.

“Justice Department is investing in an elite consulting firm.”

“Top management firm under criminal investigation.”

Beneath that, we saw a second layer of headlines, with a more scandalous tinge of corporate gossip.

“Former partner …

Why resilience training alone won’t fix physician burnout

Dike Drummond, MD

Physician

June 21, 2024

In my work with thousands of overstressed physicians and over 175 health care organizations, I have repeatedly learned one lesson: resilience training alone is not sufficient to rein in the epidemic of physician burnout.

If you believe, as I do, that physicians are the canary in the coal mine of medicine, then it is clear the epidemic of physician burnout is an indictment of the conditions of the mine, not the …

How oncologists and patients build lifelong connections

Dr. Damane Zehra

Physician

June 21, 2024

Oncology is a kind of specialty in medicine that involves seeing the same patients for many years. This can be beneficial when your patient is cured in cases of limited-stage disease or if the disease is stable on treatment for a long period of time in cases of advanced disease. In both scenarios, you follow the patient closely regularly and form a strong bond with them, even if you don’t …

From house calls to the OR: a surgeon’s journey and unexpected lessons

Sid Schwab, MD

Physician

June 20, 2024

Clueless at the time, when I applied to medical school, I imagined myself one day making house calls, good ol’ Doc Schwab, paid in chickens and pies, smiles, and blackberry jam. There I’d be, delivering babies on kitchen tables, patching up Old Lady Jones’s leg on the sofa, shaking out thermometers, and feeling foreheads. One of my roommates in med school was the son of such a doctor, although instead …

Why distracted detecting is the hidden threat to your health and safety

Deepak Gupta, MD

Physician

June 20, 2024

Just like distracted driving, there can be a term called distracted detecting; however, when one delves further, one realizes that distracted driving itself is one form of distracted detecting. Distracted detecting can be understood through the prey-predator analogy within the animal kingdom, with particular relevance during vulnerable adolescence. This concept is detailed in books co-authored by Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and Kathryn Bowers, titled Zoobiquity: The Astonishing Connection Between Human and …

Opium wars to fentanyl crisis: a history of drug conflicts

L. Joseph Parker, MD

Physician

June 19, 2024

Drug use has a complicated history in the Western World. Not quite two hundred years ago, starting in the Fall of 1839, Britain attacked the nation of China for having the audacity to ban an addictive substance, opium, that the British were selling to the Chinese people. Opiate addiction was rampant in China at the time, and the emperor had issued a prohibition on the drug. Britain destroyed much …

Navigating profit-driven metrics: Upholding core values in medicine

Shideh Shafie, MD

Physician

June 19, 2024

As physicians, many of us were drawn to the medical field by a profound desire to serve humanity and alleviate suffering. We hear buzzwords in corporate work about values-led teams, but in the house of medicine, we have always been led by a strong sense of values. This calling propelled us through the rigorous demands of medical training—endless hours of study, countless lectures, sleepless nights, and missed personal milestones. We …

Why most medical malpractice claims never see a courtroom

Howard Smith, MD

Physician

June 18, 2024

In my research on the case selection criteria used by plaintiff medical malpractice attorneys, one very prominent plaintiff attorney in Maryland spills the beans. He proudly proclaims, “We, who are plaintiff attorneys, take on medical malpractice caused by doctors, but we only accept 1 out of every 37.5 cases we review.” This is done unselfishly and without appreciation.

Seen another way, 87,000 medical malpractice cases are filed every year in the …

30 years in pain management: Transforming lives beyond opioids

Francisco M. Torres, MD

Physician

June 18, 2024

Over thirty years as a physician, I have proudly and intentionally developed my subspecialty in pain management. As an interventional physiatrist, it is my chosen calling to improve the quality of life of people in pain and help them get moving again. I’ve had the privilege of overseeing many remarkable recoveries, including those by patients who had little hope when they first came to my office. Though this has been …

One physician’s rules for recovery from burnout

Susan Landers, MD

Physician

June 18, 2024

I suffered through burnout twice in my career. Each episode was similar in that feelings of fatigue, exhaustion, and emotional overwhelm were predominant. Each time I felt like a failure as a mother and a physician. However, each episode of burnout differed by involving different triggers and calling into focus different aspects of my work-life imbalance.

For each episode of burnout, I was able to employ some particular methods to recover. …

Capturing the parent-child bond through music

Osmund Agbo, MD

Physician

June 18, 2024

When Luther Vandross released Dance with My Father in May 2003, he was hospitalized, recovering from a stroke. Despite his condition and minimal promotion, the song quickly became one of the most requested tracks of the time. Its profound emotional impact resonated widely, earning Vandross accolades for Song of the Year and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 2004 Grammy Awards.

Vandross was just eight years old when his father …

Everyone under the big tent: the international medical graduate

American College of Physicians

Physician

June 17, 2024

The internal medicine community is broad and varied, with a diversity of internal medicine physicians as its foundation. As we move forward as a country and as health care continues to evolve, we must embrace our diversity and afford equal opportunity to all segments of our physician workforce, including our international medical graduates (IMGs). The American College of …

Physician

Most Popular

Past Week

Past 6 Months

Recent Posts

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Most Popular

Past Week

Past 6 Months

Recent Posts