AI enforcement in health care: Unpacking the DEA’s approach to the opioid epidemic

Meds
January 2, 2024

In 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions became convinced that the opioid crisis was not the fault of cartels smuggling fentanyl across porous American checkpoints. And it wasn’t due to pharmaceutical companies corrupting drug approval officials and DEA administrators by hiring them as consultants after making decisions in the company’s favor. No. The opioid crisis was caused by American physicians coddling pain patients and addicts.

But reviewing all the actions of tens …

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Ben Franklin’s timeless wisdom: a key to solving America’s opioid crisis

Meds
January 2, 2024

In 1736, Ben Franklin famously advised Philadelphians that preventing fires is better than fighting them. Mr. Franklin’s advice is just as applicable today in addressing America’s opioid crisis. Billions of opioid settlement dollars are being distributed to every state, and a portion of those funds should be allocated to preventing opioid addictions, not just buying fire extinguishers (Narcan) and fighting fires (medication-assisted therapy or substance use disorder treatment). Preventing opioid …

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The rise of direct primary care in America

Policy
January 2, 2024

Health care and how individuals receive it has been at the forefront of public concern for many years. Now, more than ever, a priority should be placed on discovering amenable solutions to address the incomprehensible challenges impacting this nation’s health care system. I believe that direct primary care (DPC) holds the potential to improve the way Americans access and experience health care. An article published by Medical Economics says …

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Unlocking the hidden potential of trauma [PODCAST]

Podcast
January 1, 2024
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We sit down with Edith Shiro, a clinical psychologist, as she takes us on a journey through her book, The Unexpected Gift of Trauma. Prepare to gain a deeper understanding of trauma and its untapped potential for …

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My escape from physician stress

Physician
January 1, 2024

Although I had never been diagnosed with anxiety, my career as a physician has always entailed a high degree of stress, and this has had consequences.

The stress of running a solo private medical practice

When I was running my solo private practice, there were always competing demands for my time: Patients waiting to be seen, patients or physicians on the phone waiting to talk to me, staff issues, scheduling problems, dysfunctional …

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5 things digital health companies need to do to achieve success

Tech
January 1, 2024

It has been a long time since my last post. The digital health economic, clinical, regulatory, and political landscapes have changed significantly since then. The objective of my blog, which began in 2011, was and remains to educate the reader (clinicians, health care IT community, patients and caregivers, and other health care stakeholders about digital health technology and how it is relevant to the changing health care environment. The first …

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Collaboration between local oncologists and academia is crucial to closing the cancer care gap

Conditions
January 1, 2024

There is undeniable hope and optimism when looking at the future of cancer care. Cancer survival rates are steadily rising as oncologists continue to learn more about the 100+ unique types of cancer—and emerging variants—that exist. Thanks to new targeted therapies and remarkable improvements in genomics, cancer care physicians and researchers are finding better ways to treat each cancer type and improve health outcomes.

Despite this knowledge, however, there are still …

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Traditional Chinese medicine’s holistic approach [PODCAST]

Podcast
December 31, 2023
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Join us as we delve into the world of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Jinguan Yang, a psychiatrist, will help us explore how TCM views the skin, muscles, collagen, blood vessels, and bones as mirrors of our emotional …

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High-deductible health plans: a barrier to care for chronic conditions

Policy
December 31, 2023

At the peak of the coronavirus crisis in 2020, American policymakers were faced with the critical challenge of how to encourage as many Americans as possible to be tested for and vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus. Fortunately, Congress rose to this challenge by passing legislation that, in addition to providing these services to the uninsured, required private insurance plans to eliminate all out-of-pocket costs associated with getting vaccinated or tested. …

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Healing the mind and body

Conditions
December 31, 2023

An excerpt from The Healing Book.

When Allie’s canoe tapped the dock in Iquitos, Peru, she didn’t know which was greater: her exhaustion or her anticipation. After hours on the Amazon River, she was sticky with sweat, and her arms and legs itched and ached in the wake of countless mosquito bites. However, their arrival meant she was that much closer …

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My battle with atrial fibrillation

Conditions
December 31, 2023

A while ago, I wrote about my experience during an attack of atrial fibrillation (afib), lamenting the fact that my management never included a proper physical exam. Nevertheless, chemical cardioversion was successful, and my hospital stay was brief.

The episode was precipitated by a small pulmonary embolus acquired during sinus surgery the day before. I had experienced an episode of afib some 15 years previously and had remained free, I think …

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How one doctor’s stories transform lives [PODCAST]

Podcast
December 30, 2023
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Join Laya Jalilian-Khave, a physician and post-doctoral fellow in psychiatry. Laya shares her profound journey from medical school in Tehran to practicing medicine in diverse settings, including the border regions of Iran and Afghanistan. Discover how she …

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Revolutionizing health care: Rethinking burnout and resilience

Conditions
December 30, 2023

I read all the time about the strategies and measures physicians and other health care professionals take to mitigate, reduce, or immunize themselves against burnout, moral distress, and empathic strain. We have been talking about this for decades, with an increase in “burnout” as a result. It seems time to shift the paradigm to allow for more productive discussions, acceptance, and strategies. Instead of talking about burnout, resilience, and self-care …

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To address youth mental health, we must address insurance barriers

Policy
December 30, 2023

It’s been two years since the American Academy of Pediatrics declared a national state of emergency in children’s mental health. Yet sadly, very little has changed. This year, 25 percent of youth have been diagnosed with a mental health condition. More than 20 percent of teens have seriously considered suicide, and more than 40 percent of high school students reported that they’d felt so sad …

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Unmasking the profit-driven influence on American health care decisions

Physician
December 30, 2023

The practice of medicine has been significantly enhanced by advancing technology. However, even with four years of medical school and an MD degree, this only provides the foundation for what is needed to be a good doctor. A critically important skill is the ability to make sound medical decisions.

This is why there is a hierarchy in training that begins after medical school, progressing through internship, residency, fellowship, and eventually leading …

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Clinical work to new horizons [PODCAST]

Podcast
December 29, 2023
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Join Kim Downey, a physical therapist, David Fessell, a radiologist, and Todd R. Otten, a family physician, as they share their journeys and expertise. Discover their unique perspectives on well-being, health care transformation, and strategies for achieving …

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The hidden gem of family medicine: a rural clinic’s triumph

Physician
December 29, 2023

I want to share this good news, but at the same time, I am a bit afraid to let the word get out. Our rural health clinic in Brewster has found a way to keep family medicine alive.

My generation of doctors has experienced incredible changes. The internet revolution is one of them. When I went to medical school in 1995, the internet was slow and clunky and limited in its …

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A doctor’s journey through babka and beyond

Physician
December 29, 2023

I couldn’t even describe what it meant to be a spiritual person or put words to what spirituality is, yet I would be facilitating a class for MS1s on the importance of and how to take a spiritual history. I was looking for some thinking space; my girls kept telling me I should quit my job as a primary care physician and just bake, and there was something telling me …

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Medical professional gaslighting: the lack of psychological safety in medicine

Physician
December 29, 2023

Toward the end of my third year of medical school, I was 25, newly married, and overwhelmed by responsibility. I hadn’t enjoyed the clinical rotations. The hours and the degree of human suffering were just too much. My husband and I fought about how unavailable I was. I had to complete my 6-week psychiatry rotation 3 hours away from home. I wasn’t sleeping well, so I went to student health …

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A patient advocate’s battle scars in health care [PODCAST]

Podcast
December 28, 2023
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Join Dinaaz Lentin, a patient advocate. In this discussion, Dinaaz shares her powerful book, BATTLE SCARS: A courageous memoir of one person’s life experience within our health care system. Get ready to dive into her personal journey, …

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