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C. Everett Koop takes the lead, seeking specialty recognition

Policy

April 11, 2025

An excerpt from Dr. Koop: The Many Lives of the Surgeon General.

“I was the salesman for pediatric surgery. I have the knack of talking to an audience and convincing [them] about what I’m saying is true.”
– CEK

The early 1950s witnessed an extraordinary burst of professional activity on the part of the young surgeon, still in his 30s, as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) …

We should tip health care workers too

Colleen Naglee, MD, JD

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 …

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We should tip health care workers too

Human trafficking isn’t what you think: Why education is key to stopping it

Julia Drydyk, MPP

Policy

April 11, 2025

The recent focus on the Canada-U.S. border has led to frequent confusion between human smuggling and human trafficking. Smuggling involves people moving across international borders. In most cases, irregular migrants who are smuggled into the country consent to assistance. Human trafficking, on the other hand, involves the exploitation of people for sex or labor through coercion, regardless of geographic movement.

Continued conflation of these terms will undoubtedly harm anti-human trafficking efforts …

Why health care is collapsing under corporate greed [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

April 10, 2025

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!

Family nurse practitioner Bettina Reed discusses her article, “The hidden crisis in health care: How corporate greed is destroying patient care.” Drawing from four decades of experience across hospitals, private practices, FQHCs, …

The shocking silence of top law firms on frivolous medical lawsuits

Howard Smith, MD

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 …

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

Tomi Mitchell, MD

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!”

What if we stopped sacrificing ourselves to practice medicine?

Jessie Mahoney, MD

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 …

How AI and genetics are revolutionizing psychiatric diagnosis and treatment [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

April 9, 2025

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!

Psychiatrist Muhamad Aly Rifai discusses his article, “The future of psychiatry: How AI and genetics are reshaping mental health care.” Muhamad explores how the integration of genetic research, biomarkers, electrophysiology, and artificial …

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

Salim Afshar, MD, DMD

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 …

The emotional weight of witnessing a patient’s final moments

Ruchika Moturi

Education

April 9, 2025

The first time I witnessed someone die in front of me will stay with me for a long time. I was only eighteen, early in my EMT experience, and transporting a patient home from the hospital while my colleague drove the ambulance. The patient was an eighty-seven-year-old man, and although I do not remember the exact diagnosis, I knew he was on hospice, nonverbal, and expected to pass soon. He …

How AI can eliminate bias and inefficiency in health care billing [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

April 8, 2025

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!

Physician executive Tim Wetherill discusses his article, “Why AI is the perfect neutral arbiter for health care claims.” Tim explores how deeply embedded incentives, inefficiencies, and subjectivity in the current claims adjudication …

How early CKD diagnosis can save lives: a transplant survivor’s journey

Aja Best, MBA

Conditions

April 8, 2025

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) often develops unnoticed, gradually impairing kidney function. Approximately 950 million people worldwide are affected by CKD, and it is now the 9th leading cause of death, projected to become the 5th leading cause in the near future.

For years, I was unaware of the severe health battle brewing beneath the surface—until a routine pregnancy scan in 2015, at the age …

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

Noemi Adame, MD

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 …

Finding your medical specialty: Embracing uncertainty in clinical rotations

Khadija Khamis Ussi

Education

April 8, 2025

We have all been asked the infamous question as medical students: “What kind of doctor do you want to be, or what specialty do you want to specialize in?” If you have already made up your mind, answering this question can be exciting; if not, it can be extremely intimidating.

Regardless of what drew you to medicine—parental pressure, a strong desire to rescue lives, or simply just a few too many …

Disability insurance done right: the financial lifeline every physician needs

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

April 7, 2025

This article is sponsored by Set for Life Insurance.

We have a special sponsored episode from Set for …

Why real therapy isn’t just about crisis

Maire Daugharty, MD

Conditions

April 7, 2025

Maybe you’ve struggled to put the shattered mirror of yourself back together, and you don’t want to unearth what you’ve been able to put to rest. Plenty of people decide that psychotherapy is not for them, and we are, as our own individual, sovereign self, the best judge of our needs. As someone looking from the outside, we can only know a fraction of the depths of another person and …

Beyond survival: How nerve repair is reshaping outcomes in jaw surgery

James C. Melville, DDS

Conditions

April 7, 2025

John Németh, winner of multiple Blues Music Awards, built his life and musical career as a singer and harmonica player. But X-rays taken during a routine dentist visit threatened to change that.

John’s dentist discovered an ameloblastoma, a benign but aggressive tumor, that was rapidly growing in his jaw and chin and needed to be surgically removed. This was a reality that could mean the end of his career and the …

The forgotten patients: When missing people are just lost

Veronica Bonales, MD

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 …

Why SIBO is often misdiagnosed as IBS [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

April 6, 2025

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!

Gastroenterologist Mark Pimentel discusses his article, “SIBO and IBS: the hidden link keeping millions in pain.” Mark explains how small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is frequently misdiagnosed or overlooked due to its …

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