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The anesthesia spectrum: Guiding patients through comfort options in oral surgery

Meds

April 30, 2025

“Will I be asleep or awake during my procedure?” This is the first question many patients ask before oral surgery. It reveals a common misconception: That anesthesia works like a light switch.

It doesn’t.

Anesthesia exists on a spectrum with multiple options that can be tailored to your specific needs, procedure type, and anxiety level.

Beyond all-or-nothing

As an oral …

Ditching insurance: How direct pay models enable personalized patient care [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

April 29, 2025

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

Family physician Jay K. Joshi discusses his article, “Why patients and doctors are ditching insurance for personalized care.” He explains that as traditional insurance becomes less accessible and covers fewer proactive and …

Are quotas a solution to physician shortages?

Jacob Murphy

Education

April 29, 2025

Taylor Walker, a 25-year-old pregnant woman, lived in a town of under 500 people in rural Nebraska. In 2019, she told NPR that after experiencing pregnancy pains, she endured a four-hour round-trip journey to see her physician only to discover her regular doctor was unavailable. In the end, she was forced to repeat this arduous trek multiple times just to receive necessary care. For Taylor and countless Americans, this …

Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting

American College of Physicians

Physician

April 29, 2025

“So wonderful to see you!”

This phrase was heard repeatedly all over the convention hall at the recent American College of Physicians annual meeting, Internal Medicine 2025. Held in New Orleans last April, the meeting welcomed attendees …

A surgeon’s late-night crisis reveals the cost confusion in health care

Christine Ward, MD

Policy

April 29, 2025

During Trump’s first address to Congress, he continued to promise economic reform. In the wake of the administration’s brazen attempts to cut costs, we have watched in awe as combat veterans are fired from the VA, lifelong civil servants are left jobless, all while hearing the continuous insistence that the government must become more “efficient,” even in the face of Read more…

A surgeon’s late-night crisis reveals the cost confusion in health care

Why patients and doctors are ditching insurance for personalized care

Jay K. Joshi, MD

Physician

April 29, 2025

As the traditional health insurance framework becomes increasingly inaccessible, physicians and clinical leaders are being called to rethink both how care is delivered and how it is paid for. Insurance companies are covering fewer services, raising deductibles, and narrowing networks. Patients are now forced to make health decisions based not just on need—but on affordability, timing, and bureaucratic feasibility.

In this emerging landscape, sustainable health care delivery must …

Staying stone free with AI: How smart tech is revolutionizing kidney stone prevention

Robert Chan, MD

Tech

April 29, 2025

Kidney stones are painful, frustrating, and unfortunately common. I see this brutal problem every day as a urologist. When my wife had her first kidney stone while celebrating her 40th birthday, this issue became deeply personal. Seeing her in pain and struggling to navigate the confusing world of kidney stone prevention made me realize just how difficult this journey is for patients.

Many people are given generic dietary advice – drink …

Overcoming the curse of knowledge: Why doctors need to translate medicine [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

April 28, 2025

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Communications consultant and attorney Heather Hansen discusses her article, “Why every doctor needs a translator.” Drawing on her background as a medical malpractice defense attorney, she explains the “curse of knowledge,” where …

Signing bonuses and taxes: What physicians should know

Shane Tenny, CFP

Finance

April 28, 2025

When physicians accept a job offer from a hospital, they are often enticed with a signing bonus in the form of a forgivable loan.

Given the complexities of looking for a job and negotiating an employment contract, it’s easy to see the words “signing bonus” and overlook the term “forgivable loan.”

However, while this may seem like an attractive deal, it carries significant tax implications that …

Learning to trust your body again: Healing the hidden wounds of medical training

Jessie Mahoney, MD

Physician

April 28, 2025

In medical training, we were taught to trust protocols, patients, and data—but not our own bodies. The body was something to overcome.

Tired? Push through.
Hungry? Ignore it.
Sore? Work harder.
Sick? Keep going.

This way of being seeps so deeply into us that many physicians stop hearing the language of their own bodies.

We become experts at …

Love, empathy, and the triangle of exhaustion: Why humanity must come first

Kim Downey, PT & Nicole Perrotte, MD

Physician

April 28, 2025

In our modern world, we often find ourselves caught in a cycle—balancing the demands of work, family, and personal well-being. For those living with marginalized identities, this exhaustion is compounded by societal expectations, a lack of understanding, and a pervasive sense of isolation.

Dr. Nicole Perrotte knew I was a pediatric physical therapist, and she shared with me her experience as the mom of an “atypical” child. Through …

How smartphones are stealing your focus—and what you can do about it

Osmund Agbo, MD

Conditions

April 28, 2025

Over the past two months, I embarked on a mission to complete two reading tasks: A journey in service, the autobiography of Nigeria’s former military dictator, General Ibrahim Babangida, followed by Dream count, the latest work by the world-renowned writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Unfortunately, I have barely progressed beyond the opening chapters of either. My focus, the essential ingredient for deep reading, has remained elusive.

I first realized the extent of …

Practical advice for physicians seeking joy and well-being [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

April 27, 2025

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

Palliative care physician and author Alen Voskanian discusses his article, “Discover the secrets to regaining joy in medicine,” based on an excerpt from his book. Drawing from his personal experience with burnout …

Unleashing the kraken: What The Pitt gets wrong about psychiatric care

Kayla A. Simms, MD

Physician

April 27, 2025

The Pitt, a medical drama set in a fictional Pittsburgh trauma center, captures the human connections forged in emergency medicine. The show follows a team of residents and medical students through a relentless 15-hour shift under their seasoned attending, Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch (Noah Wyle). Unlike melodramatic predecessors, The Pitt finds drama in the emotional toll of ER work, emphasizing resilience amid exhaustion. Its commitment to Read more…

Unleashing the kraken: What The Pitt gets wrong about psychiatric care

Why every physician needs business skills to thrive

Pamela Buchanan, MD

Physician

April 27, 2025

I love being a doctor. But I almost walked away from medicine entirely—not because I did not care, but because it almost killed me.

I am a neurodivergent, African-American woman who grew up poor and beat the odds to wear a white coat. But nothing in my medical training prepared me for the business of medicine. In fact, I would argue the system was designed to keep me from learning it.

We …

Why academic publishing is broken — and how researchers are fighting back

Brian Elliott, MD

Physician

April 27, 2025

If you’ve ever published or read scientific research, you’ve likely encountered the phrase non solus — subtly attached to over 720,000 research articles in 2024 alone. It’s Latin for “not alone.” In 1620, a Dutchman named Isaac Elzevir believed this phrase reflected the symbiotic relationship between authors and publishers — neither could succeed without the other. He incorporated non solus into his family’s publishing logo, alongside an image of a …

The school cafeteria could save American medicine

Scarlett Saitta

Policy

April 27, 2025

I grew up in Pickens, South Carolina—a small, poor Appalachian town burdened by health struggles.

In school, I saw food insecurity long before I had the vocabulary for it. Classmates ate honey buns and chips for breakfast, and lunch trays held processed food, pre-packaged meat, and syrupy fruit. For many, it was their only meal of the day.

Years later, while shadowing physicians in nursing homes and hospitals, I began to hear …

Addressing the crisis in rural health care access and outcomes [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

April 26, 2025

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

Internal medicine physician Edward Hoffer discusses his article, “Can rural health care be saved?” He outlines the significant health care disparities facing rural communities, including higher death rates from major diseases, increased …

Native communities deserve better: the truth about Pine Ridge health care

Kaitlin E. Kelly

Policy

April 26, 2025

Driving through South Dakota after visiting the Badlands, I entered the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. As a medical student at GCSOM in Scranton, PA, I rarely see Native American communities. I was shocked by the poverty and neglect. How had I never heard of Pine Ridge?

Pine Ridge Reservation was established as a prison camp before a deadly massacre.

Pine Ridge Reservation was established in 1889 as Camp 334 for …

When grief hits all at once: a morning of heartbreak and love

Jasminka Vukanovic-Criley, MD

Physician

April 26, 2025

This beautiful Saturday morning began like many other mornings with a heart full of love and hope. Gentle rays of sunlight filtered through the windows. Their warm glow whispered hope and promise of another good day. This morning, like many others, I woke up early. But little did I know the day would bring a flood of emotions for which I was unprepared. Indeed, as the morning unfolded, my spirit …

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