The alarming problem for rural medicine
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to have a heart attack? Or maybe you’ve had one. What about that same heart attack on a single-lane, pitted road flanked by cornfields on both sides, two hours from the nearest city? This is the reality for rural Americans, and it becomes more extreme by the day. Rural hospitals are sometimes the only tertiary care centers for hundreds of miles, and they’re …
Cannabis compounds in fracture pain relief and healing
In a recent study published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, it was found that two compounds found in cannabis, cannabidiol, and cannabigerol, may not just ease the pain of fractures but also speed up fracture healing. The study, titled “Cannabidiol (CBD) and Cannabigerol (CBG), Nonpsychotropic Cannabinoids, as Analgesics that Effectively Manage Bone Fracture Pain and Promote Healing in Mice,” is …
What does the term “doctor” mean, who can use it, and does it matter?
From the Oxford Dictionary: Doctor.
a qualified practitioner of medicine; a physician. (a number of synonyms are listed, including “quack”)
a person who holds a doctorate.
Increasingly, non-physicians are using the term “doctor.” Clearly, a doctorate degree allows the holder to use that term semantically, contextual puffery or not. Nurses can obtain a doctorate degree through a rigorous peer-reviewed process of study. PhDs in various fields likewise. All MDs are doctors. Not all …
Health equity: Social workers are the answer
Americans are suffering from an unequal health care system in which some people have resources and receive excellent care while others lack access to basic and essential services. Despite the entrenched and systemic nature of some of these barriers, there are vehicles for change on the horizon.
Nearly 80 percent of health outcomes are directly impacted by social determinants of health (SDoH) which is a term that encompasses social factors …
An emergency physician’s insights on health partnerships [PODCAST]
Empathetic patient care: Addressing disability in education
The students entered, chattering among themselves about their recent break. This is their interviewing and communication class, and today’s guest lecturer is a bit different than the usual physician educator. Speaking today is Linda Long-Bellil, JD, PhD, an expert in educating medical professionals about disability. Dr. Long-Bellil is also a person with a disability herself. I am assisting as well, as a physician with a disability and a wheelchair user. …
20 reasons every resident should form a micro-corporation
The majority are wrong.
Is it possible that the growing majority of doctors are mistaken in their decision to choose traditional employment? How is it that the most intelligent group of individuals on earth can be influenced to believe that being confined to traditional employment is in their best interest, especially when the burnout rate is approaching almost 60 percent?
Don’t follow the herd.
In a world where the “herd mentality” often prevails, …
The power of listening in palliative care consultations
Finishing up a consultation in the ICU, the nurses approached me to see how it went. “Did you get the DNR?” I explained that I enter these conversations without an agenda. My first goal is to develop rapport, reading the room to gauge how far I can take this conversation. What are they ready to hear? This phase of the consult is akin to preparing the soil for planting. The …
Exploring promising breakthroughs in Alzheimer’s research [PODCAST]
Are health care workers being gaslit about burnout?
When an animal is shot and bleeds to death, does it “suffer from a bleed out”? No, the hunter shot and killed it – that’s the truth, and that’s the main narrative. “Bleeding out” was a natural consequence. Yet in health care, it feels as though the narrative has been cleverly turned on its head and reflected back to health care workers as “suffering from burnout,” giving the culprit workplace …
Coupling behavioral health prescriptions with measurement-based care
It can be difficult for patients with substance use disorders, depression, anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive disorder to seek care and commit to a regular schedule of behavioral health care visits. However, telehealth and telepsychiatry have vastly enabled both access and compliance with care. That being said, medication should not be prescribed without proper oversight and care, regardless of whether the doctor is assessing the patient online or in person.
During the …
Holocaust survivor’s hidden past: a doctor’s discovery
As a medical doctor, I have peered into the lives of many patients who have unique experiences.
When I started practice 40 years ago, some of my patients had parents who lived during the Civil War; a few fought in the Spanish-American War, and more recently, at the Millennium, several of my centenarians could say they lived in three centuries!
One of my first patients in Santa Clarita was a gentleman who …
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Balancing life and medicine [PODCAST]
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Join us for an engaging podcast conversation with Kim Downey, a physical therapist, and Stephen Lewellis, a dermatologist. They share their unique professional journeys, discussing the challenges and insights they’ve gained in their respective fields. From navigating …
Surgeon suicides: Unveiling a silent crisis
When I read The Guardian article, “US surgeons are killing themselves at an alarming rate. One decided to speak out,” I felt like throwing up.
I’m sickened so many surgeons are dying. I’m grateful Dr. Cunningham is speaking out. I’m relieved she is alive.
But I felt nauseated that Carrie Cunningham’s pain is being used to tout physician “health” programs (PHPs) as the solution to physician suicide while these programs have actually led …
Reflections on human suffering
I was in my upstairs office when I heard the doorbell ring. I ran downstairs to open the door, unable to see through the opaque window who was on the other side. I opened the door, and there stood an elderly Black man and woman, well dressed, with leaflets and literature. I immediately recognized that this was an unsolicited proselytization.
“Can I help you,” I inquired. The woman handed me a …
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We got the new COVID vaccine. It was a whopping $191 per shot.
As emergency physicians, my husband and I were determined to protect ourselves, our teenagers, and society at-large with the latest, monovalent COVID vaccine, which the CDC recently recommended for every American 6 months and older.
I realized, though, we were in for turbulence when my 78-year-old mother arrived for her appointment at a national pharmacy chain only to be told they did not yet have the vaccine. …
Unlocking value-based care: challenges and incentives
Value-based care is everywhere. It is really having a moment right now. It has taken on many forms, from the Medicare Advantage home care models to the employer-based direct primary care, but certain aspects of it remain consistent across all delivery forms. Physicians or physician organizations are expected to meet certain expectations and patient outcomes in order to show the value of the care they provide.
In theory, pinning reimbursement rates …
Empathy meets efficiency: a health care transformation [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes!
Join Matthew Troup, a physician assistant and health care executive, as we explore the critical issue of balancing empathy and efficiency in modern medicine. Matthew shares his personal journey and the challenges he faced during his clinical …
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Clinicians unite for health care reform
One thing that contributes to burnout in medicine is the inefficient and cumbersome nature of the systems in which we practice. This is particularly true for compassionate, trauma-informed clinicians who must watch their patients suffer under a system that clearly has built-in historical and current harms. In 2008, when I started my nonprofit organization, the disparities had already cost this country millions of dollars and untold numbers of lives. We …
Past Week
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What’s driving medical students away from primary care?
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How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship
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Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check
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The dreaded question: Do you have boys or girls?
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The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you
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The hidden cost of delaying back surgery
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Past 6 Months
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What’s driving medical students away from primary care?
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Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting
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What happened to real care in health care?
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Residency as rehearsal: the new pediatric hospitalist fellowship requirement scam
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Are quotas a solution to physician shortages?
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A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how
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Recent Posts
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Addressing America’s reliance on psychotropic medication [PODCAST]
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The hidden cost of malpractice: Why doctors are losing control
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How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship
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Rediscovering the soul of medicine in the quiet of a Sunday morning
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An introduction to occupational and environmental medicine [PODCAST]
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Does silence as a faculty retention strategy in academic medicine and health sciences work?
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Past Week
-
What’s driving medical students away from primary care?
-
How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship
-
Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check
-
The dreaded question: Do you have boys or girls?
-
The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you
-
The hidden cost of delaying back surgery
-
Past 6 Months
-
What’s driving medical students away from primary care?
-
Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting
-
What happened to real care in health care?
-
Residency as rehearsal: the new pediatric hospitalist fellowship requirement scam
-
Are quotas a solution to physician shortages?
-
A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how
-
Recent Posts
-
Addressing America’s reliance on psychotropic medication [PODCAST]
-
The hidden cost of malpractice: Why doctors are losing control
-
How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship
-
Rediscovering the soul of medicine in the quiet of a Sunday morning
-
An introduction to occupational and environmental medicine [PODCAST]
-
Does silence as a faculty retention strategy in academic medicine and health sciences work?
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