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How a quiet Sunday in the ER turned into a powerful lesson in female resilience

Physician

January 26, 2025

It was a Sunday, and the day was bright and sunny. I was the only doctor on duty in the emergency room that day. On Sundays, our hospital typically has only a few staff members present, as most are off for the holiday except for those who are on call.

Interestingly, there were only two patients in the ward that day. All the other patients had been discharged. For the first …

Medical malpractice lawsuits: the hidden cost of social bias

Howard Smith, MD

Physician

January 26, 2025

I write these words after a full week of jury deliberation in the Daniel Penny trial. I now realize that what I have been describing about medical malpractice litigation is a signal of a much more serious problem infecting the social order of the entire country. It goes far beyond 85,000 medical malpractice lawsuits filed per year and even the inability, or the unwillingness, of finders-of-fact to discriminate between a …

What early retirement taught me about burnout and purpose [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

January 25, 2025

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Susan Landers shares her heartfelt journey as a neonatologist navigating the challenges of burnout, the rewards of practicing medicine, and the complex emotions surrounding early retirement. From her intimate experiences in the NICU …

10 transformative ideas to redesign a broken health care system: a doctor’s perspective for a more efficient, cost-effective and patient-focused system

Greg Gafni-Pappas, DO

Policy

January 25, 2025

The U.S. health care system is an inefficient maze of bureaucracy, redundancies, and waste. As a practicing physician, I see firsthand how these inefficiencies frustrate both providers and patients, inflate costs, and undermine the quality of care. If we are serious about transforming health care into a system that works for everyone, we need bold, outside-the-box solutions. Here are just some of the most glaring inefficiencies I see that could …

Why superheroes never get sick: the mask connection

Dale J. Bingham, PA-C, MPH

Conditions

January 25, 2025

A daily dose of sarcasm to trigger some thought, and to ask some serious questions we all should be able to discuss peacefully. These are not necessarily my personal beliefs, lest I need to be attacked at some point by misinformation protector professionals.

But let’s start here: I’ve never known Batman, or Robin, for that case, to ever get ill. And I am old enough to remember racing home to catch …

Humanity’s crossroads: peace or nuclear war?

Nathan Swidler and Jennifer Obel, MD

Policy

January 25, 2025

“We are here to make a choice between the quick and the dead …”

With these solemn words, Bernard Baruch, a trusted advisor to U.S. presidents, addressed the United Nations (UN) Atomic Energy Commission in June 1946. Less than a year had passed since the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the world stood at a crossroads. Baruch’s message was clear: humanity could either embrace the hope of global peace …

How the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan transforms health care [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

January 24, 2025

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Brian Whorley, a health care executive, dives into the groundbreaking Medicare Prescription Payment Plan (MPPP), exploring its potential to revolutionize medication adherence and patient outcomes. With 54 million beneficiaries eligible, this initiative promises …

How the patriarchy shaped medicine and why it’s time for change

Joan Naidorf, DO

Physician

January 24, 2025

Journalist Te-Ping Chen wrote about the nature of a physician’s career in a recent featured article in The Wall Street Journal where older physicians criticize the younger generation as being less committed to their patients. The article is titled: “Young Doctors Want Work-Life Balance. Older Doctors Say That’s Not the Job.”

The major point of discussion was the definition of a career in medicine as a “calling” versus a “job,” …

How to thrive as a physician during the U.S. health care collapse

Tomi Mitchell, MD

Physician

January 24, 2025

Yes, I said it. Health care is a dumpster fire—a meme-worthy catastrophe of epic proportions. It’s the chaos that future comedians and historians will roast with gusto, leaving us shaking our heads in embarrassed agreement. My somewhat cynical sense of humor is helping me mentally process the dumpster fire that is the current U.S. health care system. But as bleak as it feels, there’s a glimmer of hope. When health …

Why being mistaken for a student is my secret weapon in medicine

Jason Liebowitz, MD

Physician

January 24, 2025

“Are you the medical student?” the resident asked me in between bites of his vegetable lo mein. We were in the hospital conference room, and I was sitting at the table by the projection screen while he was scarfing down a quick meal before the noon lecture. “Actually, I’m the attending,” I replied. He paused with fork in hand and turned beet red. “Sorry,” he murmured.

I couldn’t blame him for …

When assumptions in health care lead to devastating consequences

Anonymous

Conditions

January 24, 2025

It is heartbreaking to recount the journey my husband and I have been through. My husband, an award-winning triathlete, and I had a rich and vibrant life together. We traveled extensively, taking nine trips in 2014 alone, including attending the World Triathlon Finals in London, visiting Paris, cruising the Hawaiian Islands, and enjoying a helicopter tour. Even in his late 80s, he had a strong spirit, shaped by years of …

How integrative medicine saved a family doctor [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

January 23, 2025

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

Jeffrey Gladd shares his transformative journey from burnout to a thriving career in integrative medicine. Discover how shifting from treating symptoms to addressing whole-person care changed his life and practice. From battling burnout …

How belief and prayer uncover the hidden power of healing

Diana Londoño, MD

Physician

January 23, 2025

Have you ever thought of someone, and then a few minutes later, they called or texted you?

Have you ever felt or had a whole conversation in your mind to later be told that is exactly what someone was saying about you at the same time, even though you were physically in a different place?

How can that be? Is it merely a “coincidence,” or are these beautiful hints from the universe …

Critical care in critical moments: Anesthesiologists play a vital role in maternal health

Christina McGinnis, Alexandria Raab, Gloria Bachmann, MD, and Alopi Patel, MD

Conditions

January 23, 2025

Maternal mortality crisis in the U.S.

The U.S. faces a significant maternal health crisis, with alarmingly high maternal mortality rates compared to other developed nations. As of 2022, the overall maternal mortality rate was 22.3 deaths per 100,000 live births, with a disproportionately high rate of 49.5 deaths per 100,000 live births among Black women. These figures starkly contrast with much lower rates in countries like Germany, Australia, Japan, and Sweden.

Maternal …

How America’s health care system depends on international doctors

David M. Mitchell, MD, PhD

Physician

January 23, 2025

The current U.S. medical education and health care systems undeniably benefit from the immigration of talented international medical graduates (IMGs). Many of my favorite teachers, residents, and colleagues have been IMGs. However, the longstanding U.S. reliance on immigrant physicians raises questions about what policies best support both domestic and international priorities moving forward.

Beyond medicine, the immigration of talented scientists and engineers has also sparked recent public debate. Elon Musk recently …

The HEARTS Act: Empowering schools to save lives

Jay Tamirisa and Ashwini Chowdhury, MD

Policy

January 23, 2025

Every year, sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) claims the lives of thousands of students and student-athletes in the United States, making it one of the leading causes of death. The condition is particularly insidious as it often strikes without warning, leaving schools and communities grappling with preventable tragedies. While student-athletes are at a higher risk due to the physical demands of sports, SCA can affect any student, highlighting the urgent need …

How to use biomarkers to boost your healthspan and longevity [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

January 22, 2025

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

In this episode, John Thomson Smith, a physician executive, explores the science of longevity and the critical role of healthspan in living a vibrant life. He discusses how tracking key biomarkers, such as …

Why health systems must renegotiate contracts to survive

Jeffry A. Peters, MBA

Policy

January 22, 2025

Providers must stop subsidizing payors’ profit margins. Consider UnitedHealthcare, which boasts a 6 percent margin on revenue (equivalent to $22 billion), while hospitals manage a slim 3 percent margin, and physician practices often struggle to stay financially viable. This imbalance underscores the urgent need for hospitals, health systems, and physicians to negotiate rates that not only cover their costs but also generate margins sufficient to offer competitive salaries and reinvest …

Grief and climate change: a year of lessons we can’t ignore

Tomi Mitchell, MD

Physician

January 22, 2025

This wasn’t the article I had initially planned to publish. I had intended to discuss the health care system, calling it a “proverbial dumpster fire.” But in a year marked by relentless challenges, the metaphor feels too raw, too real, so I will save that for a later date. Parts of the country are literally on fire, with Los Angeles and nearby areas battling raging infernos that have torn families …

The miracle of immune checkpoint inhibitors: a physician’s unforgettable journey

Richard D. Sontheimer, MD

Meds

January 22, 2025

Even a half-century later, a physician cannot forget the first death of a patient under their care. It happened for me during my postgraduate medical training in the 1970s in an academic medical center hospital in the western half of the United States.

She was a delightful young married woman who was the mother of three small children. She was admitted to the hospital for recurring seizures. Her workup revealed a …

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