September in medicine: scouting season for future doctors

Education
October 10, 2023

In medicine, September marks scouting season. Like professional baseball clubs, residency programs meticulously generate and analyze scouting reports for prospective interns, aimed toward building an ideal lineup of future doctors that functions seamlessly as a team while augmenting everyone’s individual strengths.

From an applicant’s perspective, the focus on experience, exam scores, and class rankings reflects the layout of a player’s statistics on the back of a baseball card. With more objective …

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A new approach to health care liability management

Physician
October 10, 2023

There is no shortage of the problems that plague health care. Even so, health law gurus make problems worse by creating the medical liability litigation industry. Gurus deny creating this industry. They create health reforms and tort reforms to solve problems. That explains the Affordable Care Act, 100 tort reforms, the medical liability litigation industry, and difficulties.

Have you …

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Unlocking the power of doctors in addiction treatment [PODCAST]

Podcast
October 9, 2023
YouTube video

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Join Jack McGeachy, an emergency physician and expert in addiction medicine. Discover how doctors possess a hidden superpower when it comes to addiction treatment and how they can effectively address the biological, psychological, and social aspects of …

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Rural health care advocacy: Inspiring communities

Physician
October 9, 2023

As a resident physician working in a rural state that recently underwent a legislative session characterized by an overwhelming anti-patient, anti-trans, anti-abortion, and anti-physician-patient relationship stance, I find myself invigorated by the commitment and action of community members who persistently call for change and advocate for their right to health. They remind me of the expansive diversity within rural communities.

Despite state legislators who may present a loud, anti-diversity voice, they …

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Will Kaiser Permanente see a spike in medical malpractice from the strike?

Conditions
October 9, 2023

The Kaiser Permanente strike, with over 75,000 impacted employees, is the largest health care strike in the history of the United States. CNN reported that the affected workers are represented by a coalition of unions across California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington and Oregon.

The strike, which is intended to last four days and involves 40 percent of Kaiser Permanente’s staff, could deeply impact patient care. The reality …

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Balancing medical ethics in opioid treatment

Physician
October 9, 2023

What is a legitimate medical reason to prescribe an opioid medication today? For pain or addiction? Who decides which patients are worthy of treatment? This question is not just of academic interest. Any prescribing medical provider today must constantly live in fear that a law enforcement agent somewhere will disagree with the prescriber’s answer to these questions. On its face, it seems simple. If a patient has severe pain, a …

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Navigating grief: a doctor’s personal journey [PODCAST]

Podcast
October 8, 2023
YouTube video

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Join Humeira Badsha, a rheumatologist, as she shares her recent, unexpected journey through grief, offering profound insights into the emotional challenges faced by medical professionals. From a tearful moment of vulnerability with a patient to the traumatic …

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Harnessing ignorance: quantum reality and medicine

Physician
October 8, 2023

Scientists refer to this seeming paradox as being derived from the nature of quantum reality and Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle. Ignorance can be a “strength.” For example, when we want to identify someone, the photons that arrive at our retinas will be different depending on the many other factors surrounding that person.

However, we tend to disregard most of the objects, colors, or obstacles in the way and conclude that it is …

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Expressive writing reduces caregiver stress

Physician
October 8, 2023

Today, more than one in five Americans are caregivers, providing care to an adult or child with special needs at some time in the past 12 months. Given this sobering statistic, I’m surprised we do not see as many health narratives written by caregivers as, say, doctors and patients, at least not in print.

Caregiving is emotionally draining. However, writing when you are in a caregiving role is one of a …

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Navigating medication prescriptions in a DEA-observed world

Physician
October 8, 2023

I sit in my clinic office, looking at today’s schedule. It’s a nice office with lots of white and pastels, modern furniture, an up-to-date computer, and a desk. I always wanted my clinic to look like something from the future, and now, after twelve years, it finally does. Besides the screen on my desk, there is a large screen on the wall to my left, the patient’s right. From my …

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Coping with haunting memories of a patient’s loss

Physician
October 8, 2023

“That patient still haunts me,” I heard one of the PICU fellows murmur as he walked out of the auditorium. I wondered if I should have taken comfort after hearing that I was not the only one still struggling with this patient’s death. Despite months passing since this baby died, the memories of this family and their child continued to gnaw at me. It wasn’t until after that morbidity and …

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Navigating miscarriage: support and healing insights [PODCAST]

Podcast
October 7, 2023
YouTube video

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Nurse practitioner Maria Petty shares her experience with miscarriage in March 2023. She discusses the support she received from an early pregnancy assessment clinic, the importance of self-compassion, and practical tips for coping. Maria also touches on …

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Cosmetic surgeons’ contribution to mental health

Physician
October 7, 2023

The global cosmetic surgery market has witnessed remarkable growth in recent years—in 2021, it was valued at $67.3 billion, and projections suggest it will reach a staggering $201 billion by 2031, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.6 percent from 2022 to 2031. We can largely attribute this exponential growth to society’s increasing desire for enhanced aesthetic value and the evolving beauty standards of our time. As societal …

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The health care disruptors are not coming. They are here.

Policy
October 7, 2023

Plenty has been written and said about how health care in the United States is too convoluted to be disrupted by new entrants. Dan Munro, health care author, and Forbes contributor compiles most of the rationales provided by thought leaders in his 2018 article titled “10 Reasons Healthcare Won’t Be Disrupted.” While traditional health care systems carried on with some air of certainty, would-be disruptors continued …

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Generative AI’s impact on patient care [PODCAST]

Podcast
October 6, 2023
YouTube video

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Join Shiv Rao, a cardiologist and physician executive, as we delve into the transformative potential of generative AI in health care. We’ll discuss how generative AI can help doctors eliminate distractions, improve patient care, and enhance the …

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Don’t put off medical care: X-ray for minor knee pain finds tumor

Conditions
October 6, 2023

My fiancée had been complaining on and off about minor knee pain and swelling for months. She kept putting off doing anything about it, because she’s a former college basketball player who had already had two surgeries on that knee, and she assumed it was residual effects from those injuries. But I was having a slow day in clinic, so I told her to come in for an X-ray.

And then …

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Pageantry: an unconventional catalyst for career advancement in academic medicine

Physician
October 6, 2023

In an unlikely intersection, pageantry has the potential to play a pivotal role in accentuating career progression in academic medicine. Through meticulously crafting one’s professional demeanor and image, physicians can hone their interpersonal and networking skills and bolster their professional credibility. Drs. Wada and Nelson share how their participation in pageants over the years has served as an influential catalyst for success, both in medical school admissions and academic promotion.

Pageantry, …

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The role of institutions in medical misconduct

Conditions
October 6, 2023

There are no words more devastating than, “Our hands are tied” to a survivor reporting abuse and seeking some semblance of accountability from a larger institution. “The institution admitted no fault” is a close second.

Picture this sequence: a trusted physician at a renowned academic medical center sees a patient at a vulnerable stage in her life for a regular appointment. As she is exposed for a standard physical exam, he …

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Innovations in mental health care solutions [PODCAST]

Podcast
October 5, 2023
YouTube video

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Join Tom Zaubler, a psychiatrist and physician executive, for a discussion on the shortage of behavioral health professionals in the United States. We’ll explore its impact, the surge in mental health care demand, and the role of …

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