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We sit down with Ben Reinking, a board-certified pediatric cardiologist, medical educator, and certified physician development coach, to explore the challenges and rewards of medical training. We dive into themes of delayed gratification, …
How delayed gratification in medical school can make or break your career [PODCAST]
Walking through the narrow alleyways and past artisanal businesses in the Lake Atitlán region of the Guatemalan highlands, a swarm of children followed us as if we were a parade or a moving tourist attraction. As a global fellow through the Stanford Freeman Spogli Institute (FSI), I served as an interpreter and interviewer in this underserved region with extreme poverty a few …
The little boy who taught me the power of education in the Guatemalan highlands
I have a problem with some of the continuing medical education courses offered by large health care institutions, even those like Harvard and Mayo, which have outstanding reputations for evidence-based medicine. That’s because what they teach, although scientifically sound and in line with the Department of Health and Human Services and CDC recommendations, can get you prosecuted and convicted by the DEA. If you get targeted for practicing the way …
Doctors beware: the hidden legal risks of following CME guidelines
People learned during the COVID pandemic that getting limited care online via telemedicine can be a great way to expand access, especially in rural areas. But Visibly, founded in 2014, was ahead of the curve.
The Chicago-based company invented technology that lets people renew eyeglass prescriptions from home or anywhere with an internet connection. No appointment is necessary, no driving, and no waiting in a lobby. Licensed ophthalmologists review results and …
How South Carolina’s eye care laws are blocking telemedicine innovation
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We sit down with Kevin Ramotar, a clinical psychologist and health care executive, to explore the evolving landscape of mental health care. We dive into the challenges of measuring therapeutic outcomes, the role …
How measurement-informed therapy is changing mental health [PODCAST]
Sue went to the operating room today, which was not at all what I recommended, not that we ever discussed my personal opinion on the matter. With a worsening small bowel obstruction, I woke up this morning and, realizing that matters had worsened overnight, I called her husband, Dave. I don’t think I woke him, but his voice, one complicated by little, if any, sleep and likely hours of talking …
When a doctor acts like one of the kids
If you are embroiled in a medical malpractice lawsuit today, you are in a difficult situation.
Your lawsuit is one of 85,000 medical malpractice cases filed each year. Regardless of what your defense counsel tells you about merit, no one truly knows how many lawsuits have merit. A prominent defense attorney has gone on record declaring that there is no such thing as a frivolous lawsuit and publicly disavows any notion …
Is your medical malpractice case just a coin toss?
Generative AI is revolutionizing health care, particularly large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude. The potential is immense, from advanced diagnostic tools to predictive analytics and decision-support systems. However, our regulatory landscape has not kept pace. Traditional frameworks for new drugs and devices are inadequate for the unique characteristics of generative AI.
This article outlines a comprehensive framework to effectively regulate generative AI in health care, striking a crucial …
How to regulate generative AI in health care
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We sit down with surgeon Charles Dinerstein to explore the complex role of race in medical research and practice. We dive into the historical use of race as a variable in health care, …
Medicine’s race dilemma: What science says about genetics and health [PODCAST]
I attended a workshop on developing equitable health information materials, emphasizing that people are more responsive to data when individuals of similar complexion and/or features are represented. This concept originated in education, where research indicated that youth learned better from teachers with similar characteristics, and it was subsequently extended to health care. However, universal application is unrealistic, as Black children will not always have Black teachers, and patients of color …
Why representation alone won’t solve health care equity issues
As a fourth-year medical student applying to neurosurgery residency, my rotation in neurosurgery has been one of the most intense and rewarding experiences of my medical education. The days are long, the cases complex, and the learning curve steep, but every day reaffirms my passion for the specialty. Here is a glimpse into a typical day on my neurosurgery rotation—a day that starts before the sun rises and is filled …
A day in the life of a medical student on a neurosurgery rotation
I want to express my frustration with the state of health care in the United States, particularly in the context of my own experiences within the system. Over the past 12 years, I have submitted articles to KevinMD advocating for quality patient care and fair working conditions for health care professionals. I have urged hospital administrators to reevaluate their operations to improve patient and staff satisfaction and the overall efficiency …
Why is our health care system going down the drain and no one seems to care?
As a U.S. health care writer and patient advocate for almost 30 years, I read a lot. Recently, some of that reading is in court transcripts of doctors being persecuted out of medicine or into jail by various prosecutors and their hired “experts.” I use the term “persecuted” intentionally. I believe that “medical experts” in many court or Medical Board proceedings are simply “hired guns” – clinical predators hired for …
How biased medical experts are destroying doctors’ lives and careers in the opioid crisis
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In this episode, we sit down with Jonathan Fisher, a cardiologist, mindfulness teacher, and expert in holistic heart health. Drawing from his personal journey through anxiety and burnout, Jonathan shares insights from his …
Heal your heart from the inside out [PODCAST]
As endocrinologists, we spend our days balancing hormones and fine-tuning metabolism, but when it comes to our own continuing medical education (CME) conferences, it seems our ability to maintain equilibrium goes out the window. We advocate for healthy living, yet our CME events are a hormonal disaster, like a cortisol spike right after a sugar crash.
Picture the scene: you roll out of bed before the sun, which is already a …
Why endocrinologists need to rethink CME: the secret to a healthier conference
When I was a teenager, I worked summer nights at the Funtown Amusement Park on the south side of Atlanta, Georgia. After work, as I drove home to the north side of Atlanta, I had to pass through “Cabbagetown.” In the early 1960s, during the days of segregation in the South, Cabbagetown was a shantytown neighborhood inhabited by tough, white folks who worked at the nearby Fulton Cotton Mills. On …
What my patients taught me about faith
As a retired physician, I notice many seniors become skinny and weak due to muscle loss yet have big bellies as fat accumulates. They are less strong, less vibrant, and prone to falls and chronic illnesses like heart disease, diabetes, and cognitive decline. This does not need to happen, but many older people do not appreciate the health and wellness impacts of muscle loss …
How seniors can reverse muscle loss and belly fat
Once again, I found myself balled up on the kitchen floor, head between my knees, sobbing. My shoulders shook, and my chest heaved as I gasped for air, but air wouldn’t be enough. What I was truly gasping for was hope, something that had eluded me during this perpetually challenging season of my “neurodivergent” parenting career.
I’m not sure what made that moment any different from the countless dysregulated nights that …
What medicine never taught me about parenting a child with ADHD
War metaphors in oncology are controversial, to say the least. For some patients with cancer, the idea that they are “cancer warriors” in a “battle” with their disease is inspiring. Using such language gives them a sense of agency in a situation where very little is in their control. Many others loathe such language …
Has COVID-19 changed the way oncologists talk about cancer?
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In this episode, we sit down with vascular surgeon Adam Tanious to explore the complex relationship between “big business” and modern medicine. Drawing from his experience in the operating room and his deep …
Is big business controlling your surgeon’s decisions? [PODCAST]
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