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Military leadership lessons for the U.S. health care crisis

Conditions

February 23, 2026

It is said that we live in difficult times, and that reality is unavoidable for anyone who does not live as a hermit in a cave somewhere. For patients and their doctors, the signs of impending failure are equally unavoidable.

Health care consumes 18 percent of U.S. gross domestic product and continues to rise faster than the rate of inflation. Consumer confidence in the goodwill and scientific integrity of U.S. health …

Surgical practice efficiency: How to fix a broken system

Paul Toomey, MD

Physician

February 23, 2026

For years, patients did not complain about their surgical care. They complained about not getting calls back.

The frustrating part was that my staff was calling them back. Messages were left. Voicemails filled up. Phone trees were in place. And still, patients felt ignored, staff felt defensive, and I found myself on a constant apology tour.

I assumed this was just how modern medical offices worked.

We had three people answering phones. We …

Value-based care workforce: Bridging the gap in clinical education

Kenneth Botelho, DMSc, PA-C

Policy

February 23, 2026

Health care is rapidly transitioning toward value-based care, yet many clinicians remain uncertain about what it actually means for their daily work. Despite widespread discussion of quality metrics, cost containment, and population health, clinicians are increasingly expected to deliver system-level outcomes without structured preparation to function within the systems that demand them.

If health care seeks to improve the lives of clinicians and patients while strengthening continuity of care, it must …

The death of private practice: unequal pay and hospital power

John C. Hagan III, MD

Policy

February 23, 2026

American health care has changed so profoundly in the last three to four decades that it is all but unrecognizable to those of us spending our careers in private practice. In my opinion, the root causes are not that complex. Foremost among them is the unconscionable disparity between the remuneration received by hospital-employed physicians and that of their counterparts in private practice for the same service or procedure.

This is abetted …

Curing U.S. health care: Why a fair health tax is the answer

Shah-Naz H. Khan, MD

Policy

February 23, 2026

The veil of pretense was snatched long ago. So, politicians dare not brazenly declare that the U.S. has the greatest health care in the world. The system is broken. Neither Republicans nor Democrats have a remedy. It is a perverted Robin Hood system, where the rich are robbed to serve the poor poorly.

The exorbitant insurance premiums are unaffordable for many, and for others, it is as if it were a …

Uterine aging plays a critical hidden role in IVF outcomes [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

February 22, 2026

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Fertility specialist Oluyemisi Famuyiwa discusses her article “Uterine aging in IVF: Why the ‘soil’ matters as much as the seed.” Oluyemisi explains that while clinicians often focus on egg quality, the aging …

A tribute to an oncologist: the power of mentorship in medicine

Dr. Damane Zehra

Conditions

February 22, 2026

Yesterday morning, I learned that one of my teachers had passed away. He was only 63, a devoted, tireless oncologist who spent his life teaching and training many oncologists across Pakistan. Many of his students went on to work abroad as senior oncologists and professors, carrying his legacy far beyond borders.

He was not my direct teacher, but rather the teacher of my supervisor, a teacher of a teacher. Yet distance …

Marijuana rescheduling: Why the medical community’s silence is dangerous

Farid Sabet-Sharghi, MD

Meds

February 22, 2026

By presidential order, marijuana has been rescheduled from Schedule I to Schedule III. This is not a subtle bureaucratic shift. It is a historic decision with major medical, regulatory, and cultural implications. Yet, astonishingly, much of the medical community has responded with near silence. There has been little serious discussion, no broad professional debate, and minimal effort to educate clinicians or the public about what this change does, and does …

Future of AI in medicine: Will algorithms replace doctors?

Patrick Hudson, MD

Physician

February 22, 2026

I recently wrote a four-part series examining AI and the future of medicine. The response confirmed something important. Physicians are not merely curious about artificial intelligence. They are unsettled. The headlines are loud. Automation. Disruption. Replacement. It is reasonable to ask whether doctors will lose jobs, whether surgeons will be replaced, whether this is the beginning of a profession fundamentally reshaped.

The answers are neither triumphalist nor catastrophic. AI replaces tasks. …

Why PAs are masters in medicine, not competitors to MDs

Chidalu Mbonu, MPH

Education

February 22, 2026

As my first rotation in surgery draws to a close, I’ve been reflecting not only on anatomy and technique, but on the structure of medicine itself. Surgery teaches hierarchy not as an obstacle but as a rhythm, one that protects patients and preserves excellence. In that rhythm, I found clarity about my role as a PA student: to learn medicine deeply while honoring the lineage of those who have mastered …

Reflection vs. rumination: Is medical education harming students?

Vijay Rajput, MD and Seeth Vivek, MD

Education

February 22, 2026

Reflection has become one of the core virtues of contemporary health professional education. From journaling assignments to mindfulness prompts to competency-based portfolios, students are repeatedly asked to look inward. Reflection is framed as the doorway to insight, empathy, and professional identity formation. But an uncomfortable question is beginning to surface in hallway conversations and faculty retreats: Can too much reflection, or reflection done poorly, actually harm our learners?

At first glance, …

The hidden cost of medical board regulation and prosecutorial overreach

Kayvan Haddadan, MD

Physician

February 22, 2026

Close your eyes and imagine a health care system that truly prioritizes patients above all else, one that is free from political interference, financial incentives, or secondary gains that distort decision-making. In this ideal framework, regulatory bodies such as the Medical Board, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) would enforce guidelines uniformly and based on evidence, without inadvertently inflating costs or compromising care quality …

Asking what love would do transforms leadership [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

February 21, 2026

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Pediatrician and certified coach Jessie Mahoney discusses her article “Leading with love: a physician’s guide to clarity and compassion.” Jessie shares how a personal crisis involving her husband’s severe depression forced her …

Peptides for chronic pain: Navigating safety and regulations

Stephanie Phillips, DO

Meds

February 21, 2026

I have so many patients struggling with horrible arthritis pain! All the treatments we have either really don’t work well or have side effects, and many times cause more harm than good. I found myself having a risk-benefit discussion with every single patient with chronic pain, and at times, feeling like I was doing more harm than good when trying to help treat the pain.

Patients are taking NSAIDs, and I …

Integrative oncology nutrition: a case study in leukemia recovery

Dr. Manjari Chandra

Conditions

February 21, 2026

She arrived exhausted, a shadow of the lively 31-year-old she once was.

She was diagnosed with leukemia in January 2023, underwent intensive IV chemotherapy, and was now on maintenance oral therapy. When I met her in July 2025, survival was no longer a question. It was about quality of life.

Fatigue consumed her days. Digestive discomfort disrupted her nights. Recurrent infections kept her in constant vigilance. Her laboratory values reflected a body …

Mifepristone safety: Comparing the data to Viagra and penicillin

Theresa Rohr-Kirchgraber, MD and Sophia Yen, MD, MPH

Meds

February 21, 2026

As physicians, we pride ourselves on following the evidence. We weigh risks and benefits, assess data, and trust science to guide decisions about patient care. Yet, when it comes to reproductive health, lawmakers and courts too often override scientific consensus. Nowhere is that clearer than in the debate over mifepristone.

Patients deserve care rooted in evidence and science, not ideology. To provide safe and best-practice medical care, physicians need the ability …

Agentic AI: the key to saving annual preventive exams

Sara Pastoor, MD

Physician

February 21, 2026

Annual preventive exams have been a staple of American medicine for decades. Yet despite their importance, preventive visits remain underutilized in American health care, which is no surprise in a system that centers sick care and incentivizes churning out services instead of improving outcomes.

In fact, only 60% of Medicare beneficiaries complete their annual well visits, and less than 65% of children under 19 complete their well-child check-ups. When …

Bureaucracy now consumes most of your health care spending [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

February 20, 2026

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

Vascular surgeon Paula Muto discusses her article “Give the health care dollar back to patients.” Paula argues that the government shutdown over health care funding misses the real issue of administrative bloat …

Rural health care crisis: Can telemedicine close the gap?

Griffin Popp

Policy

February 20, 2026

Between 2005 and the present, 195 rural hospitals have closed, with a 50-hospital net reduction occurring just between 2017 and 2023. These closures, compounded by significantly worse measures of social determinants of health (SDOH), high prevalence of Medicaid or Medicare patients, and longer commute times, have created a crisis of access for rural Americans.

The disproportionate impact on rural residents

Compared to their urban and suburban counterparts, …

Reviewing locum tenens agreements: Look beyond the hourly rate

Sriman Swarup, MD, MBA

Physician

February 20, 2026

I was halfway through reviewing what looked like an excellent locums opportunity when I realized the hourly rate was the least important number in the agreement. The compensation was strong. The schedule was flexible. Travel was covered. On the surface, it seemed straightforward.

But what ultimately determined whether the opportunity made sense had very little to do with pay. It had to do with clarity.

The difference between conversations and contracts

Locums conversations …