I read in a dusty novel that a famous pirate said there are no legacies in this life. Our lives, he said, float atop a fickle sea, and when we die, nothing remains. Many hands work the decks and, in the process, are worn, discarded, and forgotten. The sea gives, and eventually, she flushes the flotsam, leaving no monuments to souls and their adventures.
Well, this is not entirely true. And, …
This doctor sometimes listens to pirates
Health care technology has a long history of getting it wrong. The electronic health record (EHR) boom of the late 2000s was a remarkable transformation — taking our sector from paper charts to computers in a matter of just a few years. Unfortunately, most of the technology that was so feverishly adopted was developed without clinical input and with a focus on medical reimbursement and policy-compliance checklists over medical care. …
What if AI focused on respecting the craft of medicine?
A windy, bumpy road led my family into Costa Rica’s remote Nicoya Peninsula, one of the world’s five so-called Blue Zones. Our arrival in 2021 satisfied a wish I had made while undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer to visit this fascinating, biodiverse region where people are documented to live healthier, longer lives.
I have taught my students in the lifestyle medicine program at Metropolitan State University in Denver about the literature …
Blue Zones uncovered: a physician’s first-hand experience
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Join us for a discussion with Nathaniel Arana, CEO of NGA Healthcare, as we explore the growing influence of private equity firms in the health care sector. Over the past decade, private equity …
How physicians can fight back against private equity takeovers [PODCAST]
As a behavioral neurologist and professor in the departments of neurology, psychiatry, and physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Pennsylvania, my research focuses on using noninvasive brain stimulation technologies to help people with cognitive problems due to neurological disorders. I also study human cognition with the goal of better understanding how different parts of the brain work in order to help people preserve their brain health and cognition …
Working with your patients to promote healthy brain aging
Shortly after publishing a book, I received what seemed like a promising film adaptation offer from a reputable-sounding company. Despite initial excitement, I discovered it was a sophisticated scam. This experience taught me to stay vigilant and verify unsolicited offers—not only book and movie deals but any business promise that appeals to your ego and seems like a get-rich-quick scheme.
Many accounts similar to mine have been reported on the internet. …
Scams perpetrated on authors by impersonators and bad actors
The evolving health care landscape presents a growing demand for skilled providers. To meet this challenge, health care leaders must prioritize innovation and explore solutions that leverage existing resources to deliver the high-quality care that patients deserve.
The U.S. health care system faces a looming crisis: a critical shortage of clinicians. The Health Resources and Service Administration predicts a shortfall of nearly 140,000 physicians by 2036. Compounding this issue, a …
Interdisciplinary care teams play a pivotal role in mitigating the clinician shortage
It is time to consider a blend of paper and electronic records. Paper records will not remain relevant forever, nor will electronic records remain infallible. The purpose of any record is to ensure that the past is preserved. If the past is lost, the present feels weakened. However, this sense of weakness arises only when the present constantly relies on the past. What if there were no past to refer …
Paper vs. electronic records: Why a blend is essential for modern health care
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We dive into the evolving landscape of health care entrepreneurship with our guest, Tod Stillson, a family physician and entrepreneur. Tod shares his journey from traditional employment to establishing his own single-member professional …
New career paths for resident physicians [PODCAST]
I think the greatest quality in humans that makes them far superior to other creatures is the ability to think and act on their own free will. But there is another ability that makes us unique: the gift of feeling emotions and the capacity to love.
Unconditional love makes you a kid. I feel as if it deprives you of your cognitive ability to judge someone. It clouds your vision to …
When heartbreak leads to self-discovery
We have a big problem in this country. A recent poll found that half of U.S. physicians are still burned out. When Medscape surveyed 9,000 physicians across 29 specialties this year, they found that 49% of physicians report being burned out, and 20% report they are depressed. Physicians in front-line specialties who deliver primary care continue to be the most often affected.
A higher prevalence of female doctors (56%) report …
Beyond burnout: Normalizing psychotherapy for burned-out physicians and nurses
In my personal life and my training as a physician, the burden of “trying to never be wrong” was a mantle I was accustomed to carrying. In retrospect, it was probably a fusion of people-pleasing and perfectionist tendencies. Part of this character trait is having a fix-it mentality. Everything that was not working according to my plan should be fixed. If my patient is sick, I need to find out …
Breaking free from perfectionism: a physician’s story of transformation
U.S. allopathic medical school applications have skyrocketed, with over 60,000 applications in 2021, a nearly 100 percent increase in applicants over the past decade. Despite modest increases in the number of medical schools and class sizes, the result has been an ever-declining acceptance rate, with less than 38 percent of applicants accepted in 2021. Hopeful pre-med students pour over the grievously limited data available through the AAMC (Association of American …
Skyrocketing medical school applications: the hidden costs and stress factors
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Join us as we sit down with Amy Baxter, a clinical associate professor of emergency medicine, to explore the future of pain management. We’ll dive into the challenges and advancements in non-opioid alternatives, …
Non-opioid alternatives and the future of reimbursement [PODCAST]
In the past year alone, legislative assaults on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in higher education have surged across the United States. This disturbing trend threatens the foundational values of our academic institutions and endangers the very essence of health equity in medical education and practice.
The recent introduction of the Embracing Anti-Discrimination, Unbiased Curriculum, and Advancing Truth in Education (EDUCATE) Act by Rep. Greg Murphy, MD, and its 35 …
The misrepresentation of the EDUCATE Act and the future of our health care system
Suicide among resident physicians is a critical issue highlighted in various studies. Research indicates that depression is prevalent among resident physicians, with rates comparable to medical students, suggesting a pervasive problem across different levels of medical training. Burnout has also been linked to suicidal ideation among resident physicians, with a study reporting that 4.5 percent of American resident physicians specializing in surgery experienced suicidal ideation. Furthermore, while resident physicians may …
Suicide risks for international medical resident trainees
Sarah graduated college during the pandemic and landed a job with a Fortune 500 company in the IT sector, a competitive position. Like many others, she knew of the importance of landing a job, not just for a secure future with a good-paying salary, but in the United States as a way of securing access to health insurance.
This health insurance—being someone young and healthy—was something she got out of habit …
Studying medicine in a time of deep medical distrust: Why I remain hopeful
You wish to spend more time with patients while giving high-quality care. You’re tired of dealing with health plans’ red tape. Maybe a colleague boasted that he could charge $300 to $400 per consult out of pocket. To which you say, “You know what, I can do that too!” We don’t blame you. However, when starting our cash-pay clinic, we juggled several elements during the transition. We distilled that planning …
How to start your own cash-pay medical practice
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Join Ann McColl, a patient advocate, and James Whitlock, a neurologist, as they delve into their shared passion for understanding the journeys of patients with complex conditions within the medical system. Ann shares …
Changing the medical system with empathy [PODCAST]
Thirty years ago, I entered Loyola Medical School, and my initiation into the culture of medicine began. As best as I could at the time, I prepared myself for the challenges ahead. I aimed to cultivate a strong will, a powerful intellect, and what I hoped would be enough emotional maturity to succeed. I did not have any family connection to medicine, but I knew our society had certain expectations …
From masks to medicine: How empathy shapes true medical excellence
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