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We delve into the complexities of opioid prescribing, pain management, and the opioid crisis with our guest, Richard A. Lawhern. As a patient advocate, Richard brings a unique perspective to the table. Join …
Opioid prescribing, pain management, and patient advocacy [PODCAST]
I am a former associate director in a state physician health program (PHP). I also hold faculty appointments at Baylor College of Medicine and Harvard Medical School in medical ethics and psychiatry.
There is a little-known nether realm inhabited by a subset of doctors who have or are suspected of having substance use disorders. These physicians often are referred to state PHPs which, because they’re generally considered voluntary in nature, have …
Physicians are being forced to pass polygraphs if they want to continue to practice
Today, doctors’ liberty and property are at risk when they choose to treat a patient. Not because of some new law but because of the misapplication of old ones. The current opioid panic has essentially given the DEA free rein to target any physician whose medical practice they disagree with. This has created a serious problem in American medicine and a unique danger to health care providers in this country. …
DEA overreach: a threat to doctors’ freedom in American medicine
Scientists have transitioned from crafting flying contraptions capable of moving massive payloads through unfriendly skies to exploring the vast expanse of the cosmos, affirming that the concept of impossibility holds no sway over their endeavors. Yet, their ambition now surpasses earthly confines as they endeavor to replicate the divine feat of Lazarus’s resurrection on a monumental scale. This profound aspiration propels neuroscientists into the captivating realm of cryogenics, igniting a …
Cryonics: advancements, ethics, and skepticism
At a time when many states are considering assisted suicide legislation, I was interested to encounter the perspective of the well-known bioethicist Arthur Caplan who recently expressed his support for these laws on these pages.
While I appreciate Caplan’s endorsement of protecting doctors’ ability to refuse, as a matter of conscience, to participate in assisted death, I admire his insistence on restrictions or safeguards within these laws to …
Assisted suicide: Safeguards debated as bioethicist warns of unintended consequences
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Did you know that non-compete contracts in the health care industry are constantly evolving? Join family physician and entrepreneur Tod Stillson as we dive into the latest legal changes impacting physicians’ professional mobility. …
Non-competes: Legal updates that give physicians options [PODCAST]
I was faced with a stark question—one that, though I have spoken openly about women’s rights, somehow I had not distilled into the succinct question posed by a coming-of-age woman living and attempting to digest our country’s policies. Simply put: “Mom, so they don’t care if women die?”
Oof! For a person who has a plethora of words for almost anything, I was caught off guard. My first instinct was to …
Do they care if women die? Exploring women’s rights.
Tolstoy. Dostoevsky. Repin. Stravinsky. While many people may not appreciate the significance of these Russian geniuses, or think that knowledge of them could enhance a pre-med education, I would not be the same person without learning about them. For me, pursuing a Russian major was more than a list of vaguely interesting classes or language study; it was a deeper dive into the qualities of a culture that I am …
How Russian studies enriched my journey to become a physician
Where I stand today regarding my forty years in clinical medical practice forces me to say things that every physician can personally relate to. After all, we old guys frequently languish in dispensing medical advice to our peers. Most of it comes from the heart.
We all adhere to the presumption that the “best doctors” are derived from an inner desire to help people with health care problems while relying on …
Reaching the cutting edge of medical practice, and losing it
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We sit down with Alan Lindemann, an obstetrics-gynecology physician, to delve into the intricate world of postpartum depression (PPD). With over four decades of experience in the field, Alan offers invaluable perspectives and …
Postpartum depression: 40 years of insights [PODCAST]
In the digital age, health care informatics has emerged as a pivotal field, transforming the landscape of health care delivery and management. This discipline, crucial for both professionals within the health care sector and the general public, leverages technology to optimize patient care, streamline operations, and address the burgeoning demands for an efficient and effective health care system.
Unveiling health care informatics
Health care informatics, as defined by the American Medical Informatics …
Health care informatics and the future of patient care
I sat there, frozen in time, full of fear, full of anxiety. Waiting for my time to “face the music,” but this wasn’t a dance party.
My fellow patients, complete strangers, were seated about me, and each of us kept a safe distance apart from each other—a carry-over from the pandemic, I guess. All of us waiting to get our news—a thumbs up or thumbs down.
For me, it is a yearly …
Inside the cancer waiting room where hope hangs in the balance
Imagine that Elon Musk had decided to buy Epic instead of the platform formerly known as Twitter. Imagine that he had developed his own EMR and informed every Epic user that they should watch their email for their assigned migration dates to the system he had developed, to be completed in the next 60 days. Anyone who has ever participated in the installation of a first EMR or the migration …
EMR shutdown highlights vulnerability in health care IT
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Join Preyasha Tuladhar, a family physician, as she shares her unique approach to primary care. She delves into the integration of biomedical, psychosocial, and cultural considerations in developing personalized treatment plans for her …
Redefining primary care: a holistic approach to well-being [PODCAST]
I just walked about 90 km in six days along the Via Matildica del Volto Santo between Mantua and Lucca through the Appenine mountains in the Emilia Romagna region of northern Italy. This beautiful, lesser-known route, crossing regions once ruled by the formidable Countess Matilda of Canossa, offered a unique blend of physical challenges and the opportunity to connect with history.
As a geriatrician committed to enhancing the health and well-being …
A geriatrician’s transformative walk in Italy
Nearly three decades ago, David Hilfiker, a family medicine physician in rural Minnesota, authored an essay in the New England Journal of Medicine titled “Facing our mistakes.” In the piece, he chronicles three major medical mistakes he made during his long career practicing medicine. Some of the mistakes are horrifying and others simply tragic, but he is brutally honest and forthcoming—displaying a frank self-reflection that is too frequently absent …
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In this episode, we are joined by Sarah Smithson, an internal medicine physician, as we discuss the stark disparities between the experiences within clinical settings and the broader public’s perception. Throughout our conversation, …
Bridging the gap between public perception and reality in health care [PODCAST]
As physicians, we’re trained to dig into a patient’s story to make a diagnosis. Ideally, we have time to get to know the person in front of us and get a comprehensive understanding of the reason for their visit. In an ideal world, we have the information we need to make an accurate diagnosis and set them on a treatment pathway that will improve their quality of life.
That’s the aspiration. …
Time wasted, care hampered: How antiquated tech hurts patient engagement
An excerpt from Narrative Medicine: The Fifth Vital Sign.
“If you don’t take a temperature, you can’t find a fever.”
— Samuel Shem, The House of God
I enrolled in a creative writing course at a local university to better understand the parameters of narrative medicine. I learned about the pillars of the narrative, such as poetry and creative nonfiction, and our class …
America expends much time, effort, and resources when people become seriously ill, bringing many face-to-face with their own mortality. For patients and their families, it is an emotional and difficult time under the best of circumstances. As a cardiologist, I participate in the decision-making that comes at this time, and it has provided me with the honor of delivering care that has allowed patients to rebound from acute illness and …
Assisted suicide is the wrong prescription
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