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A lesson in generosity: How one woman helped a stranger afford insulin

Conditions

June 14, 2024

I waited in line at the pharmacy, a familiar chain store. The man in front of me waited patiently for the technician to ring up his meds. I overheard her say to him, “$125.00. That includes your insulin.”

The man bowed his head and smiled politely, showing many missing teeth. He was dressed modestly. I did not know his name. I did not know him. I had never met him before. …

A story of liver cancer and diabetes [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

June 13, 2024

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

Join us for a discussion on the critical intersection of diabetes and liver disease. Our guest, Sarah Bauer, a pediatrician, shares her personal journey and insights into the recent screening guidelines released by …

Health care’s breaking point: patients and physicians abandoned

Michele Luckenbaugh

Conditions

June 13, 2024

I know you are wounded, as I am also injured.

It is as if we have been battered and bruised and kicked to the side of the road, left there alone to suffer. An ignored problem will soon be forgotten; at least, that is their contention.

We have screamed out our maladies and concerns to those in closed, cold rooms, those with mechanical minds that churn out debits and credits but cannot …

Why charm and competence are essential for career survival

Deepak Gupta, MD

Physician

June 13, 2024

Charm and competence among providers should ideally be concordant, but they can sometimes be discordant, which should be evaluated and corrected if possible. This discordance isn’t limited to health care; it can also be observed in politics, during litigation, and within families. Charming politicians can sway followers, charming litigators can sway juries, and charming family members can influence their families. Whether or not their competence, or lack thereof, gets overlooked …

Balancing expectations and reality in modern obstetrics

Roshni D. Patel, DO

Physician

June 13, 2024

“I want everything to be natural.”

Well, we are in a building with electricity and high-speed internet, neither of which are gifts from Mother Earth.

Yes, that’s really how I responded to a patient. We laughed, but her comment allowed me to reflect. I interpret this statement to be the patient’s wish to minimize intervention or achieve a vaginal delivery. I understand this position. However, it may stem from the cultural mythology …

How contemplative medicine revived a doctor’s passion [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

June 12, 2024

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Join Koshin Paley Ellison, a psychotherapist and author of Untangled: Walking the Eightfold Path to Clarity Courage and Compassion. Explore the transformative power of contemplative medicine as we delve into topics such as …

13 reasons why women should not be doctors?

Charles Tanguay, MD

Physician

June 12, 2024

This article is satire.

In recent years, health care has made significant strides toward gender equality. But are these changes for the better? Let’s use facts to address the misconceptions and finally close the topic of women in medicine.

1. Female doctors make less money than men. As everyone knows, quality of care is directly proportional to revenue.

2. Female doctors cannot handle multiple patients. They are, after all, the undisputed queens of …

Is your portal making you too available? Give your patients an option that works for everyone.

Anand P. Lothe, MD

Physician

June 12, 2024

Recently, a physician wrote about how access to a patient portal has turned his primary care practice into a reluctant concierge medicine practice, with patients asking questions and expecting quick responses day or night. I could relate. Modern technology is bringing a host of new, unexpected challenges to today’s physicians.

Patient portals may provide a level of ease and efficiency, but, as the physician rightly pointed out, they also create confusion, …

Ensure your physicians always have crisis support: 5-step awareness program

Dike Drummond, MD

Physician

June 12, 2024

Physician leaders: Are you committed to doing everything you possibly can to prevent physician suicide?

This CHAP is how you answer that question.

This document contains two steps that will ensure you do everything possible to be there for your people when they need you the most.

A simple audit that will show you how badly you fail to support your struggling doctors. It will take you less than 15 minutes to …
Read more…

Ensure your physicians always have crisis support: 5-step awareness program

How one patient’s death transformed my approach to mental health care

Claire Ellerbrock, DNP, APRN

Conditions

June 12, 2024

Prior to working as a nurse practitioner, I worked as a psychiatric registered nurse in an inpatient behavioral health setting, caring for individuals with severe mental illness (SMI). Individuals with SMI die ten to twenty years earlier than the general population due to comorbid medical conditions. I had been aware of this statistic for some time but only understood the devastation after I had an encounter with a patient in …

The unseen impact of Miami’s homeless crackdown

Madison Guido and Karen Weinstock

Policy

June 12, 2024

17th Street – nestled between Jackson Memorial, a major U.S. safety net hospital, and Camillus House, the largest homeless shelter in South Florida – is empty. There are no bicycles or tents belonging to the individuals who typically inhabit the area. There is no line outside of the Three Sisters where people usually wait for a meal. The street is quiet and desolate.

We visit 17th Street every Saturday morning with …

Mistakes make us better doctors [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

June 11, 2024

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Join us for an insightful exploration of the complexities of managing mistakes in health care with our guest, Josh Schwarzbaum, an emergency physician. Together, we’ll discuss the importance of embracing errors as opportunities …

Why the U.S. must urgently address maternal health disparities for Black women

Isabelle Akinyemiju

Policy

June 11, 2024

It is no secret that the U.S. lags greatly behind other developed nations in maternal health outcomes. When we hear the stories of women like Shalon Irving, who died three weeks after giving birth and whose pleas for help prior to her death were all but ignored, or the story of Kira Johnson, who was left hemorrhaging for ten hours in the hospital after what was supposed to be a …

CRISPR and eEVs in the fight against chronic diseases

L. Joseph Parker, MD

Conditions

June 11, 2024

In one of my favorite movies, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, the original crew of the Enterprise has traveled through time, back to the, to them ancient, city of San Francisco circa the 1980s. It’s all about Earth whales and alien cetaceans being none too pleased that we killed them all … And Klingons, of course. There must be Klingons. But what stuck in my young mind at the …

Why health care organizations must be accountable to local communities

Brian R. Jackson, MD and Paul R. DeMuro, JD, PhD, MBA

Policy

June 11, 2024

In the not-too-distant past, health care was a local industry. If you saw a doctor, they were likely a solo practitioner. If you went to the hospital, it was probably run by a local religious order or non-profit. Health care leaders and board members shopped at the same stores as their patients did, socialized in the same community groups, and sent their children to the same schools. Today, though, health …

Debunking the top myths about schizophrenia

Brooke Kempf, PMHNP-BC

Conditions

June 11, 2024

Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness often misunderstood. Stereotypical portrayals in movies and TV perpetuate false narratives, leading to inaccurate conclusions. Here are five common myths about schizophrenia and the truth behind them.

Myth: People living in poverty are more likely to get schizophrenia.

We tend to pair schizophrenia with assumptions of low income or poverty, but that’s not accurate. Sometimes, due to their illness and its effects, patients with schizophrenia may …

AI, the physician shortage, and other health care trends [PODCAST]

The Doctors Company & The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

June 10, 2024

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

Join guest Richard E. Anderson, chairman and CEO of The Doctors Company and TDC Group. We’ll delve into pressing issues shaping the future of U.S. health care, from the impact of AI-powered clinical …

It’s time for more genomics education in nursing

Nicole Letourneau, PhD, RN and Jacqueline Limoges, PhD, RN

Conditions

June 10, 2024

Genetic testing is now the standard of care for common diseases such as cancer and heart disease, predicting risk and enabling earlier and more effective patient care. It’s an exciting revolution in patient care that has far-reaching potential and continues to grow and expand. But in Canada, we are not using all of our health human resources to take advantage of this important transformation in health care.

What’s missing are …

Why do physicians – and psychiatrists in particular – write?

Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA

Physician

June 10, 2024

All writers want recognition of some sort. No?

Recognition can take many forms, such as positive feedback, awards, or simply the knowledge that their work is being read and appreciated. However, it is important to note that motivation can vary among writers. Some may write primarily for personal satisfaction, to express themselves, or to contribute to a specific field or cause.

Some writers write to make a living. In fact, professional writing …

Why we shouldn’t trust sleep-deprived doctors: a wake-up call

Arlene Rivera

Conditions

June 10, 2024

I wouldn’t trust my Uber driver to drive me after they’ve been awake for over 24 hours. Why would I trust my doctor?

Since starting medical school and hearing about the dreadful 24-hour shifts, I’ve constantly wondered why they are standard of practice, let alone legally allowed. Why would a hospital want the liability of a sleep-deprived doctor?

I first saw the effects of a 24-hour shift during my general surgery rotation. …