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Innovation doesn’t have to be flashy to make a big impact

Policy

June 23, 2024

Labor shortages have become a pressing concern across the health care sector, with the nurse staffing crisis looming large over hospitals and health systems nationwide.

A report from the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission illuminated the severity of the workforce challenges, revealing a doubling of vacancy rates for registered nurses in the state’s hospitals from 2019 to 2022. Despite concerted efforts, the problem persists, with health systems still resorting to costly pandemic …

Unlocking hidden leadership: the powerful skillset of parenthood

Victoria Chiaro, DO, MPH

Physician

June 23, 2024

I came back from ACOG feeling invigorated. This year’s theme was “Leading from where you are,” and let’s just say the leader in me was re-activated. I identified with so many qualities of the speakers; I felt inspired and ready to make an impact. Specifically, I felt ready to serve on committees and lead. Once home, I was ready to pull out my laptop and write down my goals. But, …

From ER to wallet: Understanding medical expenses [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

June 22, 2024

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

Join us as we welcome Neill Slater, an emergency physician, to discuss the critical issue of patient compliance and the hidden costs of health care. We will explore why patients often don’t take …

Building the future of African plastic surgery: Igniting passion in medical students

Shirley Sarah Dadson

Conditions

June 22, 2024

Recently, I completed a rotation at the plastic surgery department of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Ghana. Reflecting on this experience, I realized a few things. My perception of plastic surgery practice was naive and uninformed. This experience has been an eye-opener as it has challenged preconceived notions and revealed the multifaceted nature of this wonderful specialty. However, I recognize that most African students do not have the same opportunity. Only a …

The doctor’s struggle: How prescription opioids can lead to addiction

Christina Fraser & Jeffrey L. Fraser, MD

Physician

June 22, 2024

In the heart of America, the opioid epidemic continues to surge, claiming lives and livelihoods with an unrelenting grip. While many believe that addiction stems from illicit drug use, a significant portion of opioid addictions actually begin with a prescription from a doctor. This troubling reality is exemplified by the experiences of Dr. Jeffrey Fraser, a family practice physician from Lincoln, Nebraska, who found himself ensnared in the very crisis …

The tiniest ray of hope for reasonable physician compensation?

Dennis Hursh, Esq

Finance

June 22, 2024

When you have been reviewing physician employment agreements for nearly four decades, you tend to get a little jaded about the possibility of ever seeing reasonable compensation for physicians. Although I am continually preaching to the choir about the need for reasonable physician compensation, I rarely see something that gives me encouragement that physicians may someday be paid appropriately for everything they do.

However, recently I have reviewed several agreements titled …

Women in medicine: Balancing career and family [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

June 21, 2024

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We welcome Christine J. Ko, a dermatopathologist, to discuss the evolving landscape of women in medicine. Inspired by America Ferrera’s powerful monologue in Barbie and Jennifer Lycette’s insightful essay on the challenges faced …

A consulting firm under fire: Examining a new criminal probe in opioid crisis

Jay K. Joshi, MD & Ron Chapman II, JD

Physician

June 21, 2024

Roughly a month ago, a prestigious consulting firm found itself, once again, in hot water for its involvement in allegedly contributing to the opioid crisis. We saw many of the same headlines competing for the top spot in our inbox.

“Justice Department is investing in an elite consulting firm.”

“Top management firm under criminal investigation.”

Beneath that, we saw a second layer of headlines, with a more scandalous tinge of corporate gossip.

“Former partner …

Why resilience training alone won’t fix physician burnout

Dike Drummond, MD

Physician

June 21, 2024

In my work with thousands of overstressed physicians and over 175 health care organizations, I have repeatedly learned one lesson: resilience training alone is not sufficient to rein in the epidemic of physician burnout.

If you believe, as I do, that physicians are the canary in the coal mine of medicine, then it is clear the epidemic of physician burnout is an indictment of the conditions of the mine, not the …

The secret to clear EMR notes

Charles Tanguay, MD

Tech

June 21, 2024

Are you tired of spending hours deciphering your colleagues’ EMR notes or struggling to understand your own? Excessive details in documentation can lead to confusion and decreased productivity. Leonardo da Vinci once said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” It’s time to declutter your documentation and unlock the benefits of clear, structured clinical notes.

Why you should write clearer notes

Bloated notes clutter up space on your screen and in your thought process, …

Read more…

The secret to clear EMR notes

How oncologists and patients build lifelong connections

Dr. Damane Zehra

Physician

June 21, 2024

Oncology is a kind of specialty in medicine that involves seeing the same patients for many years. This can be beneficial when your patient is cured in cases of limited-stage disease or if the disease is stable on treatment for a long period of time in cases of advanced disease. In both scenarios, you follow the patient closely regularly and form a strong bond with them, even if you don’t …

What every mom needs to know about post-delivery pelvic floor injuries [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

June 20, 2024

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

Join us for an enlightening episode with Sarah Boyles, a urogynecologist, as we delve into the often overlooked topic of pelvic floor health post-delivery. While the joy …

Lewy body dementia: a journey through hallucinations and imagination

Jodi L. Lyons

Conditions

June 20, 2024

An excerpt from The Sea Glass Epidemic.

… It was at this time the mouse asked Beth if he could bring over some friends. Naturally, Beth assumed the mouse was talking about other mice. Much to her surprise, the mouse ran into the kitchen, walked under the doorway into the laundry room, and disappeared behind the water heater.

“Be right back,” he called over his shoulder. A few minutes later, the …

My fear of pharmaceuticals stole a decade from me

Jennifer Roy

Conditions

June 20, 2024

I have a cat.

That’s my go-to answer when people ask me if I have children. It’s just easier than saying my refusal to take FDA-approved medications for severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) stole a decade of what could have been normal life from me.

Studies show it takes an average of 17 years for patients with OCD to receive adequate therapy. Thankfully, in the past ten years, this duration is starting …

From house calls to the OR: a surgeon’s journey and unexpected lessons

Sid Schwab, MD

Physician

June 20, 2024

Clueless at the time, when I applied to medical school, I imagined myself one day making house calls, good ol’ Doc Schwab, paid in chickens and pies, smiles, and blackberry jam. There I’d be, delivering babies on kitchen tables, patching up Old Lady Jones’s leg on the sofa, shaking out thermometers, and feeling foreheads. One of my roommates in med school was the son of such a doctor, although instead …

Why distracted detecting is the hidden threat to your health and safety

Deepak Gupta, MD

Physician

June 20, 2024

Just like distracted driving, there can be a term called distracted detecting; however, when one delves further, one realizes that distracted driving itself is one form of distracted detecting. Distracted detecting can be understood through the prey-predator analogy within the animal kingdom, with particular relevance during vulnerable adolescence. This concept is detailed in books co-authored by Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and Kathryn Bowers, titled Zoobiquity: The Astonishing Connection Between Human and …

Medical misinformation: How to find clarity in a sea of contradictory advice

M. Bennet Broner, PhD

Conditions

June 20, 2024

I read an array of medical literature, both technical and public. But despite my education, experience, and reasonable intelligence, I find myself bewildered by the overwhelming deluge of information and recommendations: frequently contradictory, at times inaccurate, and often meaningless, that presently inundates individuals. If I can be befuddled, what about the average person with a high school diploma or a bachelor’s degree and little medical experience?

Perhaps there is so much …

GLP-1 medications for teens: Balancing weight loss and metabolic health [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

June 19, 2024

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

We’re joined by Karla Lester, a pediatrician and certified life and weight coach. Together, we explore the journey of Lizzie and her mother, Jackie, as they navigate the complexities of health, weight, and …

How neurologists can repair the home of broken promises

Harsh Moolani

Conditions

June 19, 2024

“I broke our only promise,” swelling with guilt, Sarah wept as she stumbled out of the front door. Two years ago, her father asked her to never leave him in a nursing home. They pinky promised.

But how could anyone have predicted what would follow in the upcoming years? His dementia progressively worsened, complicated by falls every three months. Despite balancing his growing needs while also providing for her family, there …

Opium wars to fentanyl crisis: a history of drug conflicts

L. Joseph Parker, MD

Physician

June 19, 2024

Drug use has a complicated history in the Western World. Not quite two hundred years ago, starting in the Fall of 1839, Britain attacked the nation of China for having the audacity to ban an addictive substance, opium, that the British were selling to the Chinese people. Opiate addiction was rampant in China at the time, and the emperor had issued a prohibition on the drug. Britain destroyed much …

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