I was sitting alone in a rundown trailer in the woods, surrounded by five acres of trees that crowded the blue sky. I had 60 aminophylline pills in my hand, hoping they would end my life. As an asthmatic, I believed that this was the best way to escape my problems, and no one would ever find me in this remote location.
My husband and I had moved to this place …
It is 4:15 p.m. in my clinic, and I’m running an hour behind.
One of my morning patients arrived acutely ill and thus required more of my time and attention than the schedule allotted for. Accordingly, every patient after that has ended up waiting for me. And, as I’m a cancer physician, each of them requires—and deserves—all my time and energy. There are no “easy” visits here.
By the end of the …
Many consequences can happen to a physician who has faced the disease of addiction. One of the worst is to be placed on the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) exclusion list, which prohibits billing for both Medicare and Medicaid. During my hydrocodone addiction, I diverted the medication by writing prescriptions to my patients, who would bring the pills back to me for my use. I was charged with a …
When COVID killed thousands of seniors three years ago, few of them showed up in emergency rooms with advance directives. Even fewer thought about the end of life or how to die. Sadly, many lives were discarded in makeshift morgues/cooling trucks behind hospitals. It’s never too early to plan for the next pandemic, retirement, and the end of life.
On April 16, 2023, National Healthcare Decisions Day, take a moment and …
The emergency room was bustling with activity as the medical staff worked to stabilize the patient, who was lying unconscious on a hospital bed. His wife sat anxiously by his side, tears streaming down her face.
It wasn’t the first time 70-year-old Mr. Smith had been to the emergency room. His past medical history included high blood pressure and cholesterol, but his non-compliant attitude towards medication had put him at risk. …
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Join us in this insightful podcast episode as we welcome Karen Leitner, an internal medicine-pediatrics physician and life coach, to discuss the unique challenges physicians face when their loved ones need medical care. Karen shares her personal …
Drugs that cause weight to melt away sound more tempting than chocolate cake, but weight loss drugs won’t cure obesity. And that’s OK, because obesity isn’t a disease to be cured. Obesity is just a risk factor for more important risk factors. Fat people are more likely to have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes, conditions that can increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes – but it’s …
I was waiting for my son at the ice rink in one of Chicago’s northern suburbs. Hundreds of people had gathered to watch the Illinois State Championship games. A parent, who knew I was an anesthesiologist, grabbed me by the elbow and said, “Hey, Doc, someone in the lobby is not feeling well.”
I went to the lobby, where I saw my firefighter friend performing chest compressions (CPR) on an older …
Everyone recognizes that respect is essential in critical relationships with colleagues, patients, their families, and others. So why should the topic deserve closer scrutiny?
Seven Ways to Fix Policing NOW: Building Trust, Authentic Partnerships, and Safe Communities was authored by Kathleen O’Toole and my colleague Robert Peirce. They describe why a Chicago detective had such an exceptional gift for handling even the most fraught situations.
He explained that “everyone was born a …
Professional “creep” refers to the phenomenon where the responsibilities and expectations of a particular profession gradually expand beyond their original scope and begins to overlap with other professions. This can occur due to various factors, such as technological changes, societal expectations shifts, and personal and financial gains. Professional creep can be both positive and negative.
Goodbye, WebMD … and hello, ChatGPT!
As physicians, we are accustomed to hearing from our patients about …
Fungi have a well-deserved surge in popularity. More mushroom varieties have found their way to grocery store shelves, shopping lists, and food blogs. Mushroom foraging is a trending activity as people endeavor to connect to nature. There is a growing market of mushroom coffee shops touting health-related boosts and “medicinal fungi” being sold as herbal teas and supplements. Innovative products have hit the market, from …
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In this episode, we talk with Harvey Castro, a physician and health care consultant, about how artificial intelligence (AI) can help tackle the physician and nursing shortages in the United States. We discuss the contributing factors behind …
Data published in 2021 by the Association of American Medical Colleges estimates that the U.S. could experience a shortage of 37,800 to 124,000 physicians by 2033. Rural America is struggling, as the majority of graduate training facilities are disproportionately located in metropolitan areas. This geographic imbalance directs doctors and residents away from already underserved and marginalized populations, leading to poorer health care access and increased morbidity and mortality rates. …
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Physicians dedicate their lives to the well-being of their patients, often neglecting their mental health in the process. The demanding nature of their profession, coupled with long hours, emotional exhaustion, and immense responsibility, can result in physician burnout, depression, anxiety, and even suicide. In this article, we will discuss the importance of mental health and self-care for physicians and provide some actionable …
There are difficult issues confronting physicians generally, regardless of whether they are primary care physicians or specialists or employed or in private practice. The list is long and growing as more and more requirements, costs, mandates, and regulations are being inflicted in an environment of decreasing compensation. All of these lend to the rapidly lost freedom and autonomy for a medical profession where these are foundational.
It seems clear that the …
An excerpt from Particles in the Air.
As he sat in the empty waiting room several hours later, Forest couldn’t recall how he made it through the remainder of the morning. He had never felt so terrible in his life, even as a child. His chest and ribs were exceptionally sore …
In the 1970s, my brother and I were raised as twins. He’s a year older than me, but we wore matching denim outfits, had thick side-parted hair, and worshiped The Beatles. Near identical though we were, only one of us was queer. And America was lying in wait.
When I was a toddler, the American Psychiatric Association de-pathologized homosexuality, but nearly 40 percent of its members fought that decision. Many of …
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Join us in this episode as we dive into the incredible bond between Sharyar Baradaran, a periodontist, and Arya Shamie, an orthopedic surgeon. Despite their different religious backgrounds and specializations, these two childhood friends from Iran have …
Lawyers assert that they never file a frivolous lawsuit. All malpractice claims are legitimate because there is a reasonable suspicion of fault when a case is filed.
On January 21, 2022, at 11:40 a.m., I received a call from my attorney, who represented me in a frivolous malpractice lawsuit, informing me that I was unconditionally dismissed. I never doubted that dismissal with prejudice was inevitable.
For a lawyer, a …
Effective communication is the cornerstone of the patient-doctor relationship, fostering trust, empathy, and understanding between both parties. As a physician, honing your communication skills helps to facilitate accurate diagnoses and treatment plans and improves patient satisfaction and adherence to medical recommendations. This article will explore strategies to help you communicate more effectively with your patients as a health care professional and discuss …
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