In health care, as in life, people devote a lot of time and attention to the way things should be. They’d be better off focusing on what actually could be.
As an example, 57% to 70% of American voters believe our nation “should” adopt a single-payer health care system like Medicare for all. Likewise, public health …
Why retail giants will revolutionize American health care
The intertwining of history, health care, and artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized medicine, opening up new possibilities for diagnosis, treatment, and patient care. This article will explore the journey from the inception of health care to the current era of AI-driven medical advancements and envision the future of AI in health care.
Health care through the ages
1. Ancient medicine: In the earliest human …
Revolutionizing medicine: the journey of health care and AI
One early evening in June, we sat in the second row of a Health Sciences Building classroom with 79 other students enrolled in the Summer Medical and Dental Education Program (SMDEP). We were excited to hear a guest lecture from a program alumnus, a clinician who shared that he, too, had lived in an underserved community, had Medicaid insurance, and relied on community clinics growing up. He concluded his presentation …
Raising reimbursements: the Medicaid imperative
As the spring planting season approaches, seven farmers from my home state of Illinois traveled to Washington, DC to participate in the “Farmers for Climate Action” rally. Farmers sought meetings with lawmakers, including Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Sen. Durbin and others are crafting the Farm Bill, and the farmers want to ensure climate change …
Food is medicine: Why doctors care about the Farm Bill
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In this episode, Sheetal Gambhir, a geriatrician, discusses the importance of feet in preventing falls in elderly patients. She shares insights on what to look for in shoes, including surface area, heel height, and sole consistency. She …
Preventing falls in seniors: the surprising role of shoes [PODCAST]
A survey published by the American Medical Association (AMA) last year reveals that patients are very concerned about the privacy of their medical information, perhaps more concerned than most physicians and practices are aware. As health care providers using the latest medical technology, we tend to view the ability to share information electronically with other providers and payers (and the ability to view and obtain records from care delivered elsewhere) …
Patient privacy: Why it matters more than you think
Working night shifts in health care, particularly emergency medicine, requires maintaining alertness and focus during extended hours. I’ve experienced firsthand the challenges and risks associated with sleep deprivation, including a frightening incident when I fell asleep while driving after a long stretch of night shifts. Fortunately, nothing serious occurred, but it highlighted the importance of staying alert. One potential solution gaining popularity …
The secret to staying alert during night shifts: coffee naps and more
This past year I was fortunate to begin a fellowship in contemplative medicine at the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. Maybe this isn’t the extra-curricular activity you would expect from an orthopedic trauma specialist. Since I entered medical school almost 30 years ago, this has been the most rewarding experience by far.
Why? We all know our system is broken, but its brokenness goes beyond the “for-profits, occasionally also …
The sacred work of a quality doctor: lessons in contemplative medicine
Are you tired of being an employed physician or working for a staffing agency? Are you tired of being one of their many minions? Are you indeed ready to be your own boss? Are you ready to make some serious money? If so, then it’s time you start your own locums agency!
Are you tired of the bureaucracy and lack of respect from administrators? Are you frustrated by the lack of …
Start your own locums agency today: a step-by-step guide
It has long been known that humans are scared of ghosts. So, it’s not surprising that humanity is getting scared of artificial intelligence. Too much has already been written about this fear. Here, it’s worth writing about one specific fear: the fear of sharing credits when artificial intelligence is “writing” for humanity and yet remaining the ghost despite the obvious after reading such write-ups. The question is, why is humanity …
The battle for authorship: humanity vs. AI
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In this episode, we are joined by Robert Allan Bear, a physician and health care consultant, to explore the challenges of maintaining strong organizational cultures in health care systems. Robert delves into the impact of pre-pandemic stress …
How strong leadership revives faltering health care cultures [PODCAST]
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 …
Surviving infidelity: a story of strength and hope
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 …
The insurance denial process: one oncologist’s fight against a broken system
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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 …
From addiction to exclusion: a physician’s struggle for redemption
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 …
April 16th is National Healthcare Decisions Day: Plan for your end-of-life care now
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. …
Fighting for life: inside an emergency room during a medical crisis
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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 …
Healing the healer: How physicians can overcome the struggle of caring [PODCAST]
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 …
Why weight loss drugs are not the answer to obesity
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 …
An anesthesiologist’s story: Going beyond the protocol to save a life
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 …
The true value and power of respect is too often undervalued
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