It is time to make the unvaccinated pay their fair share

Policy
January 4, 2022

Massachusetts is again experiencing a COVID-19 surge and our hospitals are overwhelmed, mostly with unvaccinated patients.

As a practicing physician who takes care of many high-risk diabetic patients, I ask all my patients about their COVID-19 vaccination status. I explain to my unvaccinated patients that the benefits of vaccination far exceed the risk, both at the individual and societal levels.

Unfortunately, this conversation only convinces a minority of the unvaccinated to get …

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I wish it didn’t require a cancer diagnosis to trust me [PODCAST]

Podcast
January 3, 2022
YouTube video

“The medical profession hasn’t changed.

Our credibility hasn’t changed.

Our commitment to care for you – to adore you, to grieve your diagnosis and what it means for you and your family – hasn’t changed.

Our advice hasn’t changed.

I’m grateful for your trust in me.

I wish it didn’t require a cancer diagnosis to …

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Hasan Minhaj’s joke at the expense of DOs

Physician
January 3, 2022

In September 2021, Hasan Minhaj appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and touted a purported “a war … between MDs and DOs.” In it, he compared osteopathic physicians, DOs, to RC Cola as opposed to the Coca-Cola of MDs, claiming that DOs are “off-brand doctor[s]” (and notably placing MDs above DOs with a slight, almost imperceptible motion of his hand). The bit occurred while Minhaj …

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Screening for adverse childhood experiences in pediatric primary care made my job easier

Conditions
January 3, 2022

When our pediatric clinic added the PEARLS (Pediatric ACEs and Related Life-events Screener) questionnaire to well-child visits, we were worried that we would uncover trauma that we didn’t know how to address. Our physicians feared that the volume of patients with high scores would be overwhelming. We contended that this additional work was impossible because we don’t have support services like counseling. Beyond that, we expected our patients would be …

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My colleagues didn’t take good care of me

Physician
January 3, 2022

I was recently, on two occasions, the recipient of poor care. Care provided by my colleagues. Care that was not good. Care that made me feel sad. Care that did not help me or my patients.

First, I was yelled at by an angry son, who said I had not taken good care of his 89-year-old mother and had “almost killed her.” He told me that information came from the hospitalist, …

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The high achiever and the motivated drinker

Conditions
January 3, 2022

I would like to say that this is a story much like the tortoise and the hare, only it isn’t. There is only one character in this story, the hare. The High Achiever and The Motivated Drinker are the same character and are driven by the same human instinct.

Have you ever wondered why a strong-willed, intellectually above average, high-achiever tries and fails to say “no” to one glass too many …

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A PSA from a neurologist to the medical community

Conditions
January 3, 2022

Have you ever been to a new city and realized you’d been pronouncing a street or a town name all wrong? Have you ever been from one of those cities and has it broken your heart to hear someone call Copley Square Cope-ly? Or pronounce the Schuylkill River or Worcester how it is spelled?

This is how neurologists feel when you call a stroke a cerebrovascular accident, or a CVA. It’s …

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Unsolicited advice from unmatched residency applicants [PODCAST]

Podcast
January 2, 2022
YouTube video

“When you enter medical school, you put your trust into an unspoken promise: Work hard, pass all your classes, and you’ll come out as a doctor after four years. While mostly true, this perception doesn’t take into account the residency application process and the possibility of graduating without a …

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Medical-legal consulting as a side gig

Physician
January 2, 2022

Medical-legal consulting is a great way to use your medical training in a non-clinical field that helps people. I started this field 14 years ago and have trained over 1,600 physicians to be medical-legal consultants. Most physicians do medical-legal consulting as a part-time side gig. All of the work is pre-litigation and pre-trial. I don’t act as a medical expert, and I don’t participate in medical malpractice cases.

There are over …

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How physicians can transform through play

Physician
January 2, 2022

I went ziplining with a group of fellow doctors this summer. It was an activity that was part of my Adventure Retreat for Women Physicians, which was a CME-awarding retreat that focused on having fun. This may sound extraneous, but making time for fun is one of the most impactful things you can do to bring more meaning and satisfaction into your life.

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor is a neuroscientist who …

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Is it OK to leave your partner in light of a serious emotional issue?

Conditions
January 2, 2022

So, your guy or gal is struggling with a serious emotional issue. Is that a basis for bailing?

Let’s get personal here; if you’ve got one foot out the door, you’re probably asking the wrong guy. One of my key values is loyalty. But before I start lecturing, let’s take a closer look at this issue.

A well-thought-out answer is important to this emotional quandary. Did your partner come into the relationship …

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Being naked with other doctors is a profound experience [PODCAST]

Podcast
January 1, 2022
YouTube video

“I am sitting in hot springs deep in the dark and crisp air woods – naked. It has been a day of lectures and workshops at a retreat with my fellow physicians. We are all naked in the effervescent, warm bubbles of the springs. In the dark, I can …

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Virtual organizations in health care

Tech
January 1, 2022

In almost all organizations, an employee has a supervisor responsible for guiding the employee in doing their job. This requires good communication between the two.

Currently, in medicine, especially during stays in the hospital, there is a similar relationship between physicians: The attending physician recruits the necessary specialist physicians to provide care for the patient and supervises their care. The difference is that this relationship is just for the patient, and …

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7 causes of low back pain

Conditions
January 1, 2022

The New Year is a typical time for resolutions, and one of the most common ones is to get healthier. For many of us, a common stumbling block is dealing with low back pain. As a rehabilitation medicine physician, my focus is nonoperative spine care within one of the top orthopedic practices in the country. Let’s talk about the causes of low-back pain and what we can do about it.

1. …

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The healing power of thank you

Physician
January 1, 2022

Recently, I had a patient die unexpectedly in the operating room. I consider myself mentally tough, but this was the first time I’d ever experienced a situation like this, and the impact on me was far greater than I would have anticipated.

On its own, the patient dying was a terrible event, but after our futile and desperate attempts to save him failed, I still had to face the horror of …

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I will keep my advocacy sword polished and ready [PODCAST]

Podcast
December 31, 2021
YouTube video

“I recognize that finding time for staff training and making sure the training is effectively practiced are challenges in a busy clinical setting. But taking care of patients means that both goals must be met to ensure safety, quality, and best possible clinical outcomes. As one who speaks and writes …

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Beware of errors in your medical record

Physician
December 31, 2021

Anyone can make a mistake — even your health care provider. And sometimes, those mistakes end up in your medical records. That can cause a variety of issues, including misdiagnosis, medication interactions, missed follow-up testing and care, duplicate testing and billing errors. Fortunately, HIPAA gives you the right to request a copy of your medical records from any health care provider who has treated you so that you can review …

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The COVID vaccine is a life raft. I’m not your life raft to get out of it.

Conditions
December 31, 2021

It began with a seemingly innocuous text from a friend of the family.

“Hi, Richard. I hope you’re well. I need to speak with you. Can I call you?”

The last time we spoke was at my brother’s long-postponed “celebration of life,” which we were able to hold a year after his passing finally. Our friend attended the wake, so feeling a sense of appreciation for his support during that time, I …

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CPT coding changes: 5 proven methods of how to do more with less

Policy
December 31, 2021

It’s well known that coding changes drive provider behavior, and billing behavior drives provider decisions.

For the last 30 years, little has changed in health insurance billing, which is why the standard of care within the payer system has remained, well, standard.

Then the pandemic hit, and suddenly everything was turned on its head. Patient demands increased sharply, office visits became impossible or prohibited across most of the country, and with telemedicine, …

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Health care guest workers could make “home, sweet home” a reality for America’s seniors

Policy
December 31, 2021

“If you want to be happy in a million ways, for the holidays, you can’t beat home, sweet home.” The late Perry Como’s observations reflect a bittersweet truth about an unattainable goal — not just during the holiday season, but each day of the year — for the 1.4 million Americans age 65 and over who reside in long-term care facilities. Older Americans who might prefer to age in place …

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