How innovative partnerships are transforming patient safety in health care
As health care leaders and providers, our ultimate mission is to provide safer care for all—but there’s a flaw in our system. Today, as many as 4 in 10 patients are harmed in primary and ambulatory health care settings, and up to 80 percent of this harm is avoidable. Patients should feel safe when they receive health care. Unfortunately, the pervasiveness of medical harm across all health care settings and …
The political crossroads shaping the future of medical training
As a training physician, the experience of navigating graduate medical education in today’s political landscape has introduced unprecedented adversity
Whether transitions in health policy or the continually evolving public perceptions of medicine as a field, trainees are now finding themselves at a unique crossroads where medicine, poignant societal issues, and personal morals intersect. While medicine is often influenced by policy of various forms, the current political climate, charged with intensely debated …
How payment models shape your doctor’s decisions [PODCAST]
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In this episode, family physician Jonathan Staloff and internal medicine physician Joseph H. Joo join us to discuss the challenges and opportunities in reshaping health care systems. Drawing from their book, Reshaping Health …
Medicare’s decision to stop telehealth coverage in 2025: an urgent call to action
Medicare is planning to stop coverage for telehealth in 2025—unless Congress acts by the end of 2024.
According to Medicare’s website:
Absent Congressional action, beginning January 1, 2025, the statutory limitations that were in place for Medicare telehealth services prior to the COVID-19 PHE will retake effect for most telehealth services.
This means most telehealth visits will not be covered by Medicare in 2025, unless Congress acts by the end of December 2024.
Congress …
The rise and fall of telepsychiatry
Telepsychiatry is a private audio (telephony) or video (video with sound) conference connection through which most psychiatric services can be provided to patients. I have been an early adopter and advocate for providing services, through telepsychiatry, to our patients who are experiencing mental health issues and psychiatric illnesses. The road leading to where we are right now in the field of telehealth has been treacherous and filled with regulatory landmines …
Christmas in a children’s hospital
In December, the questions parents ask in the hospital are different. Instead of “Will my child be OK?” we pediatric hospitalists hear:
“We have plane tickets to go skiing for Christmas. Will he be well by then?”
“She’ll be home for Christmas, right? We’ve never been away from home for Christmas.”
“It’s his first Christmas. He’ll be discharged by then, right?”
And every other variation you can think of. The hospital for Christmas is …
Rethinking shift work: Why “job sharing” is the key to happier, healthier doctors
In the realm of shift-based health care, the term “job sharing” doesn’t technically exist—after all, shifts aren’t a single continuous job to split. Yet, still, a full-time workload is considered the norm, and the concept of dividing the workload among multiple physicians rather than relying on one overburdened individual feels revolutionary in a field where burnout is rampant.
For independent contractors, who often enjoy the flexibility to choose when and how …
Breaking the silence on physician burnout and suicide
KevinMD has been publishing multiple reports about the current widespread, deeply worrisome physician burnout and suicide phenomena. As a card-carrying epidemiologist, I have sought to categorize these reports into the three overarching factors we might see in any epidemic, namely: agent, host, and environment. If we were to use this conceptual framework for research, we could gain a better understanding of how much each of its various facets contributes to …
Extracorporeal CPR: the next evolution of cardiac arrest care [PODCAST]
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Join critical care physician Jon Marinaro as we explore the transformative potential of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) in revolutionizing cardiac arrest outcomes. Discover why traditional CPR’s limitations demand a paradigm shift and how …
The oxygen mask principle: a critical lesson in health care self-preservation
In the high-stakes world of health care, medical professionals are renowned for their selfless dedication to patient care. They work long hours, navigate complex medical challenges, and consistently prioritize the needs of others. Yet, within this culture of compassion, there exists a profound and often overlooked truth: to provide optimal care, health care workers must first care for themselves.
The oxygen mask principle, famously demonstrated during pre-flight safety instructions on commercial …
Beware of these talking points in medical malpractice litigation
A medical liability litigation industrial complex manipulates medical liability litigation with three talking points. As a result, 85,000 lawsuits are filed per year. Of these, 56,000 are summarily dropped; 28,000 are settled; 300 are plaintiff verdicts, and 700 are defense verdicts. The cost of health care is $60 billion per year, and the medical liability litigation industrial complex takes a chunk of the action. There is considerable uncertainty. Facilities close …
A framework to deliver higher-value care [PODCAST]
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Join us as we dive into the Healthcare Incentives Framework with internal medicine physician and health policy researcher Taylor J. Christensen. Discover how this innovative approach identifies barriers to high-value care and explores …
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Evaluating the performance of health care artificial intelligence (AI): the role of AUPRC, AUROC, and average precision
As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more embedded in health care, the ability to accurately evaluate AI models is critical. In medical applications, where early diagnosis and anomaly detection are often key, selecting the right performance AI metrics can determine the clinical success or failure of AI tools. If a health care AI tool claims to predict disease risk or guide treatment options, it must be rigorously validated to ensure its …
Emergency medicine: Balancing challenges, rewards, and well-being
Emergency medicine is one of the most challenging and rewarding specialties in health care. We are required to be clear-headed enough to make quick decisions while sleeping when we can, hugging our families while we can, and forming unshakable bonds with our colleagues over shared triumph and tragedy.
For many emergency physicians, these challenges come at the expense of their own health and well-being, yet we don’t see it. At least …
Forgiveness: Why it’s the hardest and most rewarding act of humanity
I believe in forgiveness and not hating anyone, no matter what. But, ultimately, we are all human. I believe in karma, and we should not hurt or push people to their limits so much that they become damaged beyond repair. I’ve seen cruel people end up in miserable lives. Some people excel at concealing their sorrows, while others struggle. But we indeed reap what we sow. Those who are cruel …
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Can AI medical scribes solve clinician burnout? [PODCAST]
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Join us as we delve into the transformative potential of AI medical scribes in health care with family nurse practitioner Erica Dorn. Discover how this technology is reshaping clinical workflows, improving work-life balance, …
How a doctor’s clever approach restored a life—and a marriage
An excerpt from Yankee Doctor in the Bible Belt: A Memoir.
Doctoring in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky, I met Mrs. Snoop, a new patient at the clinic. She is 38 years old. Her chief complaint, according to her husband, is “not wanting to have sex.” He speaks on her behalf, sitting in the corner in grease-spattered overalls and heavy work boots.
On examination, Mrs. Snoop …
Long COVID and sleep: an urgent call to action
Long COVID is real. For millions of people who contracted COVID-19, recovery has been a long and uncertain road. While many regained their health in weeks, others continue to face persistent symptoms and health problems for months or even years after the acute infection. Patients, caregivers, and clinicians alike have named this condition “long COVID,” while scientists often refer to it as post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC).
The long-term effects of …
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The burnout crisis runs deeper than you think
The recently growing attention to the burnout crisis in health care has begun a much-overdue conversation. However, the discussion has thus far been focused primarily on physicians and nurses and has not yet considered the larger health care team enduring the same environments. This includes receptionists, pharmacy assistants, medical scribes, personal support workers (PSWs), rehabilitation support workers (RSWs), and many more. These are the unregistered health care personnel (HCPs) that …
Past Week
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What’s driving medical students away from primary care?
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Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check
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The hidden cost of delaying back surgery
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The dreaded question: Do you have boys or girls?
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Rethinking patient payments: Why billing is the new frontline of patient care [PODCAST]
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The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you
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Past 6 Months
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What’s driving medical students away from primary care?
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The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors
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What happened to real care in health care?
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Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting
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The hidden bias in how we treat chronic pain
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Residency as rehearsal: the new pediatric hospitalist fellowship requirement scam
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Recent Posts
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Does silence as a faculty retention strategy in academic medicine and health sciences work?
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Why personal responsibility is not enough in the fight against nicotine addiction
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How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care
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AI in mental health: a new frontier for therapy and support
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What prostate cancer taught this physician about being a patient
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Past Week
-
What’s driving medical students away from primary care?
-
Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check
-
The hidden cost of delaying back surgery
-
The dreaded question: Do you have boys or girls?
-
Rethinking patient payments: Why billing is the new frontline of patient care [PODCAST]
-
The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you
-
Past 6 Months
-
What’s driving medical students away from primary care?
-
The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors
-
What happened to real care in health care?
-
Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting
-
The hidden bias in how we treat chronic pain
-
Residency as rehearsal: the new pediatric hospitalist fellowship requirement scam
-
Recent Posts
-
Does silence as a faculty retention strategy in academic medicine and health sciences work?
-
Why personal responsibility is not enough in the fight against nicotine addiction
-
How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care
-
Alzheimer’s and the family: Opening the conversation with children [PODCAST]
-
AI in mental health: a new frontier for therapy and support
-
What prostate cancer taught this physician about being a patient
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