For doctors leaving clinical practice: Do not consider utilization review jobs

Physician
October 23, 2021

When I decided to leave practice and explore non-clinical career options, I found no shortage of opportunities, ranging from the pharmaceutical industry to the health insurance industry and many points in between. I chose to work in the health insurance industry because jobs were plentiful, and the focus of work remained on the patient.

A typical entry-level job in the health insurance industry is that of utilization …

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I’m your primary care doctor. May I take your order?

Physician
October 23, 2021

My Tuesday out of clinic started off like any other Tuesday. I got up (sluggish, still chronically sleep-deprived), scrubbed my face and brushed my teeth, slipped into workout clothes then set to getting my two girls ready for school. After packing lunches, brushing hair, and waiving to the bus, I sat down to do what most of us do on our days out of clinic: check the dreaded inbox. Who …

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Technology’s impact on dermatology [PODCAST]

Podcast
October 22, 2021
YouTube video

“During COVID, the medical training system had to adapt because people couldn’t meet in person and even those that could didn’t have access to patients or facilities in the same capacity. However, the explosion of remote training tools that became available make this hybrid training method as good in many …

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Expanding health care access and equity through telehealth

Policy
October 22, 2021

The COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) has been an amplifier and catalyst for numerous issues. The pandemic has impacted health care delivery significantly, and inequities for the Black community are more apparent. Federal and state rules for telehealth compliance/reimbursement were relaxed to preserve health care access during the PHE. While we are still in the data collection and observation phase, some concepts are clear: Telehealth positively impacts health care access, …

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A son’s brain cancer. A father’s story. [PODCAST]

Podcast
October 21, 2021
YouTube video

“As you wait, you have a lot of time to think. You comb through the past in search of something you might have missed. If we had acted sooner on the signs of his illness—had the cancer been diagnosed earlier—would Lee have had a better chance? You think about your …

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Crossing the liminal space of the pandemic

Physician
October 21, 2021

We have been walking down a long hallway for many, many months. We left the room we resided in pre-COVID, but we have not yet found a room to rest. We are in the liminal space of COVID. This is unsettling and unnerving — liminal space often is.

Liminal space in architecture is the area between discrete, functional spaces, a way of passage, but not the place where beds are placed, …

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Stratified reproduction in medicine

Conditions
October 21, 2021

Shellee Cohen defines “stratified reproduction” as the practice in which society assigns value to offspring and, therefore reproductive capacity of different groups of people. While commonly race or socioeconomically based, this can be based on any category we can divide people.  This concept is ever-present in medicine, even in the most progressive environments. This became most evident when  I was sitting at my desk in an outpatient gynecology office, clicking …

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I was thinking about retiring, and COVID-19 gave me a push [PODCAST]

Podcast
October 20, 2021
YouTube video

“Last March, I was working in a small primary care practice on the west side of Denver. COVID-19 came to town. On Thursday, March 12, we were told the schools would be closing. On Friday, we were told that clinic staff had to wear masks — and the clinic had …

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Why physician-owned businesses need our attention and support [PODCAST]

Podcast
October 19, 2021
YouTube video

“There has been a growing wave of entrepreneurial physicians finding joy and value in starting consulting and coaching businesses. Many use their expertise to work with physicians exclusively. Our company has been excited to play a part in better spotlighting these businesses. Today it is now even easier to find …

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Breast cancer’s silver lining

Conditions
October 19, 2021

asco-logo In many ways, this woman was similar to other patients I have seen after a diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. Her hair was growing back, and I immediately noticed that she was comfortable enough to not be wearing a wig or head covering for our Zoom visit. I keep my hair very short by choice and I find this …

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Does pro-vaccine always have to be pro-mandate?

Physician
October 19, 2021

“They are firing me for not getting the COVID vaccine. I can make more money working at Michael’s than I do at this job. I was only doing this because I like to help people. But this is it for me. I’m quitting. I’ll miss the patients, but I cannot be forced into doing something that I don’t believe in.”

The patient care tech said to me after putting my patient …

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What we can learn from an orthopedic surgeon who publishes a novel [PODCAST]

Podcast
October 18, 2021
YouTube video

“Transections, eviscerations, exsanguinations, amputations, decapitations, disembowelments, penetrations, disarticulations, emasculations, enucleations, incinerations—these things he has seen. But of late he chooses to see only the glimmering vials. His vision fades and darkens as he draws closer to the OR where the ultimate reality lies prepped, draped, framed, and illuminated, waiting for …

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How the board certification exams infantilize resident training

Physician
October 18, 2021

Not long ago, my patient in a complex thoracic case developed progressive bradycardia followed by a malignant-looking multifocal atrial arrhythmia that didn’t generate any blood pressure.

“Get out some epinephrine!” I said to my resident, who was standing closer than I was to the drug cart. The resident quickly drew up a milligram of epi, but then paused. I could almost see the thought bubble overhead: “Should I print out a …

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Some health issues should not be evaluated in the office

Physician
October 18, 2021

I received a phone call from an elderly gentleman who was closer to ninety years of age than 80, was taking an aspirin, and had just suffered a fall and hit his head. He did not know why or how he fell. He asked for an appointment the same day to “check me out.”

My staff asked all the pertinent questions and immediately brought the information to me. After reviewing it, …

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Ivermectin is a Nobel Prize-winning wonder drug

Meds
October 18, 2021

Ivermectin is an over 30-year-old wonder drug that treats life- and sight-threatening parasitic infections. Its lasting influence on global health has been so profound that two of the key researchers in its discovery and development won the Nobel Prize in 2015.

I’ve been an infectious disease pharmacist for over 25 years. I’ve also managed patients who delayed proper treatment for their severe …

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A story of a physician photojournalist [PODCAST]

Podcast
October 17, 2021
YouTube video

“Her face is decorated in colors of the earth. With events on Earth Day and throughout the week, New York City celebrates sustainability and ways to live in harmony with the planet. Scheduled festivities include a march down Broadway with a mix of virtual talks and celebrations and in-person walks …

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I’ve broken free from time, and I am a better doctor for it

Physician
October 17, 2021

How many minutes have you given yourself to read this post?

There was a time when none of us could tell time. Imagine not knowing what the ever-moving hands of a clock are trying to reveal. My memories skew, but in that era before I could tell time, all I remember is laughter, effervescence, and the occasional injury. (The first time I hit my “funny bone” was quite the scare!)

Now, we …

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Compassion fatigue and the unvaccinated

Physician
October 17, 2021

“Do you get compassion fatigue when you take care of smokers or patients with obesity or diabetes?”

This was in reply to an article on compassion fatigue I had posted on my Facebook page. The article was written by an exhausted physician caring for unvaccinated COVID-19 patients. My initial reaction was, “Of course not. That’s my job!” But it made me think, why was it that caring for unvaccinated patients seemed …

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Why it’s important to take charge of your own health

Conditions
October 17, 2021

Little did I know that after October 2, 2020, my life would completely change forever. I want to start by saying I am a pharmacist by profession, and I now finally understand the saying, “take charge of your health.”

My brother and I had taken my dad to a hospital in Philadelphia on the morning of October 2, 2020. Caught by surprise, we found out my dad had four blockages. My …

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