Fellow physicians, what is our path forward?

Physician
February 16, 2022

As our health care system teeters yet again on the brink of collapse, the big questions on so many of our minds are: What does our future hold for us as physicians? What is our path forward?

As physicians, we currently live and work in a constant state of crisis. We’ve seen record numbers of patients, experienced personnel shortages, and instituted crisis staffing and standards of care. We’ve cared for patients …

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Fellow physicians, what is our path forward?

Misinformation in transgender health care is harming patient care

Conditions
February 16, 2022

Living in the U.S., chances are you get some regular mail that you never signed up for — a magazine, a journal, a sales flier. As medical professionals, we also get these free journals related to our field. We don’t always have the time to fact-check a publication. And with names that appear to be legitimate, we might take information at face value. This is especially true if we are …

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Misinformation in transgender health care is harming patient care

Estate planning and asset protection challenges and strategies for single physicians

Finance
February 16, 2022

While chatting with a physician client of mine recently, an important topic came up that she hadn’t really asked about previously. My client is in her late 40s and is currently single with no plans of getting married. She’s the only child of her aged parents, and after working as a physician for over 15 years, she has become financially successful enough to slow her career down a bit. Her …

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Estate planning and asset protection challenges and strategies for single physicians

Medical-legal consulting as a side gig [PODCAST]

Podcast
February 15, 2022
YouTube video

This episode is sponsored by Athelas, the number one provider of remote patient monitoring.

“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 …

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Medical-legal consulting as a side gig [PODCAST]

Here’s a crazy thought: Make technology work for doctors

Tech
February 15, 2022

We are surrounded by technology.

This hasn’t always been the case in the health care industry—we can be a bit more “deliberate,” if you will—but the pandemic notably accelerated the pace at which organizations invested in new technology. Rock Health’s 2021 year-end report found that digital health funding among U.S.-based startups reached a record $29.1 billion in 2021, which almost doubled the number ($14.9 billion) from 2020. The …

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Here’s a crazy thought: Make technology work for doctors

Beyond Jimmy Buffet: The new medical conference

Education
February 15, 2022

The new reality of medical conferences shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic requires a new language and a fundamental rethink to make these major showcases of medical organizations and societies a place where physicians and patients can share their experiences and perspectives.

We can no longer characterize medical conferences as – in the words of an old Jimmy Buffet tune – “a Holiday Inn full of surgeons” who meet there every year …

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Beyond Jimmy Buffet: The new medical conference

Kids are not OK: Health care is failing them

Physician
February 15, 2022

Our medical system is failing our children. The rate of chronic diseases in children is skyrocketing. Obesity has increased. Behavioral health issues are at new highs, making suicide a leading cause of death in children. During the pandemic, rates of pediatric preventive health visits, vaccinations, and screening tests have decreased, thereby losing opportunities for early intervention.

These failures were evident before COVID …

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Kids are not OK: Health care is failing them

Recognizing high functioning depression

Conditions
February 15, 2022

High functioning depression (or HFD) is the mental health diagnosis given to an individual who exhibits symptoms of high-level depression but manages to maintain overall functionality in life. An HFD person will often engage in activities that would be considered “normal” and healthy for a typical person, maintaining a job and even social relationships (though they may not appear as close and involved as typically expected). However, they might find …

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Recognizing high functioning depression

Fund this: Policies can fill medical funding gaps for all [PODCAST]

Podcast
February 14, 2022
YouTube video

This episode is sponsored by Athelas, the number one provider of remote patient monitoring.

“Instead of trying to earn a spot on a talk show to help a person dealing with costly treatments for illness, perhaps it is best to lobby policymakers to pass legislation that impacts big …

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Fund this: Policies can fill medical funding gaps for all [PODCAST]

A random act of kindness on a plane

Conditions
February 14, 2022

My wife and I were on a short flight from Rome to Brindisi in the region called Puglia in the southern part of Italy last year.

As we were starting to taxi down the runway, I heard a child crying a few rows behind us, but it was very different from a baby’s or a normal child’s crying. It reminded me of when I have experienced autistic children screaming, usually from …

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A random act of kindness on a plane

Losing our most valuable non-renewable resource: physicians

Physician
February 14, 2022

Suppose you have watched the news, been on social media, or have had any conversations with others. In that case, it should not be a surprise that health care workers are physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted and extremely burned out.

We are currently entering our third year of a global pandemic. So, burnout physicians are not a big surprise, especially when doctors’ opinions are marginalized over political beliefs about a virus. …

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Losing our most valuable non-renewable resource: physicians

Autism spectrum disorder and the masks we wear [PODCAST]

Podcast
February 13, 2022
YouTube video

This episode is sponsored by Athelas, the number one provider of remote patient monitoring.

“In the ongoing saga of the pandemic, there is the debate whether to wear a mask or not. These are physical masks that temporarily hide our face, but we all wear another type of …

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Autism spectrum disorder and the masks we wear [PODCAST]

Dog poop, the social contract, and pandemic behaviors

Physician
February 13, 2022

Dogs have been part of my extended family for most of my sixty-plus years. With a dog comes poop.

It doesn’t really matter on a farm, but in the city, there is an expectation, a social contract of sorts. In the public parks and boulevards, the dog owner is expected to scoop the poop.

While some dog walkers dutifully pick up their dog’s poop, others don’t bother, and before I know it, …

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Dog poop, the social contract, and pandemic behaviors

Stand and deliver: Health care systems need to serve up health equity missions

Policy
February 13, 2022

One year after the White House instated an executive order focusing on health equity and support for underserved communities, changes are in progress. But even with the positive news that the Omicron surge has peaked with the seven-day case average dropping, gaping holes in health disparities are still unanswered.

Some hospitals and health care systems such as CoxHealth have hired diversity, equity, …

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Stand and deliver: Health care systems need to serve up health equity missions

9 medical student tips to prepare for the Match

Education
February 13, 2022

Medical students are quickly familiarized with which specialties are most competitive when they finish their first year. The prior year’s Match statistics can make the process seem daunting. As if the enormous amount of material to be learned is not enough, students also face the anxiety of adequately preparing for a coveted residency position. There might be additional stressors for a medical student in a small city or rural area …

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9 medical student tips to prepare for the Match

Eating disorders are mental health illnesses that don’t have a certain “look”

Conditions
February 13, 2022

A few days ago, I talked to a mentor and brought up my anorexia recovery journey. Using my voice after years of suffering in silence has been instrumental in releasing myself from the inner torment while trying to create purpose from the pain. When I mentioned my struggle with anorexia, the mentor responded, “How are you doing, now?” followed by one of my most dreaded comments: “I mean … You …

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Eating disorders are mental health illnesses that don’t have a certain “look”

Why is Covaxin not in the FDA’s toolbox? [PODCAST]

Podcast
February 12, 2022
YouTube video

This episode is sponsored by Athelas, the number one provider of remote patient monitoring.

“As a clinician who has received two Pfizer doses and a booster without any side effects, I wholeheartedly embrace vaccination to solve this pressing public health crisis. The key is for policymakers to …

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Why is Covaxin not in the FDA’s toolbox? [PODCAST]

I am not leaving medicine because I like the clinical practice part of my job

Physician
February 12, 2022

The headlines read “Why Healthcare Workers are Quitting in Droves,” “Docs are Leaving Practice,” and “Physician burnout declared a public health crisis.” The side-gig, financial independence retire early (FIRE), and non-clinical career posts pop up in my daily professional media feeds. Believing in the power of suggestion, I wonder if I  should start looking for career number two.

Start. That’s a joke. …

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I am not leaving medicine because I like the clinical practice part of my job

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