“We orthopedic surgeons are disappointed with the growing lack of enthusiasm in your reports. When I began in practice almost 15 years ago, it wasn’t unusual to see a report of a post-reduction or post-surgical X-ray that read, ‘alignment is now anatomic’ or, at a minimum, ‘near anatomic.’
What happened? What …
A satirical letter to radiologists from a jilted orthopedic surgeon [PODCAST]
In September, the American Nurses Association asked the Department of Health and Human Services to declare the national nursing shortage as a national crisis. At the same time, the American Association of Critical Care Nurses found 66 percent of ICU nurses were considering leaving the profession. Talk to any hospital, and you’ll hear of high turnover and struggles to fill shifts. So far, the …
3 ways to reawaken nurse purpose in the era of burnout
Even though their incomes often exceed the phaseout threshold for funding Roth IRAs, physicians have been utilizing loopholes in the tax code to fund Roth IRAs for the past decade or more. Converting IRA funds to Roth IRA funds allows a taxpayer to change a tax-deferred IRA to a tax-free Roth IRA. In doing so, the taxpayer must pay taxes on the balance of the account that is …
Backdoor Roth conversions may be going away: What this means for physicians
When the FDA approved Gilead’s Truvada (emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil) for HIV PrEP in 2012, it was a revolutionary step forward. The drug was safe and up to 99 percent effective in preventing HIV infection in at-risk individuals.
Then in 2019, Gilead received FDA approval for a second drug for PrEP called Descovy (emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide), with equivalent efficacy to Truvada. Recent research has shown that by the end of 2020, …
Is Descovy really the better option?
Welcome to an expedited episode of The Podcast by KevinMD. Jeremy Faust is an emergency physician who can be reached on Twitter @JeremyFaust and on Instagram @JeremySamuelFaust. He also publishes the newsletter, Inside Medicine.
Transcript
Kevin Pho, MD: Hi, and welcome to the …
A COVID and Omicron update with Jeremy Faust, MD [PODCAST]
“Physicians can exert their influence in a health care environment to put the patient-physician relationship at the center of the enterprise. Working with middle-market employers (between 200-2,000 employees), some companies pair bold doctors with innovative employers to bring exceptional value to employee health benefits. There are no pre-authorizations for …
“Take it or leave it” is not negotiation but coercion [PODCAST]
Ellen DeGeneres is ending her popular TV talk show next year after 19 seasons. The need for the type of celebrity and crowdsourcing donations she is known for to assuage an individual’s health care needs to end as well.
This accepted norm is gaslighting at its finest.
As a fan of The Ellen Show, I don’t feel warm and fuzzy after seeing a patient facing cancer with a large medical bill moved to tears …
Fund this: Policies can fill medical funding gaps for all
Recently, while visiting with a colleague in our doctor’s lounge, I blurted out, “I’m tired of the dying.” He looked at me quizzically, “But you’re the hospice doctor.” True, death comes with my work, but the recent volume of and the loss of younger patients have been especially difficult. It reminds me of an earlier time we faced a new virus.
As we endure this pandemic well into its second year, …
Tired of the dying: Finding parallels in COVID-19 and HIV
I am an avid medical blogger. Without a doubt, the most common theme I’ve encountered during the past several years is embodied in the following op-ed: “We must help physicians at the brink of burnout, depression, and high stress,” followed by: “Health care has crossed into a realm of moral injury and systemic collapse.”
I tackled the second essay first. I wrote a no-holds-barred response …
July 2, 1973, is a day etched forever in my mind. A day I remember as if it happened yesterday even though 47 years have passed. A day I thought would never come and then, when it did, would never end. It was the day I entered West Point as a 17-year-old kid with big dreams to “become an Airborne, Ranger, Infantryman and lead men in combat.” That was my …
Change is critical to fulfilling our calling
Below is a story a patient shared with me about how he went from being against mask-wearing to wearing one every day.
***
Last year, my mom died from stage 4 lung cancer. Before she passed, she received her transplant at this hospital, but it was too late for her.
Now, I am fighting cancer. Lymphoma. Stage 2 verging on Stage 3.
Before my diagnosis last summer, I never wore a mask. I walked …
Wear your mask to protect your family
I was a medical student learning to deliver babies, bringing new life into the world, as my mom’s life was fading away. I saw all the missed calls from Dad. I knew in my heart something terrible happened. She was in the ICU. Dad told me she had a heart attack. I flew to be with her. When I saw …
Why I devoted my life to preventing heart disease in women
“By denigrating midwifery care, pathologizing the natural process of birth, and instilling fear of complications and pain, doctors persuaded women to give birth at the hospital under their care. By touting the benefits of anesthesia, forceps delivery, episiotomy and promoting in-hospital birth, doctors and hospitals were able to capitalize …
An obstetrician recommends midwifery care [PODCAST]
There was a time, not long ago, when COVID-19 was one of the scariest things on earth. In the summer of 2020, scientists were stunned as infections climbed and deaths spiked. They couldn’t say (exactly) how the virus spread, how deadly it was or how to cure it. ICU beds were filling up while officials scrambled to retrofit local …
Endemic COVID-19 will be a cause for celebration
The cost of health care in the United States continues to rise, totaling over $3.8 trillion per year. Gastrointestinal diseases contribute significantly to health care costs and were recently estimated to be $135.9 billion annually. Innovation in gastroenterology has traditionally focused on expensive pharmaceuticals, devices, and new procedures. Many of the conditions and …
Innovation in a rural gastroenterology practice using a farm
“The collective resiliency of the medical education community shone through the challenges of the past year. In medicine, physicians must adapt to all situations, and GME is no exception. Even in a pandemic, everyone adjusted as needed. Program coordinators and faculty were flexible and creative, while applicants remained passionate and …
How the residency application process has changed forever [PODCAST]
Covaxin, an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and the only vaccine to have been proven effective against all variants including the Delta variant in a Phase III clinical study, deserves to be tested in clinical trials in the U.S. for potential CDC/FDA approval for use in the U.S.
As we are about to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the vaccine rollout against COVID-19, we would do well to remember that despite the progress …
The American public deserves more COVID-19 vaccine options
“This survey study examines the self-reports of personal attacks and sexual harassment of physicians through social media outlets. A total of 108 physicians (23.3%) reported being personally attacked on social media, with no significant difference between female and male physicians. In contrast, women were significantly more likely than men to report online sexual …
Personal attacks and sexual harassment of physicians on social media [PODCAST]
We are saddened by another school shooting in America. Four lives were cut short, and one young man who was obviously crying out for help clearly did not get it.
There are so many pieces to this puzzle to examine. So many areas where we can improve. As a child psychiatrist, I am fully aware that our mental health system is broken. So many families seeking care run into barriers and …
We have an obligation to keep firearms out of the hands of children
A hundred years ago, women lived one year longer than men, but now they live five years longer than men. And things are getting worse. Currently, the lifespan of men in the U.S. is declining due to alcohol, opioids, and suicide. These trends need to change.
I take care of men. I’ve been a urologist for almost 25 years and have seen thousands of men as patients, many of whom have …
The catastrophe of men’s health and how we can help
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