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A reflection on stomach surgery

Sid Schwab, MD

Physician

December 25, 2021

One of the most dramatic changes from my training to the present is the nearly complete disappearance of elective ulcer surgery. (Reminder: as I’ve said before, “elective” means non-emergent, as opposed to unnecessary.) The revolution began with the advent of drugs that effectively reduce gastric acid production and settled in for real when the relationship between ulcer formation and the bacterium known as H. pylori was worked out. I have to …

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A reflection on stomach surgery

Leaving academic medicine was a matter of self-respect

Monique Tello, MD

Physician

December 25, 2021

“Mom, every time I look in the mirror, I see something different. Sometimes it’s good, and I feel good about myself. But, sometimes it’s not.”

It was well after dinner, and my nine-year-old daughter was perched on the kitchen counter, nibbling on apple slices while I made tea. Her eyes were fixed on her reflection in the mirror across the room, her expression critical.

I leaned forward. “Let me share something with …

A shift from the medical perspective of disability to a mother’s perspective [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

December 24, 2021

“In the months just prior to the infantile spasms, as Josephine’s mind had begun to develop and grow, so, finally, had my love for her. My lack of affection for her up until that point had troubled me, and it was with relief that I had realized I was beginning …

High deductible health insurance is bankrupting Americans

Ben Aiken, MD

Policy

December 24, 2021

Two decades ago, high deductible health plans barely existed. Today, more than half of the U.S. workforce is on one, which are plans with deductibles greater than $1300 per individual or $2,600 for a family.

It’s a growing, undiscussed problem for public health. Most doctors have had patients refuse treatment due to out-of-pocket costs caused by their high deductible health plan. All the while medical debt continues to …

A holiday greeting card from the land of primary care

Ryan McCormick, MD

Physician

December 24, 2021

I wish you and your family a safe, healthy, and happy holiday season. I hope your new year is bright and better. And in the campy spirit of the family newsletter some folks send out each year (which I love to read), here is one from me to you.

This year as a family doc was challenging. Again.

At times it was inspiring, frightening, and exhausting. I started the year with a …

Let’s not become a nation of physician-robots

Diana Londoño, MD

Physician

December 24, 2021

My 5-year-old proudly told me during lunch, “Did you know animals don’t cry?” When she told me this, I had to think about it and then immediately Google this. Having small kids teaches you many random facts, including that sharks don’t blink because they don’t have eyelids.

So, when she told me her new fact, I was intrigued.

Animals, unlike humans, do not have a prefrontal cortex.

This is an area of the …

Think again: Get a second opinion

Sonya M. Sloan, MD

Physician

December 24, 2021

Most patients believe and trust a diagnosis and treatment plan their physician provides them. So why is a second opinion in medicine so important? The “practice of medicine” is a term used to imply a variety of diagnoses and treatments. Yes, there is a standard of care in every medical discipline, but there are also many physician-driven distinctions in getting to a definitive diagnosis with a treatment plan. These decisions …

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Think again: Get a second opinion

Medical debt is the enemy of everyone [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

December 23, 2021

“Medical debt is the mortal enemy of the patient, the physician, the hospital, the community, the state, and the nation. When we think of others’ debts, we tend to think such debts are their personal responsibility. If they’re unable to pay the debt, it’s their problem. (We make it a …

Tobacco is a painful addiction

Lee Flowers, MD

Conditions

December 23, 2021

Smoking cigarettes is well known to cause heart disease, lung cancer, and premature death. In the face of these risks of death, quality of life issues that affect smokers are often overlooked. Although some quality of life issues such as cost, cravings, inconvenience, illness, and stigma are well known, some important effects are largely unknown to the public. For one, smoking is connected with a surprisingly large variety of pains.

The goal of health care is in peril

Vincent Roddy, MD

Policy

December 23, 2021

Introduction and background

As an emergency department medical director and physician, a busy emergency department can be a thing of beauty to me. We work hard to set up systems that will provide the care our patients need. Despite our best efforts, almost daily, variables occur that throw the system into chaos and lead to inefficiency. The COVID-19 pandemic unveiled and exacerbated many challenges that affect our ability to provide the …

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The goal of health care is in peril

The 12 days of COVID: year 2

Russell Johnson, MD and Sonia Hegde, PhD, MPH

Physician

December 23, 2021

Please also see the original 12 days of COVID.

On the first day of COVID, the ongoing pandemic gave to me,

An insurrection in Washington, DC.

On the second day of COVID, the never-ending pandemic gave to me,

Two backordered gloves.
And an insurrection in Washington, DC.

On the third day of COVID, the society diving pandemic gave to me,

Three anti-vax Karens.
Two backordered gloves.
And an insurrection in Washington, DC.

On the fourth day of …

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The 12 days of COVID: year 2

Life along the railway lines in Bangladesh during Bishwa Ijtema: a physician’s photojournal

Glenn Mark Losack, MD

Physician

December 23, 2021

The Bishwa Ijtema meaning “global congregation” is an annual gathering of millions of Muslims in Tongi, by the banks of the Turag river, just north of Dhaka, in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is predominantly a Muslim nation. This yearly “BI” is one of the largest peaceful gatherings in the world. The Ijtema is a prayer meeting spread over three days, usually in January during which attending devotees perform daily prayers while listening …

Protein calorie malnutrition is devastating for patients [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

December 22, 2021

“My practice consisted of patients who suffered from serious injuries and illnesses. Concerning the latter, a significant number had cancer, especially breast cancer. The issue all patient groups have in common to a certain degree is protein calorie malnutrition (PCM). The most dramatically affected are those stricken with a malignancy. …

Disrupt health care with blockchain

Laramey Peugh

Tech

December 22, 2021

Health care requires forward progression in the chase for quality, safety, and sustainability. When considering how far we have come collectively, success is often celebrated. Be it a new vaccine to curb a pandemic, an advanced diagnostic tool to expedite diagnoses or process alteration to achieve sustained quality, advancement is paramount in both length and quality of life and care delivery. Retrospectively, one can look with ease on the way …

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Disrupt health care with blockchain

Osler and the doctor-patient relationship

Leonard Wang

Education

December 22, 2021

I first heard about Sir William Osler (1849-1919) through my primary care physician. His biography stated: “I practice family medicine because every day I get to meet new people from all over the world. I get to hear their stories, meet their families, and help them heal. In some cases, I get to see them again and again, building trust and respect while forming meaningful relationships. To me, there is …

Why health care delivery is an exceptionally different industry: health system infrastructure and health system operations and execution

Joe Mandato and Ryan Van Wert, MD

Policy

December 22, 2021

Second in a series. Please read part 1.

The business of health care delivery differs markedly from other consumer and service industries in many ways. First and foremost, the economics differ. Specifically, the payers of medical care are often different from the customers, the government and third-party insurers are the primary payers, demand is inelastic, quality metrics are typically unavailable, and the industry consists largely …

How digital therapeutics can improve behavioral health [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

December 21, 2021

“To better meet the needs of patients, providers can improve access to treatment and offer more immediate solutions through the use of prescription digital therapeutics (PDTs). With technology, providers can now deliver programming aligned with proven mental health treatment methods, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, and connect teens and young adults …

Could you solve this medical puzzle?

Janet Tamaren, MD

Physician

December 21, 2021

An excerpt from Yankee Doctor in the Bible Belt: A Memoir.

Doctors like to solve puzzles. These are ideally diagnostic puzzles. The following is a story about a patient whose illness was unsolvable: the pieces of the puzzle did not fit together. No matter how you tried to force a diagnosis out of the disparate pieces of data, it did not …

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Could you solve this medical puzzle?

10 things this nurse is f-ing tired of saying

Anonymous

Conditions

December 21, 2021

Musings of a primary care triage nurse:

1. “Isolation means you aren’t around others. No, you shouldn’t be eating dinner with your family or watching TV with them.”

2. “You’ve been sick for the past week but didn’t get tested. Yes, COVID can just be symptoms like a cold or that sinus thing you get each year.”

3. “The majority of those that are hospitalized are unvaccinated. I know ‘someone’ told you that’s …

How not to be a broke doctor (5 ways)

Jeff Anzalone, DDS

Finance

December 21, 2021

Your income doesn’t matter. What you do for a living doesn’t matter. If you want to keep from being broke, none of these things matter except for this: When you’re dealing with money, you’ve got to understand how to do simple math.

I hear stories about people that don’t understand what broke means. It could be the person that recent graduates from dental school with $400K in debt that buys the $80K BMW for instant …

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How not to be a broke doctor (5 ways)

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