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How do we embrace the plot twists in our life?

Physician

January 18, 2022

The most memorable books have twists, turns, and surprises. A plot twist is a literary technique involving a radical change in an expected outcome. It involves withholding critical information until the time is right, changing our perception of preceding or current events. There are often hints along the way, foreshadowing what is to come, but realization does not come until the twist happens, and often only appreciated in retrospect. Red …

Analyzing the deficit of African-Americans in academic medicine [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

January 17, 2022

“The lack of diversity in academic medicine is a significant issue that can compromise our patients’ health and the education of our training clinicians. There is a vicious cycle in which there are few black academic physicians, leading to seemingly fewer available mentors for black students, which in turn leads …

The letter this physician wants to write to her patients

Yuliya Malayev, DO, MPH

Physician

January 17, 2022

Before there was doom-scrolling, there were sad books. For me, it was Chapter 18 in Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman. The chapter is a fictional portrayal of Mr. Grossman imagining his mother’s last words. The protagonist—modeled on the author—and their two mothers have the same fate at the hands of the Nazis. I tried several times to get through that chapter, through that letter, and through the book. I …

This physician is running for U.S. Senate. Here is his health plan outline.

Kevin M. Baumlin, MD

Policy

January 17, 2022

Martin Luther King once said, “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.” Sadly, this remains true today. Instead of simply providing the care one needs, access to care varies based on wealth, status, and the type of insurance product a person has.

I have been working as an emergency physician, health services researcher, and leader in health care for over 30 years. …

A booster shot of humility

Nathan C. Armerding, DO

Physician

January 17, 2022

Since the first cases of COVID-19 started trickling into the U.S. in January 2020 (or December, depending on what sources you believe), leaders have made confident statements promising containment, to eradicate the virus, to provide resources for hospitals in need, to research and identify treatments that work, etc.

I think that we can agree that no matter what side of the aisle you are on, having a highly charged controversial presidential …

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A booster shot of humility

The physician and the podcast interview

Benjamin Rattray, DO, MBA

Physician

January 17, 2022

As I plug in the microphone and check the link, I imagine them on the mountain, kicking frozen boots into the night ice as the wind explodes over the ridge and rifles through the down of their parkas. I imagine the anemic glow of Jeff’s headlamp against the expanse of the Himalayas and Erik bending into the incline as he follows the nylon rope; he can hear the sharp tinker …

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The physician and the podcast interview

Empathy and decreasing medical liability [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

January 16, 2022

“Through empathy-based training, physicians and other health care providers learn the skills to have honest informed consent discussions without causing undo fear, while also preparing patients for all possible outcomes. Empathic skills make for better physicians, better communications, and better conversations for all outcomes.

With a strong alliance, a reduction in …

Let’s talk residency: COVID edition

Angela Awad and Catherine Tawfik

Education

January 16, 2022

It is 2022, and the COVID-19 pandemic is still unrelenting, with no end in sight. Health care workers have been challenged mentally, physically, and emotionally. Sadly, some may never fully understand the struggles of many medical professionals, especially residents. It is no new news that residents have historically been underpaid and overworked. However, what is new is the inflation and price increase on the cost of living. Despite this, salaries …

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Let’s talk residency: COVID edition

My father and a gallon of wine: an executive and alcoholic

Debbie Moore-Black, RN

Conditions

January 16, 2022

An executive father. Alcoholism. And that gallon of wine.

As I walked through the wine section at the grocery store, I spotted one of those gallon jugs of wine. I was searching for Christmas presents for my friends. But that brand glared at me.

Daddy — my IBM executive father.

We loved him so. But year by year, his demons took over. Every night, there was a gallon of wine. On weekends, he’d …

Legal challenge from Disability Rights Texas may have repercussions in schools across the country

Eva Kittay, PhD

Policy

January 16, 2022

Parents of disabled children together with Disability Rights Texas won a ruling in November that could have ramifications well beyond the state of Texas. In July, Texas Governor Abbot issued an executive order, GA-38, that prohibited schools from instituting a mask mandate. He insisted that whether a child should be compelled to wear a mask should be up to a child’s parents.

Judge Lee Yeakel declared that the Governor’s order Read more…

Legal challenge from Disability Rights Texas may have repercussions in schools across the country

Pay heed to the little life traumas that hit us daily

Dr. Natasha Khalid

Physician

January 16, 2022

In a world where everything is fast-paced, I believe we miss out on some stuff that deserves our attention.

Just like we need to stop and smell the roses, we need to stop and pay heed to the little life traumas that hit us daily. For today, I will jot down the list of small things that disturbed me and that I didn’t pay attention to.

My patient and colleague suffering from liver …

Superheroes can have disabilities, too [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

January 15, 2022

“Today, more students are disclosing and speaking out about their disability and how their disability is an asset to their way of learning and what they can bring to their field. Across college campuses, more student-led organizations are forming to promote initiatives to identify and remove structural and systematic …

I am tired of the racism that remains embedded in our culture

Andy Lamb, MD

Physician

January 15, 2022

A 2012 letter to Mr. Leonard Pitts, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist.

I am not sure why I feel so compelled to write you. You probably will not even see this email, but I still must do so. I am a 56-year-old Christian white male physician living in North Carolina. I am a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and the University of Alabama School of …

When retirement is code for “You’re fired!”

Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA

Physician

January 15, 2022

A colleague announces he is retiring.

Unknown at the time is the fact that there were a series of fires and suicides committed by patients at the psychiatric facility where he was chief medical officer during the year prior to his departure. State investigators condemned the incidents and found an array of policy failures and procedural errors compounded by staffing shortages due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Another colleague announces his retirement. Unknown …

Expertise is the backbone of successful spine treatment

Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian

Conditions

January 15, 2022

People who experience debilitating back pain come to their doctors with one pressing question: Do I need back surgery? Often, they are surprised to hear me, a neurosurgeon, answer, “No.” In many cases, physical therapy, pain management, weight loss management, and physiatry can help people to delay – and in some cases avoid – back surgery.

However, if those remedies don’t work well enough, a person might decide that spine surgery …

Did the unvaccinated just save my rural hospital?

David M. Mitchell, MD, PhD

Physician

January 15, 2022

It’s no secret that rural hospitals have been struggling. According to online data from the University of North Carolina, 137 rural hospitals have closed in the U.S. since 2010.

In Appalachia, the rural hospital where I work, which is staffed by a single hospitalist, has been “in the crosshairs” since I arrived in 2016 and has been limping along with subsidies from our regional health system. …

What medicine can learn from the antiwork movement [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

January 14, 2022

“The classic thinking has always been that a career in medicine is more than just a job; it is a passion, a calling, an anchor of identity. There is a pervasive stigma in medicine against the self-advocacy of the worker. Bedside care providers who push back against their work/life …

COVID-19 vaccination: the Latinx experience

Miriam Zylberglait Lisigurski, MD and Ricardo Correa, MD

Conditions

January 14, 2022

Almost two years since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have confronted the illness and loss of millions of lives and the sad and dangerous reality of having a health care system and a society full of moral gaps, inequities, and disparities. This unprecedented and complex situation challenged all of us on many levels. While facing high levels of unexpected fear, uncertainty, and distress, the well-known socio-cultural and demographic …

Get familiar with the 2021/2022 coding changes

James Maskell

Physician

January 14, 2022

In my previous article, we covered 5 proven ways to use 2021/2022 CPT coding changes to leverage your time, team, and outsourcing capabilities to grow your practice and improve patient outcomes.

In this article, we’ll dive into specific examples of 2021/2022 CPT coding changes that can help you expand your practice and billables in 2022 and beyond.

The first step: Get familiar with the 2021 coding changes

For a full …

My left foot is fine. My left arm? Well, maybe not so much.

Samuel M. Chen, MD

Physician

January 14, 2022

It began simply enough.

There were 12 of us at the spacious table, gathered for a tasty, albeit unconventional Christmas meal of soup and salad. My adult son was seated to my immediate left. Meal completed, compliments and gratitude expressed to the preparer, my son turned to the fellow on my right.

“You want some coffee? I’m going to Starbucks.”

“Do you have to go out? Can’t you make it here?”

My daughter had …