A terminal disease intercepted by modern medicine
I have been a physician for over forty years, with an office practice and providing geriatric house calls in our community. Now, I am also a caregiver.
My partner, Robin, was diagnosed with a rare malignancy in November 2022, known as anaplastic thyroid cancer. She was given six months to live.
Surgery to remove what they could took 9 1/2 hours, and seven weeks of subsequent radiation and chemotherapy helped slow it …
AI medical scribes: Boosting efficiency or risking over-reliance?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming health care at extremely rapid rates. In this ever-evolving world of health care technology, clinicians should be searching for ways to optimize their workflow, improve patient care, and maintain a healthy work-life balance. One of the most talked-about innovations lately is the AI medical scribe.
But many nurse practitioners, physicians, physician associates, and other health care providers are wondering: should clinicians actually use an AI medical …
How automation helps nurses return to the bedside
I have been in health care and worked as a bedside nurse for more than 30 years now. Early in my career a surgeon said to me, “I could have made changes if I had that information sooner. I’ve had 200 people on my operating room table during this time.”
The surgeon was referring to critical data within medical registries, which are used by clinicians to improve care delivery. Registries have …
From career to motherhood: Navigating gender inequity [PODCAST]
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We sit down with Alopi Patel, an anesthesiologist and interventional pain physician, to explore the gender-based inequities women face in their careers. Inspired by the metaphor of flamingos losing their pink during times …
How a single act of kindness can transform the world
Since I was a child, I have despised the words “May you live long.”
I felt like it was a curse.
My younger brother, who knows my thoughts, used to joke, “Allah kre tumhari itni lambi umar ho, tum marne ko tarso!” (May Allah bless you with such a long life that you will pray for your death.)
He still wishes the same for me. (He wants me to suffer.)
I used to say …
How the DEA’s use of predictive algorithms is worsening crises in urban communities and raising suicide rates among African Americans
The true definition of criminal behavior has always been problematic. Are we criminals because we break the law or because we have been convicted? Famous and revered people throughout history have clearly broken the law but are almost never defined as criminals. All the founding fathers of the United States self-admittedly committed treason against the crown, a capital offense. In contrast, others, like Stalin and Hitler, had every legal right …
Living with type 1 diabetes: my journey through misconceptions, stigma and resilience
I was only a child when my life took a sharp turn. At around five or six years old, I started noticing odd changes in my body that I didn’t understand. The day I landed in the hospital was the day the word “diabetes” entered my life, even though I didn’t know what it meant.
I overheard my father telling my mother about my diagnosis, but all I could follow was …
How health care workers cope with budget constraints [PODCAST]
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We sit down with Amol Shrikhande, a nephrologist, to explore the challenges faced by frontline health care workers in an overburdened system. We delve into the real-world impact of budget constraints, staffing shortages, …
Why good doctors are being jailed—and what it means for you
Today, in America, if you are suffering from certain medical conditions, physicians are being taught that you cannot be trusted or even treated. This results from a decade of law enforcement targeting physicians, pharmacists, and nurse practitioners for making medical judgment calls the police don’t agree with when it comes to the treatment of certain conditions. I use the term “police” here to include federal agencies, knowing that, while policing …
Most medical school students are being seriously compromised in their future medical careers
The mythical belief that almost 100 percent of medical school students have accepted over the last century—that one can practice medicine without the need for a business education—has contributed not only to the crisis in health care and the physician attrition crises we see today, but also to the rapid disintegration of private medical practice in our nation.
The confusion covertly introduced into medical students’ minds stems from the missing segment …
Work-life balance in health care: Is it a need or a necessity?
As health care professionals, have you ever stopped and asked yourself, “How am I doing?”
A humble doctor once asked my team, “How are you doing on a personal level?” That question stopped me in my tracks. None of us knew how to answer. Were we okay? Were we coping? Maybe we were, but maybe we weren’t. The truth was, we didn’t know. His question echoed in my mind for days, …
Why kindness is the missing link in medical education [PODCAST]
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5 questions in mental health counseling – and life
Dedicated to my friend and colleague Pat Irving to whom I first told the story.
I’m 80 years old and I’ve been writing for over 60 years—first in systems engineering, later in advanced technology, and more recently in public health policy for the regulation of pain medicine. At this stage of my life, some of my writing is introspective, in an attempt to extract and share “lessons learned” with others. Thus, …
The hidden $935 billion problem in U.S. health care no one is talking about—and how to solve it
“Waste is worse than loss. The time is coming when every person who lays claim to ability will keep the question of waste before him constantly.”
– Thomas Edison
The escalating challenge of waste in U.S. medicine
The U.S. health care system is struggling with inefficiencies and waste that weaken its effectiveness, thus reducing accessibility and sustainability as a whole. According to a study by JAMA, between $760 and $935 billion is wasted …
Health care reform requires better access and quality: dialysis as an example
Having spent two years in Oxford as a Marshall Scholar in the mid-1970s, I came back to medical school believing in a national health service—i.e., Medicare for all. But I learned firsthand that a monopoly can provide access without ensuring quality. When quality isn’t the priority, there’s no hope for lowering costs or alleviating suffering.
Medicare is already the single payer for dialysis and has failed patients miserably. As a result, …
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Why are hospitals cornering doctors with this legal trap? [PODCAST]
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We sit down with Dennis Hursh, a health law attorney with decades of experience representing physicians in their interactions with hospitals. Dennis shares eye-opening stories of how hospitals use restrictive contracts and aggressive …
The widow’s walk: a poignant tale of loss, love, and recovery
A widow’s walk, also known as a widow’s watch or roof walk, is a railed rooftop platform often having an inner cupola or turret, frequently found on 19th-century North American coastal houses. The name is said to come from the wives of mariners, who would watch for their spouses’ return, often in vain, as the ocean took their lives, leaving the women widows. In other coastal communities, the platforms were …
To avoid unwanted medical treatment: Choose a bulldog surrogate to fight for you
“Health is a matter of choice, not a mystery of chance.”
—Aristotle
As an end-of-life (EOL) consultant, one aspect of my job is advance care planning, which involves helping people create an advance directive. An advance directive (AD) has two components. The living will portion lists the treatment options and choices you want or don’t want if you become incapacitated due to an accident or a medical crisis. In the second portion, …
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The maternal and child health crisis in Sudan: a call to action
The war in Sudan, which began in April 2023, has created one of the world’s largest displacement crises, forcing more than 10 million people to flee their homes. The warring sides, the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, are inflicting horrendous violence on people across the country. Hospitals have been attacked, markets bombed, and houses razed to the ground, leading to a catastrophic toll on the health of …
Past Week
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Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting
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Clinical research is evolving. Patient involvement is no longer optional.
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Gen Z is already transforming mental health care—are we listening?
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Past 6 Months
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How trade wars could destroy the U.S. health care system
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How hospitals are quietly taking control of physicians
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Recent Posts
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Clinical research is evolving. Patient involvement is no longer optional.
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The anesthesia spectrum: Guiding patients through comfort options in oral surgery
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Ditching insurance: How direct pay models enable personalized patient care [PODCAST]
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Past Week
-
How smartphones are stealing your focus—and what you can do about it
-
Why patients and doctors are ditching insurance for personalized care
-
Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting
-
Are quotas a solution to physician shortages?
-
Clinical research is evolving. Patient involvement is no longer optional.
-
Gen Z is already transforming mental health care—are we listening?
-
Past 6 Months
-
How trade wars could destroy the U.S. health care system
-
How hospitals are quietly taking control of physicians
-
What happened to real care in health care?
-
The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors
-
Doctors don’t need yoga, they need time to smoke
-
The unexpected truth behind these misdiagnosed medical cases
-
Recent Posts
-
Clinical research is evolving. Patient involvement is no longer optional.
-
The anesthesia spectrum: Guiding patients through comfort options in oral surgery
-
Ditching insurance: How direct pay models enable personalized patient care [PODCAST]
-
Are quotas a solution to physician shortages?
-
Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting
-
A surgeon’s late-night crisis reveals the cost confusion in health care
-
