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A doctor’s life is absurd, but can it still be worth living?

Physician

April 7, 2021

I will speak for myself to say that I completely identified with, and fully agree with, all the sentiments shared by Dr. Klingberg in “A breakup with primary care.” Still, from my own life experiences, and a 30-year career in primary care solo practice, I have been forced to believe that these sentiments are ultimately narcissistic and self-destructive.

Yes, primary care medicine has become thankless, oppressive, cruel, …

A physician applies to law school. Here is her application essay.

Cathleen London, MD

Physician

April 7, 2021

I have been a physician for 26 years. I have been a fierce patient advocate throughout my entire career. It never occurred to me that physicians do not have the same rights of citizenship that the very patients I fight for do. I always thought I lived in a democracy. Medicine is not what it used to be. Articles relentlessly speak of physician burnout as though we are responsible for …

Film and television continue to depict psychiatrists as heartless swindlers [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

April 6, 2021

“Have you ever watched a movie, television show, or read a book where the villain is a medical doctor? If you are a psychiatrist, you will be alarmed by how many times the villain in these stories turns out to be a psychiatrist. In all fairness, psychiatry has had its share …

After all the years of medical training, I learned how to treat ugly on my own

Farhan S. Imran, MD

Conditions

April 6, 2021

We first met about two years ago when she came to see me in my clinic as a new patient. I glanced through her chart and reviewed her scans and pathology reports. She had one of the worst possible kinds of lung cancers, called small cell lung cancer, that had spread to both of her lungs. Her disease was incurable, but I could give her chemotherapy to improve her symptoms …

Attention mid-career physicians: Let’s find our ikigai

Anish Sheth, MD

Physician

April 6, 2021

As a physician who helps administer and analyze our medical staff’s wellness data, I have been puzzled by one consistent finding from our semi-annual physician wellness survey – the group of physicians with the highest level of distress are the mid-career physicians, those who, like me, graduated from medical school 15 to 24 years ago.

Our hospital, a community-based, semi-academic hospital, utilizes a nine-question survey to track physician’s well-being. Some of …

A letter to Black America for those who do not want the COVID-19 vaccine [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

April 5, 2021

“As a Black physician, I urge you to consider taking the COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available to you. Vaccines save lives. Preventing poor outcomes, as in death, is an exciting effect of this vaccine. I will be first in line when it is offered to me, and I hope to see …

How reviewing medical malpractice claims made me a better gastroenterologist

Scott Choi, MD

Conditions

April 5, 2021

When a patient is dissatisfied with his or her care, he or she can consult an attorney, who will enlist a physician “expert” to determine if a doctor has deviated from the standard of care and whether that deviation caused a negative outcome. Over the past decade of reviewing cases involving medical malpractice, I have identified five categories of medical error, which has improved how I care for my patients.

1. …

How this doctor deals with the F-word (fibromyalgia)

Rahul Gupta, MD

Conditions

April 5, 2021

I’m “blursed.” I have a loving and supportive family, an amazing wife, great friends, and that includes my dog, a career that is both secure and fulfilling, and yet there is something I carry with me that perpetually threatens to break my spirit. My fellow Reddit fans/addicts know the meaning of “blursed,” but for those that don’t, it’s one of my favorite portmanteaus – it means to be both “blessed” …

We must address glaring disparities in treatment [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

April 4, 2021

“It is not enough to say we are anti-racist; we have to modify our systems to recognize that we have placed individuals of color at risk of poorer outcomes. Lack of insurance, lack of finances, or even the presence of certain diagnoses may reflect less about the person and more about our …

No wonder patients detest our health care system, and doctors are leaving medicine in droves

Corina Fratila, MD

Physician

April 4, 2021

My patient is a brilliant, 30-something-year-old highly educated woman with type 1 diabetes. I’ve known her for many years, since she was a teenager. She is sweet and fun, even though she can be fierce and fiery at times. She has type 1 diabetes.

She has been living with this life-altering, life-threatening disease for many years. Even as a child, she always took charge of her life and consistently maintained her …

Why doctors are such bad investors

Daniel Shin, MD

Finance

April 4, 2021

At any given moment, about half of the physicians in the U.S. aren’t millionaires. While certainly, this is true for most Americans in general, doctors make much more than most Americans. In fact, compared to the average income in the United States of $87,864, physicians make 3 to 4 times more income than the average. Specifically, in 2020, Read more…

Why doctors are such bad investors

An unexpected COVID-19 vaccine side effect [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

April 3, 2021

“Just a few seconds after the needle penetrated my arm, I felt a mild soreness, kind of like a flu shot. But as I sat for the required 15 minutes of observation time, a wave of something engulfed my body. It was such a strange, unfamiliar sensation that I didn’t realize what …

Doctors can get angry, too

Philip A. Masters, MD

Physician

April 3, 2021

A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.

There is a tremendous amount of anger raging in our society today.

The profound uncertainty posed by COVID-induced cataclysms and the cultural, civil, and political unrest we’ve experienced over the past year has significantly skewed our sense of normalcy and well-being. Thus, responding with …

Read more…

Doctors can get angry, too

We need to broaden the definition of what “counts” in careers [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

April 2, 2021

“Many colleagues in medicine already talk about medicine never going back to its state pre-COVID-19 – be it telehealth for patients, new flexibility to work/life scheduling, or a new acceptance of telecommuting outside of direct patient care. There has been too much suffering as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and …

Malpractice claims from the COVID-19 pandemic: more questions than answers

Robert E. White, Jr. & The Doctors Company

Policy

April 2, 2021

The pandemic has raised pressing questions around preventive measures, vaccines, and safe treatment, but it has also obscured one key lingering uncertainty for medical professionals: Where are all the medical malpractice claims?

A variety of factors create a cloud of uncertainty around when, if ever, we will see the claims we expected from the care provided just before the pandemic, …

The impact of COVID-19 on health conditions

Martin Lustick, MD

Conditions

April 2, 2021

For the past year, we have been inundated with statistics about the impact of COVID-19 on our lives. Reports of daily case rates, hospitalizations, and deaths are so pervasive that they have become routine fodder for “water cooler” and dinner table conversations. Several early studies, looking at the pandemic’s secondary health implications, give us an inkling of just how broad and deep its impact has been.

Mental health

Perhaps the most visible …

Keep insulting doctors, and good luck finding a physician [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

April 1, 2021

“The tragedy that’s happening in medicine today is that the loss of respect and the constant threats to fair payment are making physicians regret that they ever chose medicine. They were fascinated with science and wanted to help people, and their reward is insult.

It’s no wonder that some newly trained physicians …

Cannabis card-mills have conflicts of interest

Jill Becker, MD

Physician

April 1, 2021

Two weeks ago, my piece, “Cannabinoids are medicine, but patients aren’t getting the care they need,” was published. Since that time, I’ve heard from quite a few physicians who admitted that they did not know card-mills existed or, if they did, how they were different from Cannabis Specialist Physicians. From their collective perspective, pot was pot. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to …

Telemedicine is the new house call

Stephanie Titus, MD

Physician

April 1, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unparalleled shifts in the practice of medicine. Telemedicine has quickly become a staple of medical practices across the nation in response to the pandemic. As of October 2020, use of telemedicine claims had increased by more than 3,000 percent compared to one year prior. By the summer of 2020, 4 in 5 specialists were utilizing virtual care and …

Read more…

Telemedicine is the new house call

Physicians of color need student loan forgiveness

Earl Stewart, Jr., MD

Physician

April 1, 2021

I urge the president to use executive action to cancel student debt. As president, he can take immediate action on student debt which would be a lifeline for students, parents, and their families.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a health crisis like we have never seen before. Adding the heavy burden of student debt is a recipe for disaster for millions of families. Student debt cancellation would provide much-needed relief during the …

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