Even medical practices aren’t immune from the high cost of employer-provided health insurance

Physician
January 1, 2025

As a licensed practitioner of family medicine who is also the majority owner of a small medical practice, I feel a responsibility to provide top-quality care for my patients as well as comprehensive health insurance coverage for my employees. The problem is, the high cost of health insurance and some of the solutions intended to lower insurance costs have made it increasingly difficult to do both.

My situation is particularly challenging …

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Small moments that made 2024 unforgettable

Physician
January 1, 2025

Frank Sinatra’s 1965 hit, “It was a very good year,” framed the benchmarks of a life well-lived through relationships at various ages: when he was 17, “small-town girls … on the village green”; at 21, “city girls who lived up the stair”; at 35, “blue-blooded girls of independent means.”

Fast forward 60 years. What are the ingredients that now constitute “a very good year?” Data from a survey of 2,000 …

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Tobacco’s time warp: How centuries of smoke obscured our future

Policy
January 1, 2025

In the halls of the Smithsonian, we often contemplate how the past shapes our present. But a groundbreaking new study on tobacco use forces us to consider how our present actions will dramatically alter our future.

Research published in The Lancet Public Health reveals a staggering statistic: current smoking trends will rob humanity of over 2 billion years of life by 2050. To put this in perspective, that’s more time than …

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Telehealth under threat: Why Congress must act to save Medicare coverage [PODCAST]

Podcast
December 31, 2024
YouTube video

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Join us for a conversation with patient advocate Stephanie Marcovici as we explore the potential rollback of Medicare telehealth coverage in 2025. Stephanie shares her personal story and highlights the devastating impact this …

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Why women doctors spend more time on EHRs and what it means for patient care

Physician
December 31, 2024

Last week, while on vacation, my husband and I were swimming in a salt-water inlet when a rainstorm hit. (Actually, I was indulging in my favorite leisure-time pursuit: floating prone, chin resting on my forearm, on a lime green inner tube.)

Fortunately, there was no lightning, though there was a bit of hail. We decided to stick it out. Heck, we were already wet.

As we floated along with the outgoing tide, …

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When the caregiver becomes the patient: lessons from my experiences in the health care system

Physician
December 31, 2024

As a physician, I’ve spent years working to provide care that’s compassionate and focused on the patient. But everything changed when I found myself on the other side of the system—as a patient. Suddenly, I saw health care through a new lens, one that revealed cracks I hadn’t fully understood before.

What I went through opened my eyes to the real risks patients face, especially those from marginalized communities. It was …

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Inside the system that’s costing health care billions every year

Physician
December 31, 2024

It all begins with a political movement for national health in the 1970s. There are no “health systems,” just doctors and hospitals. Fee-for-service is determined by conventional principles of cost accounting, in which payment for services compensates for overhead and leaves enough profit to remain in practice and enjoy the American dream.

There are health insurance companies. The purpose of health insurance is to protect patients against medical expenses, not to …

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How gratitude can reshape health care during uncertain times [PODCAST]

Podcast
December 30, 2024
YouTube video

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How can gratitude guide health care professionals in navigating political uncertainty, misinformation, and the challenges of post-election transitions? Join us as Janet A. Jokela, an infectious disease physician and Treasurer of the American …

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How a mid-flight emergency taught me to put myself first

Physician
December 30, 2024

It’s crack-of-dawn early, and I’m on a flight. Working swing ER shifts has left me exhausted, barely packed, and running on fumes. But hey, as long as I’ve got my passport and clean underwear, I’m good to go. There’s a mall in every city, right?

I settle in, headphones on, ready to dive into the latest episodes of The Lincoln Lawyer. I’m beyond tired – there aren’t even words for this …

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Physician suicide: Addressing the silent epidemic

Conditions
December 30, 2024

Suicide is the act of an individual ending their life. It is generally caused by the convergence of multiple factors, the most significant of which is untreated or end-stage psychiatric illness. As a practicing psychiatrist who has been involved in the Pennsylvania Physicians Health Program for more than a decade, I believe we need to do better to stem the increasing numbers of physician suicides. A better understanding of and …

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What your clothes say about love and loss

Physician
December 30, 2024

I have an eye for finding beautiful clothes. Though I find jeans and shirts/kurtas comfortable, I’m not sure why I adore the shalwar kameez so much! Perhaps it’s because it’s my national dress, and I adore everything that connects me to my homeland. Secondly, I’ve been wearing it since I was a child. My mother was an expert at sewing clothes, and she made all of my dresses.

Jeans and shirts/sweaters/kurtas/tops …

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Going beyond apologies: Bringing intergenerational trauma education into medical training for Indigenous health

Education
December 30, 2024

In October, President Biden formally apologized for the U.S. Indian boarding school system—a brutal legacy of forced assimilation that inflicted profound harm on Indigenous communities and continues to reverberate today. For those who are unfamiliar, Native children at these boarding schools suffered horrific physical, mental, emotional, and sexual abuse, all while being isolated from their families and communities. By 1926, nearly 83 percent of Native children were attending …

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Jimmy Carter’s final act: What America’s seniors can learn from his health care choices

Physician
December 29, 2024

With Jimmy Carter’s passing, many will reflect on his impact at home and abroad. Yet, one his most personal acts will also stand as one of his most enduring legacies.

At 100, not only was our 39th president the longest-lived president, he was also to first to publicly elect hospice care, prioritizing the quality of his last days over simply being alive.

When he first enrolled two years ago, the family’s announcement …

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Understanding alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency: What you need to know

Podcast
December 29, 2024
YouTube video

This episode is sponsored by Grifols.

In this special sponsored episode, Dr. Thomas Ardiles, a pulmonary and critical care physician and medical director with Grifols, breaks down everything you need to know about alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. Discover why this genetic disorder often …

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Under siege: the escalating ransomware crisis in health care

Tech
December 29, 2024

It’s not your imagination. Ransomware threats to health care organizations are at record levels and continue to rise. Last year, there were 389 reported ransomware attacks on health care organizations in the U.S., up from 258 in 2022. This year, there were 44 ransomware attacks against health care organizations in April alone, the most ever recorded for one month by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future and up from 30 in March. …

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How to rebuild trust in health care and improve patient outcomes [PODCAST]

Podcast
December 28, 2024
YouTube video

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!

In this episode, we explore the decline in trust within the U.S. health care system and discuss actionable strategies to rebuild it. Matthew Sherrer, associate professor and director of care team collaboration at …

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The hidden cost of medical training: debt, depression, and despair

Education
December 28, 2024

I imagined that medical school would be a challenging yet fulfilling journey—an opportunity to learn, grow, and ultimately make a difference as a physician or surgeon. We medical students dedicate over a decade of our lives, and many invest more than $200,000 (plus interest) for the honor of caring for patients. Yet, the surge of medical training-related memes and reels on social media captures our reality: “You have to laugh …

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Why ADHD diagnosis in adults is often overlooked [PODCAST]

Podcast
December 27, 2024
YouTube video

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!

Explore the complexities of adult ADHD with Muhamad Aly Rifai, a practicing internist and psychiatrist. This episode dives into the evolving understanding of ADHD as a lifelong disorder, the stigma surrounding diagnosis and …

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Navigating a rare neurodegenerative disorder as mother and daughter

Conditions
December 27, 2024

Before her diagnosis, my mom was extremely active and healthy. She loved bird watching, walking, and volunteering at her church and its school. So in 2013, when she began experiencing symptoms like incontinence and difficulties with walking, we knew that something wasn’t right.

We faced many potential explanations for my mom’s symptoms before receiving her diagnosis. I remember the doctors testing her for numerous diseases like diabetes and multiple sclerosis (MS), …

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