Why patient stories matter in medical decision-making

Physician
May 7, 2024

An excerpt from Narrative Medicine: Harnessing the Power of Storytelling through Essays.

I work for an organization that manages the medical and mental health needs of children and adults who are severely and persistently ill. Typical diagnoses in the population I serve include intellectual/developmental disorder, autism spectrum disorder, disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, substance use disorder, and many other conditions that impact mood, cognition, reality testing, conduct, and …

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Mental health treatment plan goals: Setting providers and patients up for success

Conditions
May 7, 2024

Treatment plans are crucial to a behavioral health practice as they can help improve client outcomes. Setting mental health treatment plan goals and objectives is a crucial aspect of the process, and providers and their clients need to work together in identifying long-term therapy goals. They should also communicate openly about the objectives used to achieve these goals.

The concept of SMART goals can be valuable here. SMART stands for Specific, …

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Virtual rehabilitation of central sensitization syndromes

Conditions
May 7, 2024

Modern medicine often fails to effectively manage complex chronic conditions. Physicians are often constrained by tightly packed clinic schedules, leaving only brief windows of time for each patient encounter. While this setup may allow for basic diagnosis and treatment planning, there is scarcely enough time for comprehensive patient education, let alone providing the necessary support, guidance, and empowerment that complex patients need.

Fortunately, the post-pandemic surge in telemedicine has brought fresh …

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Proposition F and equity in San Francisco [PODCAST]

Podcast
May 6, 2024
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Join medical student Elizabeth Picazo to explore the intersection of health care and politics. Elizabeth shares her insights on the implications of Proposition F in San Francisco, discussing its impact on marginalized communities …

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The universal impact of health care informatics

Tech
May 6, 2024

In the bustling city of New York lived a young woman named Emily. Emily wasn’t a health care provider or even remotely associated with the medical field. She worked as a graphic designer, spending her days creating stunning visuals for advertising campaigns.

One evening, while browsing the internet, Emily stumbled upon an article titled “Why Everyone Should Care About Health Care Informatics, Even if You’re Not in the Medical Field.” Curiosity …

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Micro-corporations and employment lite contracts [PODCAST]

Podcast
May 5, 2024
YouTube video

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We delve into the world of alternative career paths for physicians with Tod Stillson, a seasoned family physician and entrepreneur. Discover how chance encounters can lead to transformative career decisions as we explore …

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Bridging care and culture: a Filipino doctor’s journey in direct primary care

Physician
May 5, 2024

Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month is an excellent reminder of how essential it is to reflect on how our cultural roots shape our personal and professional journeys. As a Filipino creator and connector, I have always been drawn to the values ingrained in me from my upbringing in a collectivist society. These values, centered around social harmony and interconnectedness, have profoundly influenced my career path, culminating in becoming a …

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A proven way to crush burnout and financial loss of your private medical practice

Physician
May 5, 2024

Unfortunately, the widespread financial opinions and advice to private medical practice physicians suffering from inadequate practice income today are dominated by a tsunami of experts outside of the medical profession. This includes the administrators and medical education scholars who are in the perfect position not only to diagnose the core problem but also to correct the core cause. So, why haven’t they done it?

Over the last two decades of increasing …

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Boundaries in health care: Navigating personal and professional balance [PODCAST]

Podcast
May 4, 2024
YouTube video

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Join emergency physician Shideh Shafie as we delve into the crucial topic of setting boundaries in the medical profession. Shafie shares her personal experiences navigating the delicate balance between personal and professional life, …

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Social media: Striking a balance for physicians and parents

Social media
May 4, 2024

We live in an always-on, information-overloaded, highlight-reel, echo-chamber world. Medical practices are increasingly relying on mobile applications and social media for communication, service promotion, and education. How can we balance social media and device use—arguably imperative activities for many of us—with the other things in life that matter? And how can we, physicians using these programs both personally and professionally, serve as role models for our families and communities?

I recently …

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Challenges of the past: a physician’s story

Physician
May 4, 2024

My friend is a young physician working in the same hospital as me. We have known each other since childhood. She lived next door to me until we both started high school when she moved to another locality in the same city, but we remained in touch. We started our med school together later on, and this relationship became stronger over the period of years till the completion of our …

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Patience and purpose: essential lessons on transformation [PODCAST]

Podcast
May 3, 2024
YouTube video

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Join Diane Shannon, an internal medicine physician and physician coach, as we delve into the captivating story of Herbert, a monarch butterfly. In this episode, we explore the profound lessons it holds for …

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From struggle to success: inspiring tales of resilience

Physician
May 3, 2024

For a man whose name is synonymous with genius, it’s hard trying to imagine Albert Einstein as a prodigal son whose father died believing he was a complete failure. Yet, at school early in his life, he skipped classes and made close to failing grades. Legend has it that he was so uninspired by his own performance to the extent that, at some point, he considered dropping out and pursuing …

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Should we teach business literacy to medical trainees?

Finance
May 3, 2024

Today is the day I live for as a hematology/oncology fellowship program director. There are balloons filled on stage, dinner buffet stations brewing in the back of the conference room, and fellows entering with their proud families in tow for the graduation ceremony. On average, our graduating fellows have completed 14 years of education and training since high school and are finally about to enter the workforce as full-fledged oncologists. …

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Pioneering community primary care [PODCAST]

Podcast
May 2, 2024
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We join family physicians Michael Fine and Scott Conard. In this episode, we delve into how Michael’s visionary leadership propelled the creation of America’s inaugural community health alliance in response to rising health …

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We are all concierge doctors now

Physician
May 2, 2024

I never wanted to be a formal concierge doctor. Most of us are familiar with those plans that make physicians limit their patient panel to several hundred patients, and each one of them agrees to pay several thousand dollars for the privilege of access to their physician at all times. Sure, after over 30 years of practice in the same community, having a smaller patient panel, dedicating more time to …

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A doctor’s digital twin [PODCAST]

Podcast
May 1, 2024
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We delve into the future of health care with Scott Ellner, a general surgeon. Join us as we explore how AI and machine learning are transforming preventive medicine, addressing the looming physician shortage, …

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Science supports it and patients want it: Bringing whole-person care to cancer treatment

Conditions
May 1, 2024

Patients, as the primary stakeholders in their own well-being, are increasingly showing a profound interest in holistic approaches to cancer care that extend beyond traditional medical treatments. Growing evidence supports this interest, showing that some whole-person and integrative approaches can improve quality of life and survival outcomes. Oncologists’ attitudes are shifting in the same direction, though with less urgency than our patients’.

We recently conducted parallel surveys of oncologists …

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