As a doctor, what I learned from knocking on doors for the presidential election

Physician
October 24, 2024

When I’m not knocking on exam-room doors as a pediatrician in New York City, I’m knocking on voters’ doors in Northampton, Pennsylvania—a small county that could determine the outcome of this year’s nail-biting presidential election.

Each time I walk up to a voter’s front door, my heartbeat quickens. You would think a doctor who talks to total strangers every day would be immune to such jitters. But even with a door-knocking …

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From darkness to empathy: How one ICU patient transformed my perspective

Physician
October 24, 2024

My first ICU rotation of intern year was filled with great darkness. It was dark outside as I walked from my car into the hospital each morning before sunrise, and it was again dark when I walked to my car at the end of the day. Less than one hour into my first day in the ICU, a patient’s weak and ineffectual heart stopped beating, and CPR was swiftly initiated. …

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How technology can support nurses and improve patient safety [PODCAST]

Podcast
October 23, 2024
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We welcome Ann-Louise Puopolo, a nurse executive, to discuss the critical issue of the nursing shortage crisis and the impact of burnout and technology fatigue on health care workers. Ann-Louise shares insights from …

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Voting as a physician: How my parents’ story inspired me to advocate

Policy
October 23, 2024

My parents, both physicians, embody the American story. After completing medical school in Iran, they were recruited to the U.S. in 1968 to fill the gap left by doctors sent to Vietnam. Building a life from the ground up, they became pillars of their patients and communities — and our family, too. In 1992, they became citizens, finally gaining the right to vote, and they’ve never missed an election since, …

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It’s not a normal job, folks: How 3 elemental forces of reality shape the profession of medicine

Education
October 23, 2024

Introduction

In the book Ender’s Game, humans face a time-dilation war in which they must travel light-years into the future to face an enemy of unknown strength and scale. The weapons and technology they possess for the journey may be outdated by their arrival, because relativity minimizes the passage of time. The same dilemma is true for medical and premedical students who can spend decades in training, only to emerge without …

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How financial incentives transform health care [PODCAST]

Podcast
October 22, 2024
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We sit down with Taylor J. Christensen, an internal medicine physician and health policy researcher, to discuss his health care incentives framework. Taylor explains how restructuring financial incentives can encourage providers and insurers …

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Nurses sue over trans colleague’s actions

Physician
October 22, 2024

Eight female nurses at a United Kingdom hospital are suing their employer for not assuring their psychological and physical safety. The nurses work in specialized areas that require their changing uniforms once daily. There is a trans-female nurse, similarly specialized, who changes with them. He wanders about the locker room in briefs or nude, the women report, ogling them as they exchange clothing. It has also been related that he …

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A prescription from the next generation of doctors: Vote early

Policy
October 22, 2024

As future medical professionals, we see the real-life consequences of political decisions in emergency rooms, hospitals, and clinics. Despite a growing recognition that voting is directly linked to better health outcomes, however, health professionals are voting at lower rates than the national average. It’s time that we make a change this election.

We see patients denied essential services due to bureaucratic hurdles, such as insurance coverage gaps for life-saving medications …

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Physician gaslighting looks like this

Physician
October 22, 2024

As physicians, we are often collectively gaslit—made to believe that somehow, we are responsible for system failures. Many physicians are brainwashed to “drink the Kool-Aid” and accept phrases like, “This is the way things have always been done.” We are made to feel inhuman when we advocate for ourselves as if we are somehow to blame. The system uses terms like “unprofessional,” “unable to cope with the rigors of being …

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Embracing the advantages of digitization in health care

Tech
October 22, 2024

Due to rising rates of burnout and depression among health care providers, the U.S. is looking at a projected shortfall of over 3.2 million health care workers by 2026. In parallel, the health care industry is grappling with a 13 percent decline in provider productivity that is directly correlated with the increased adoption of electronic medical records (EMRs). This raises a critical question on …

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How pharmacy benefit companies are making fertility treatments even harder for patients [PODCAST]

Podcast
October 21, 2024
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We sit down with Oluyemisi (Yemi) Famuyiwa, a fertility specialist and founder of Montgomery Fertility Center, to explore the hidden barriers patients face when accessing fertility medications. We delve into the complex role …

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Is the surge in adult ADHD diagnoses helping or harming patients?

Conditions
October 21, 2024

As an outpatient adult psychiatrist, I have witnessed an increasing trend of patients seeking a diagnosis of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Often, these patients have had friends or family members diagnosed with the condition and wonder whether they have it as well. They have read about ADHD online and felt that the described symptoms matched perfectly with their lived experience.  They were never diagnosed as children but remember …

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Insights gained by attending vascular surgery conferences as a medical student: tips and lessons learned

Education
October 21, 2024

Attending academic conferences as a medical student offers a wealth of opportunities. Whether it’s networking, finding potential mentors, deepening your knowledge of specialties, or simply exploring new cities, conferences provide unique experiences that can significantly shape your career. As a medical student, I had the chance to attend both regional and national vascular surgery conferences through travel scholarships, and I want to share the lessons I learned in the hope …

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Inside the courtroom: a doctor’s battle against a fraud investigation [PODCAST]

Podcast
October 20, 2024
YouTube video

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We sit down with Muhamad Aly Rifai, a practicing internist and psychiatrist, to explore the complexities of health care fraud investigations and the profound impact these cases have on physicians’ lives and careers. …

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Medical crisis or government overreach: How misguided policies are destroying lives

Physician
October 20, 2024

A million vulnerable patients have died in the last decade, and while I have no doubt the rate of overdose and poisoning will drop nationwide—killing a million vulnerable patients has that effect eventually—I choose not to contribute to that death rate. This decision is in accordance with my deeply held beliefs. In 2014, Governor Asa Hutchinson signed the Arkansas Conscience Protection Act into law, supposedly protecting health care professionals who …

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How AI is transforming breast cancer detection: a game-changing tool for early diagnosis and personalized care

Conditions
October 20, 2024

If you had an assistant who helped you do your work faster, more efficiently, and more precisely, would you fear it?

With artificial intelligence (AI) at the forefront of virtually everything today, two of the most common questions I hear in my daily practice are, “Do you use AI?” and “What does AI do for you?” For some, these questions stem from a desire to access cutting-edge tools, while others express …

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The duty of health system boards to prioritize organizational culture, workforce development, and career pathways

Policy
October 20, 2024

Recently, I interviewed Dr. David Morris, a physician in Ireland and CEO of Verity Barrington, along with Geoffrey Roche, director of workforce development for Siemens Healthineers. Our conversation focused on successes in health care in both Ireland and America, and the lessons we can share to improve the system. A critical part of our discussion revolved around the role of health care boards. Geoffrey posed a pivotal question: “Where are …

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Near-death experiences: What doctors need to know but aren’t taught [PODCAST]

Podcast
October 19, 2024
YouTube video

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In this episode, we delve into a fascinating yet often overlooked medical phenomenon—near-death experiences (NDEs)—with  John C. Hagan III, an ophthalmologist and expert on the subject. Despite being reported by as many as …

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Hiding in plain sight: the psychosocial burden of vitiligo and importance of clinical research

Conditions
October 19, 2024

Imagine waking up one day with a white patch somewhere on your body. It’s not painful or itchy, but over time it grows and changes, with more patches appearing almost daily. In a short space of time, these patches have fundamentally altered the appearance of your skin and your interface with the world. This is the reality for over 1.5 million Americans living with vitiligo.

Vitiligo is an autoimmune condition that …

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The role of social credit scores in the enforcement of health care regulations

Physician
October 19, 2024

As health care predictive algorithms, including the Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMP), expand their reach beyond traditional enforcement of health care regulations, the concept of a social credit score has emerged as a powerful but controversial tool. Like predictive policing, social credit scores use an individual’s behaviors, online activity, and social interactions to assess their perceived trustworthiness and risk to society and are used as fodder for the prosecution of …

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