American College of Physicians

The American College of Physicians is the largest medical specialty organization in the United States.

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Physician voices

Reflections of an aging physician

American College of Physicians & Philip A. Masters, MD

May 3, 2021May 3, 20212

A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD. I recall with crystal clarity the day I finished my residency training and thinking to myself that at that point in time, I probably knew the most medicine…

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

I recall with crystal clarity the day I finished my residency training and thinking to myself that at that point in time, I probably knew the most medicine I ever would.

Fast forward to today after many, many years of clinical practice, and I realize that I know so much more about the science and …

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Reflections of an aging physician

Physician voices

Doctors can get angry, too

American College of Physicians & Philip A. Masters, MD

April 3, 2021Apr 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…

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 anger to these rapidly evolving and unpredictable circumstances isn’t at all …

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Doctors can get angry, too

Physician voices

Hope: One of the strongest “medicines” we have to treat both our patients and ourselves

American College of Physicians & Philip A. Masters, MD

March 5, 2021Mar 5, 2021

A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD. By any measure, the past year has been difficult for everyone. The ongoing pandemic with its widespread personal, social, and economic disruptions, as well as civil and political…

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

By any measure, the past year has been difficult for everyone.

The ongoing pandemic with its widespread personal, social, and economic disruptions, as well as civil and political unrest throughout the country has clearly stretched the fabric of our society and had remarkably negative effects on the mental health and well-being of our patients and …

Physician voices

The destructive health consequences of political polarization

American College of Physicians & Philip A. Masters, MD

February 3, 2021Feb 3, 20212

A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD. Political divisiveness has always been part of the fabric of America. Even as our Founders laid the groundwork for the United States, they understood the challenges of seeking…

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

Political divisiveness has always been part of the fabric of America. Even as our Founders laid the groundwork for the United States, they understood the challenges of seeking to assemble a unified and functional country from such a wide geographic and culturally diverse landscape. In establishing a country based on the central principles of …

Physician voices

Reconciling with medicine’s imperfect icons

American College of Physicians & Philip A. Masters, MD

January 7, 2021Jan 7, 2021

A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD. Most of us have iconic people in our personal and professional lives – those who are worthy of veneration and inspire and compel us to have higher expectations…

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

Most of us have iconic people in our personal and professional lives – those who are worthy of veneration and inspire and compel us to have higher expectations for ourselves. And we also have role models – those we aspire to be like and provide us with an approach to navigating through life. In …

Physician voices

The critical role of physicians as pandemic truth-tellers

American College of Physicians & Philip A. Masters, MD

December 7, 2020Dec 7, 2020

A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD. Because of their unpredictable occurrence, ubiquitous nature, and the fact that they present us with a previously unknown disease to learn and manage, pandemics have always posed a…

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

Because of their unpredictable occurrence, ubiquitous nature, and the fact that they present us with a previously unknown disease to learn and manage, pandemics have always posed a major threat to humankind. And the novel coronavirus pandemic we are currently experiencing is no different.

However, compared to pandemics of the past, medical science has made …

Physician voices

Internal medicine, the pandemic, and William Osler

American College of Physicians & Philip A. Masters, MD

October 28, 2020Oct 28, 2020

A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD. National Internal Medicine Day is October 28, 2020. It’s a time for internists to reflect on the work they do and take pride in being a part of…

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

National Internal Medicine Day is October 28, 2020. It’s a time for internists to reflect on the work they do and take pride in being a part of the greater internal medicine community.

Recognizing internal medicine and the work of internists is particularly pertinent in the midst of an ongoing pandemic in which the specialty …

Conditions and diseases

Clinical diagnosis in the age of COVID-19

American College of Physicians & Philip A. Masters, MD

October 4, 2020Oct 4, 2020

A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD. Making an accurate clinical diagnosis is one of the most important things physicians can do for their patients. But being able to do so is not an easy…

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

Making an accurate clinical diagnosis is one of the most important things physicians can do for their patients.

But being able to do so is not an easy process to begin with. It takes years of preparation in learning as much medicine as you can and developing and honing your clinical skills, ranging from taking …

Physician voices

Overcoming the invisible “coronavirus wall” between doctors and patients

American College of Physicians & Philip A. Masters, MD

September 4, 2020Sep 4, 2020

A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD. Pandemics periodically alter the course of history, reshaping society as people struggle to deal with the consequences of a new and often devastating disease. As with past pandemics,…

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

Pandemics periodically alter the course of history, reshaping society as people struggle to deal with the consequences of a new and often devastating disease. As with past pandemics, over just a few months we have witnessed the rapidly spreading novel coronavirus stretch our social, economic, and political fabric as each part of the world …

Physician voices

The hidden danger to physicians in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic

American College of Physicians & Philip A. Masters, MD

August 2, 2020Aug 2, 2020

A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD. Practicing medicine has always been hard, and as all of us have experienced over the past several months, living and working through a (hopefully) once-in-a-lifetime pandemic has only…

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

Practicing medicine has always been hard, and as all of us have experienced over the past several months, living and working through a (hopefully) once-in-a-lifetime pandemic has only made it more challenging.

For those on the front lines of patient care, the added stresses are obvious. Treating patients with a highly infectious disease we are …

Health policy

Why physicians must speak out about social inequity

American College of Physicians & Philip A. Masters, MD

July 4, 2020Jul 4, 20202

A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD. The recent occurrence of widespread civil unrest in the context of the coronavirus pandemic has challenged us as physicians about our appropriate role in dealing with both. The…

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

The recent occurrence of widespread civil unrest in the context of the coronavirus pandemic has challenged us as physicians about our appropriate role in dealing with both.

The response of doctors to the pandemic has been fairly straightforward. The central role of individual physicians and the entire medical profession in confronting a new, highly contagious …

Physician voices

Medical heroism in the age of COVID-19

American College of Physicians & Philip A. Masters, MD

June 4, 2020Jun 4, 2020

A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the signs have been everywhere – celebrating the heroism of health care workers. It's a wonderful sentiment that as a physician…

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

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the signs have been everywhere – celebrating the heroism of health care workers. It’s a wonderful sentiment that as a physician personally makes me feel very good about our profession and what we do. It’s also nice to hear people who know I’m a doctor spontaneously say, …

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Medical heroism in the age of COVID-19

Physician voices

Physician risk during COVID-19: reflections from the AIDS epidemic

American College of Physicians & Philip A. Masters, MD

May 4, 2020May 4, 2020

A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD. If nothing else, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has brought crystal clarity to something that all physicians are aware of but don’t often think about – that because we…

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

If nothing else, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has brought crystal clarity to something that all physicians are aware of but don’t often think about – that because we deal closely with communicable diseases, physicians (along with other health care workers) are clearly at risk of contracting, and potentially dying from, the very diseases we …

Health policy

Reclaiming the future of health care

American College of Physicians & Philip A. Masters, MD

March 13, 2020Mar 13, 2020

A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD. Although I work for the American College of Physicians, I’m writing this as a general internist who has practiced both primary care and hospital-based medicine for over 25…

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

Although I work for the American College of Physicians, I’m writing this as a general internist who has practiced both primary care and hospital-based medicine for over 25 years.

Hopefully by now, you are aware of Better is Possible: The American College of Physicians’ Vision for the U.S. Health Care System published in January. As …

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Reclaiming the future of health care

Physician voices

Treating the patient, not the disease

American College of Physicians & Philip A. Masters, MD

February 12, 2020Feb 12, 2020

A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD. Engaging personally with our health care system either as a patient or family member is usually an eye-opening experience for most physicians. It provides a glimpse of what…

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

Engaging personally with our health care system either as a patient or family member is usually an eye-opening experience for most physicians. It provides a glimpse of what those under our care likely deal with on a daily basis while attempting to manage their health. And what we see often isn’t pretty.

My most recent …

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Treating the patient, not the disease

Physician voices

What doctors can (and should) learn from patients

American College of Physicians & Philip A. Masters, MD

January 5, 2020Jan 5, 2020

A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com. In many ways, the patient-physician relationship is seen as being mostly one-sided, with doctors possessing medical knowledge and wisdom, and patients with less medical information being in a…

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

In many ways, the patient-physician relationship is seen as being mostly one-sided, with doctors possessing medical knowledge and wisdom, and patients with less medical information being in a position where they need a physician’s help and guidance in managing their health issues. Consequently, information transfer and advice have traditionally been perceived as flowing primarily …

Physician voices

Seeking mastery in medicine

American College of Physicians & Philip A. Masters, MD

December 13, 2019Dec 13, 2019

A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com. Regardless of specialty, medical practice is challenging in today’s health care landscape. Increasing demands related to workload and job inefficiencies, an ever-increasing administrative burden, the consuming nature of…

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

Regardless of specialty, medical practice is challenging in today’s health care landscape.

Increasing demands related to workload and job inefficiencies, an ever-increasing administrative burden, the consuming nature of health information technology, and personal and professional values that often conflict with the expectations of the health care system have severely negatively impacted the perceived effectiveness and …

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Seeking mastery in medicine

Physician voices

How the administrative burden contributes to physician burnout

American College of Physicians & Philip A. Masters, MD

November 4, 2019Nov 4, 2019

A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com. The administrative burden associated with caring for patients in today’s health care system has emerged as a primary driver of the loss of joy in the practice of…

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

The administrative burden associated with caring for patients in today’s health care system has emerged as a primary driver of the loss of joy in the practice of medicine and the epidemic of burnout among physicians.

No medical specialty is immune from the upward creep of administrative tasks associated with patient care, although it seems …

Physician voices

How internal medicine got its name

American College of Physicians & Philip A. Masters, MD

October 21, 2019Oct 21, 2019

A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com. Of all medical specialties, perhaps the most difficult to understand is internal medicine. While the name suggests that those who practice internal medicine focus primarily on non-dermatologic diseases…

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

Of all medical specialties, perhaps the most difficult to understand is internal medicine.

While the name suggests that those who practice internal medicine focus primarily on non-dermatologic diseases of “Internal” organ systems (which in many ways is true), unlike other medical fields whose names reflect more the activities they undertake or the patient population for …

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How internal medicine got its name

Health policy

Why should you belong to a medical professional society?

American College of Physicians & Philip A. Masters, MD

September 8, 2019Sep 8, 20199

A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com. Because I work for a medical specialty society, I’m frequently asked by non-members why I believe they should belong to a medical professional society. This is a particularly…

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

Because I work for a medical specialty society, I’m frequently asked by non-members why I believe they should belong to a medical professional society. This is a particularly relevant question these days given the rapidly changing landscape of medicine and with physicians becoming much more discerning about the value they perceive in such affiliations.

My …