Ann Lebeck is a family medicine and sports medicine physician.

The cost of time constraints in primary care: Why doctors feel rushed

Physician
March 29, 2026

A patient comes in with hip pain. It is not dramatic hip pain. There is no trauma and no fall. It is just a gradual ache that now wakes her up at night. She cannot sit comfortably. Getting in and out of the car is harder, and she is worried. The X-ray is normal. Now what?

In another era, this is where medicine began, not ended. It began with history, examination, …

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The cost of time constraints in primary care: Why doctors feel rushed

When diagnosis becomes closure: the harm of stopping too soon

Physician
February 5, 2026

Medicine prides itself on early diagnosis and decisive treatment. We are trained to recognize patterns, apply categories, and follow pathways designed to reduce uncertainty. This approach saves lives. But there is a quiet point at which it can also cause harm.

That moment occurs when diagnosis becomes closure.

I recently spoke with a young woman in her 20s with endometriosis. She had done everything medicine asked of her: sought care, underwent surgery, …

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When diagnosis becomes closure: the harm of stopping too soon