John C. Hagan III, MD

John C. Hagan III is an ophthalmologist.

The death of private practice: unequal pay and hospital power

Policy

February 23, 2026

American health care has changed so profoundly in the last three to four decades that it is all but unrecognizable to those of us spending our careers in private practice. In my opinion, the root causes are not that complex. Foremost among them is the unconscionable disparity between the remuneration received by hospital-employed physicians and that of their counterparts in private practice for the same service or procedure.

This is abetted …

Why AI in health care is the only fix for physician shortages

John C. Hagan III, MD

Physician

February 4, 2026

Archimedes said “Eureka,” the ladies at The Knights of Columbus Hall say “Bingo,” and as an ophthalmologist, I say “This is a real eye-opener.” You may or may not recall my exasperated September/October 2025 editorial. The title is self-explanatory: “You have sudden onset of chest pain? The doctor can see you in five months: The travesty of physician unavailability.” Many of you share my pain and concern. In post-publication discussions …

Senior financial scams: a guide for primary care physicians

John C. Hagan III, MD

Conditions

January 31, 2026

In an increasingly digital world, older adults are often viewed as prime targets for financial scams. These malicious schemes exploit vulnerabilities inherent in aging, such as social isolation, cognitive decline, and trustfulness. As primary care physicians, we are in a unique position to recognize the signs of vulnerability in our older patients. Understanding the methods employed by fraudsters, the impact on victims, and how to educate them on preventative measures …

Why the U.S. health care system is failing patients and physicians

John C. Hagan III, MD

Policy

January 18, 2026

United States (U.S.) health care, once a citadel of innovation and quality, has sadly devolved into a complex, frustrating, and frequently inaccessible system. It is so disorganized and inefficient it might not even meet the definition of a “system.” U.S. health care fails to address the needs and expectations of patients on many occasions and in many ways. For most of my career, I have considered U.S. health care the …

Physician shortage and private equity: the ruin of U.S. health care

John C. Hagan III, MD

Physician

December 24, 2025

U.S. health care, once a citadel of innovation and quality, has sadly devolved into a complex, frustrating, and frequently inaccessible system. It is so disorganized and inefficient it might not even meet the definition of a “system.” U.S. health care fails to address the needs and expectations of patients on many occasions and in many ways. For most of my career, I have considered U.S. health care the best in …

What you need to know about near-death experiences

John C. Hagan III, MD

Conditions

September 30, 2024

Imagine a medical syndrome so common that as many as one in five patients who nearly die in a medical setting experience it. Also, imagine that this syndrome has a profound, lifelong effect on both the patient and their family. Finally, imagine that if this syndrome is mishandled by the patient’s physician, it may have major adverse consequences for the patient and their loved ones.

Sounds like something all physicians and …

Make “someday” happen: the years of living dangerously

John C. Hagan III, MD

Physician

September 18, 2024

Bring adventure, mental and physical challenge, change, and calculated risk-taking into your life. I made “someday” happen. You can too. “Someday” it may be too late.

Somewhere, sometime, “someday” slips into our lives. Sometimes “someday” is restless, as in, “Someday I would like to travel to all seven continents.” Sometimes “someday” is bold and fearless—”Someday I want to climb mountains.” Sometimes “someday” is intellectual (learning a second language), athletic (windsurfing), or …

Why curing baldness remains as elusive as putting a man on the moon

John C. Hagan III, MD

Physician

August 16, 2024

If they can put a man on the moon, why can’t they cure male pattern baldness? It’s not easy being bald. In winter, you freeze; in summer, you burn. New follicles never “spring” up, and hair continues to “fall.” That pretty much describes the seasons of my discontent.

You would think that at age 80, I would have come to grips with my shiny dome. After all, I had the highest …

From marathons to moderation: Rethinking endurance exercise

John C. Hagan III, MD

Conditions

July 14, 2024

When it comes to exercise, it is possible to get too much of a good thing. Regular participation in appropriate mild to moderate exercise is one of the most important habits for optimal health. The kind of detrimental excess endurance exercise I’m going to implicate includes marathon distance running, 100-mile bike rides, Iron Man/Half Iron Man triathlons, and other flat-out, pedal-to-the-metal exertions for more than an hour. Regrettably, I confess: …

Big pharma ignores low-cost migraine solution

John C. Hagan III, MD

Meds

May 16, 2024

If you are a fan of pharma, you might want to skip this article. Some pharma enthusiasts will call it a rant. By pharma, I mean avaricious pharmaceutical (a pleonasm) companies collectively. On the other hand, those of you who treat acute migraines will learn of a highly effective, innovative, inexpensive, and relatively safe way to help many of your migraineurs. Those of you who believe that pharma is interested …

Putting down the scalpel: The aging surgeon

John C. Hagan III, MD

Physician

September 7, 2017

In the early epoch of human development, mankind learned to shape and sharpen wood, stone and metal objects to facilitate plunging them deep into other humans’ chests, abdomens, skulls and eyes in the ultimate form of conflict resolution.

Over tens of thousands of years, other less pugilistic and more compassionate humans crudely — but later artfully — insinuated an increasingly sophisticated array of implements into the human corpus to cure diseases, …

John C. Hagan III, MD

John C. Hagan III, MD

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