Post Author: Justin Berk, MPH, MBA

If we are serious about addressing the opioid epidemic, this is what we should do

Physician
December 1, 2017

Multiple state leaders, including Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, and even President Trump have declared states of emergency in response to the opioid epidemic. Policymakers claim to be battling this public health crisis on all fronts, but one arena continues to be conspicuously ignored: our prisons and jails.

Roughly half of all incarcerated individuals suffer from addiction. And in the two weeks following their release, former prisoners are 129 times more likely …

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Patient satisfaction is underrated

Physician
April 27, 2014

Through three years of medical school, I’ve seen disgruntled physicians repeatedly slam the recent movement toward patient satisfaction. In our family medicine clinic, a copy of Dr. William Sonnenberg’s essay “Patient Satisfaction is Overrated” hangs on the door to remind attendings, residents, and students of the unfair pressure to keep patients happy despite their demand for antibiotics, imaging studies, or narcotics.

The only way to keep the patients satisfied, the argument …

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Student-run free clinics: A pure form of medicine

Education
December 15, 2013

The culture of medicine has changed and a new generation of medical students has noticed this insidious path to disgruntlement. Reimbursement rates dominate conversations among health care professionals. Physicians are slowly burning out while younger faces are tempted away from humanitarianism by lucrative lifestyle specialties. Bureaucrats, technology, and increasing health-care costs have transformed the doctor-patient relationship, and students pick up on the increasing frustration in the profession.

The few oases of …

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Can e-cigarettes be a public health victory?

Meds
September 12, 2013

Annoying mall vendors have been pushing what may be one of public health’s greatest accomplishments—and few have taken notice. Behind pillow pet stations and the candle stand, mall shoppers can find electronic cigarettes, or “vapes.” Often targeted at smokers wanting to quit, e-cigarettes offer many of the joys of smoking without one of its major components: smoke.

Smokeless cigarettes have become a hot product, with an estimated $1.7 billion in sales …

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