Kayvan Haddadan, MD

Medical board reform starts with restorative justice

July 11, 2026Jul 11, 2026

George Orwell's Animal Farm remains a powerful parable about how systems created with good intentions can gradually lose their way when power concentrates and accountability weakens. The animals overthrow an exploitative farmer with dreams of equality, only to see new…

George Orwell’s Animal Farm remains a powerful parable about how systems created with good intentions can gradually lose their way when power concentrates and accountability weakens. The animals overthrow an exploitative farmer with dreams of equality, only to see new leaders adopt the very behaviors they once opposed. Medical regulation offers a real-world parallel, not a complete betrayal, but a system that sometimes drifts from its original balance between patient …

Mechanism of injury is the key to proving causation

July 9, 2026Jul 9, 2026

As a physician trained in musculoskeletal care and neurologic deficits, and as a qualified medical evaluator (QME) and independent medical examiner (IME) dealing with personal injury accident cases and work-related incident cases, and also as an expert witness, we are dealing with establishing causation of the accident or incident to the impairment that is being claimed. This is done using biomechanics to relate the mechanism of injury to the …

How California can stop underage online gambling

July 5, 2026Jul 5, 2026

As California voters decide between Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton for governor, one growing public health concern needs more focus from both: the surge in underage online gambling. Easy access through phones and apps creates risks that could spiral if left unchecked. AB 2617, the Protecting Kids from Online Gambling Act, provides a practical starting point. Advancing, refining, and enforcing solid measures here should be a priority regardless …

Chronic pain management: Match the treatment to the cause

July 3, 2026Jul 3, 2026

Chronic pain affects millions and demands a nuanced, individualized strategy. Providers draw from training and comfort zones, but the scientific literature supports a multimodal framework that integrates pharmacological, rehabilitative, psychological, and interventional options. No single modality universally outperforms others. Outcomes improve when treatments target the underlying pain generator, whether nociceptive, neuropathic, inflammatory, or vertebrogenic, while considering patient-specific factors like comorbidities and functional goals.

Pharmacological management

Opioids provide potent analgesia for certain …

What medical regulation can learn from restorative justice

June 29, 2026Jun 29, 2026

Medical regulatory agencies play a foundational role in protecting patients and maintaining high professional standards. When rules are applied clearly, consistently, and supportively, they create space for physicians to deliver excellent care while sustaining their own well-being. Yet administrative burdens and process complexities often contribute to stress. A promising solution lies in blending traditional oversight with restorative justice principles and a holistic health lens, approaches that address the whole person …

Red lights, green lights, and the art of resilience

June 24, 2026Jun 24, 2026

Unlike my earlier pieces, which often stitched together studies and data to build an argument, this one grew straight out of ordinary mornings. Pulling up to the same stop sign on my commute, waiting for the light to turn green, easing over to let an ambulance through with its urgent lights flashing. Touched by a reality check, one of my friends who lost his significant other of long years has …

Underage gambling thrives on offshore betting sites

June 22, 2026Jun 22, 2026

Offshore online gambling companies, operating from jurisdictions with lax oversight, have built a business model that thrives on easy access for minors while evading meaningful U.S. regulations. These platforms often rely on superficial age verification that fails to protect vulnerable…

Inadequate age verification: a sham that enables harm

A core failure lies in the …

Why acts of kindness make you measurably happier

June 18, 2026Jun 18, 2026

In an effort to discover the Neuroscience of Happiness, the concept that a significant portion of our daily happiness derives from how we contribute to the happiness of others is strongly supported by research on prosocial behavior, empathy, and social relationships. While pinpointing an exact percentage is difficult, multiple studies reveal a clear positive correlation between caring for others’ well-being and our own.

From early childhood, giving behaviors boost happiness. …

The hidden tax driving up U.S. health care costs

June 16, 2026Jun 16, 2026

Health care spending in the United States reached about 18 percent of GDP in 2024, totaling $5.3 trillion, or roughly $15,474 per person. That's dramatically higher than peer countries, which average around 11 percent. Yet patient outcomes haven't kept pace.…

Health care spending in the United States reached about 18 percent of GDP in 2024, totaling $5.3 trillion, or roughly $15,474 per person. That’s dramatically higher than peer countries, which average around 11 percent. Yet patient outcomes haven’t kept pace.

Two major, interconnected problems stand out: exploding administrative overhead that diverts money away from actual care, and a systemic preference for treating problems after they occur rather than …

How Becerra and Hilton differ on California health care

June 11, 2026Jun 11, 2026

This article tries to be unbiased and compares Xavier Becerra (Democrat, former U.S. HHS Secretary, California AG, and Congressman) and Steve Hilton (Republican, former Fox News host, British-born American conservative political commentator, author, entrepreneur, and former adviser) contrasting approaches to…

Becerra emphasizes government-led expansion of access, protections against federal rollbacks, cost controls via regulation and purchasing power, and a long-term vision for universal coverage. Hilton focuses on reducing government …

Physician finance

How administrative costs are crushing physician practices

June 6, 2026Jun 6, 2026

Over the past decade, administrative costs in the U.S. health care system have climbed sharply, reshaping how money moves through the system. National health spending now tops $5 trillion, but a growing chunk goes to bureaucracy rather than actual care. This leaves medical providers with thinner margins, contributes heavily to physician burnout, and creates barriers for patients. Health insurers have expanded their administrative operations, including more prior …

Youth online gambling is the new opioid crisis

June 2, 2026Jun 2, 2026

Gen X (roughly 1965 to 1980) grew up as "latchkey kids" with no constant internet, more independence, figuring things out through trial and error. They often developed real resilience from facing hardships without much handholding. Gen Z (1997 to 2012)…

Gen X (roughly 1965 to 1980) grew up as “latchkey kids” with no constant internet, more independence, figuring things out through trial and error. They often developed real resilience from facing hardships without much handholding. Gen Z (1997 to 2012) entered a world saturated with technology, social media, instant information, and a big emphasis on mental health. Many are thoughtful about emotional well-being but can be less practiced …

How to raise teenagers ready for the real world

May 30, 2026May 30, 2026

After sharing numerous thoughts on pain management and the health care system, which are topics I am deeply passionate about, I decided for a moment to step out of my role as a physician and share some personal insights I encounter regularly as a parent raising teenagers. At times, this journey can feel even more challenging than practicing medicine.

Raising a teenager today feels like navigating a beautiful storm. One moment, …

Interventional pain procedures for chronic back pain

May 27, 2026May 27, 2026

Chronic back, leg, and pelvic pain frequently result from degenerative spine conditions, disc herniations, spinal stenosis, facet arthropathy, sacroiliac joint dysfunction, or vertebrogenic pain. When conservative measures such as physical therapy, medications, and activity modification fail, interventional pain procedures provide…

These techniques are typically performed on an outpatient basis with image guidance, offering shorter recovery times and lower risk compared to open …

Lifestyle, mindfulness, and the neuroscience of happiness

May 23, 2026May 23, 2026

I have been gathering information about the neuroscience of happiness for over a year now, since the completion of my previous book, Legal Mind in Medicine, and decided to put a glimpse of it in an article form for the…

Happiness stands as a central human pursuit, shaping our physical health, mental resilience, productivity, and relationships. As physicians, understanding the science of well-being offers real value. It …

Medicare physician pay has fallen 33 percent since 2001

May 21, 2026May 21, 2026

Patient care is getting squeezed. For years now, the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule has failed to give doctors the resources they need to keep up with rising costs and deliver high-quality care. The result is real strain on practices, especially…

When you adjust for inflation, Medicare payment rates to physicians have dropped by about 33 percent …

California opioid prescribing: What the data actually shows

May 19, 2026May 19, 2026

As a physician managing patients with chronic pain in California, I've witnessed the tension between necessary regulations and the daily reality of helping people in genuine distress. As chairman for the National Campaign to Protect People in Pain (NCP3), I…

As a physician managing patients with chronic pain in California, I’ve witnessed the tension between necessary regulations and the daily reality of helping people in genuine distress. As chairman for the National Campaign to Protect People in Pain (NCP3), I know how important it is to advocate for our patients. While foundational reviews on prescription drug oversight provide helpful context on opioids and NSAIDs (for details, refer to chapter …

The administrative burden crushing California medicine

May 16, 2026May 16, 2026

Think of the entire health care system as a chess game where the goal is to achieve a healthier population by checkmating against the "darker side," which represents disease, poor outcomes, inefficiency, and the human suffering of untreated or delayed…

Think of the entire health care system as a chess game where the goal is to achieve a healthier population by checkmating against the “darker side,” which represents disease, poor outcomes, inefficiency, and the human suffering of untreated or delayed chronic conditions like pain.

The patient should be the king: The most important piece. Everything revolves around protecting and empowering them. Without the king (patients), the game does not

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How gold cards can drive California pain management reform

May 14, 2026May 14, 2026

Key issues in California's health care system highlight some structural problems that hit patients, doctors, and communities hard. These aren't abstract policy debates; they are day-to-day realities in pain management, chronic care, and everyday practice. Core issues, which were pulled…

Key issues in California’s health care system highlight some structural problems that hit patients, doctors, and communities hard. These aren’t abstract policy debates; they are day-to-day realities in pain management, chronic care, and everyday practice. Core issues, which were pulled from the previously published articles, include but are not limited to:

Physician exodus and shortages: High taxes, aggressive board scrutiny, and a tough environment drive doctors out of California

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Uber’s personal injury lawsuits split doctors and lawyers