Kayvan Haddadan, MD

A physiatrist and pain management physician, and president and medical director of Advanced Pain Diagnostic & Solutions.

73 articles on KevinMD · Listed in Experts by KevinMD

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Articles, page 4

Physician voices

What is shared truth and why does it matter?

Kayvan Haddadan, MD

December 10, 2025Dec 10, 2025

In our diverse world, where everyone sees things through their own lens, shaped by life experiences, beliefs, and facts, chasing after one absolute "truth" often sparks arguments instead of solutions. But what if we aimed for something better: a "shared…

In our diverse world, where everyone sees things through their own lens, shaped by life experiences, beliefs, and facts, chasing after one absolute “truth” often sparks arguments instead of solutions. But what if we aimed for something better: a “shared truth”? This is about coming together, respecting each other’s opinions, and teaming up to find common ground that works for everyone. It’s like turning a debate into a friendly conversation, …

Conditions and diseases

California’s opioid policy hypocrisy

Kayvan Haddadan, MD

December 4, 2025Dec 4, 2025

California's opioid policies reveal a stark hypocrisy, imposing draconian restrictions on prescriptions for chronic pain patients (leaving wildfire survivors and others in unrelenting agony) while allocating over $100 million annually through initiatives like the California Harm Reduction Initiative (CHRI) and…

California’s opioid policies reveal a stark hypocrisy, imposing draconian restrictions on prescriptions for chronic pain patients (leaving wildfire survivors and others in unrelenting agony) while allocating over $100 million annually through initiatives like the California Harm Reduction Initiative (CHRI) and Proposition 36 to provide free needles, pipes, and fentanyl test strips to addicts with minimal oversight. This disparity is compounded by the Medical Board of California’s (MBC) overreach, where physicians …

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California’s opioid policy hypocrisy

Physician voices

Rethinking opioid prescribing policies

Kayvan Haddadan, MD

December 1, 2025Dec 1, 2025

As a pain management specialist, my intent is not to promote unchecked opioid prescribing or overlook the serious risks these medications pose. Instead, I advocate for viewing the full picture in patient care. Physicians, trained in medicine and its side effects, must be empowered to use their knowledge and direct observations, including subtle cues like body language and patient interactions during brief visits, to make tailored decisions. Documentation in charts …

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Rethinking opioid prescribing policies

Conditions and diseases

The opioid crisis’s other victims

Kayvan Haddadan, MD

November 9, 2025Nov 9, 2025

Introduction: a crisis of pain The opioid crisis is one of the most significant public health emergencies of our time, defined by staggering rates of addiction and overdose. Yet, behind the headlines is a story of profound and often overlooked…

Introduction: a crisis of pain

The opioid crisis is one of the most significant public health emergencies of our time, defined by staggering rates of addiction and overdose. Yet, behind the headlines is a story of profound and often overlooked human suffering. In an effort to save lives, public health policies were enacted to aggressively reduce opioid prescriptions. While well-intentioned, these policies have inadvertently precipitated a parallel crisis of iatrogenic harm, …

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The opioid crisis’s other victims

Physician voices

How restrictive opioid policies worsen the crisis

Kayvan Haddadan, MD

September 3, 2025Sep 3, 20252

The ongoing opioid crisis, claiming over 70,000 lives annually in the U.S. according to the CDC's 2023 data, presents a perplexing scenario where regulatory bodies, in their attempt to curb misuse, have inadvertently intensified challenges for health care providers and…

The ongoing opioid crisis, claiming over 70,000 lives annually in the U.S. according to the CDC’s 2023 data, presents a perplexing scenario where regulatory bodies, in their attempt to curb misuse, have inadvertently intensified challenges for health care providers and patients. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued its 2016 guideline for prescribing opioids for chronic pain, with revisions in 2022 to address misapplications, yet these efforts have …

Physician voices

Why reforming medical boards is critical to saving patient care

Kayvan Haddadan, MD

August 27, 2025Aug 27, 2025

Imagine a dedicated physician, after years of rigorous training and countless lives saved, facing a medical board complaint over a minor issue—perhaps a clerical error in documentation or a subjective interpretation of a clinical decision. What should be a straightforward matter escalates into a career-threatening ordeal. State medical boards, endowed with significant authority, often wield it with little accountability. Armed with prosecutors who prioritize winning over truth, boards can …

Physician voices

Why pain doctors face unfair scrutiny and harsh penalties in California

Kayvan Haddadan, MD

August 20, 2025Aug 20, 20252

Pain management physicians, who often prescribe controlled substances like opioids, face intense scrutiny. Critics argue that investigations are overly aggressive, resembling fishing expeditions where investigators search broadly for any evidence of wrongdoing, often beyond the original complaint. A 2023 Los Angeles Times report noted that nearly 10,000 investigations were conducted in 2021–2022, with pain physicians disproportionately targeted due to outdated guidelines predating modern evidence-based practices. For example, the reliance on …

Physician voices

Why medical boards are facing growing backlash for abusing power

Kayvan Haddadan, MD

August 1, 2025Aug 1, 2025

In principle, the judicial system is founded on fairness, requiring that guilt or innocence be established based on evidence. All parties including judges, defendants, and plaintiffs should be engaged in a rigorous process of fact presentation and scrutiny. However, in…

In principle, the judicial system is founded on fairness, requiring that guilt or innocence be established based on evidence.

All parties including judges, defendants, and plaintiffs should be engaged in a rigorous process of fact presentation and scrutiny.

However, in stark contrast, political systems often prioritize rule manipulation and fact distortion, seeking validation over truth. This critical distinction between politics and jurisprudence becomes dangerously blurred when examining the conduct of medical boards …

Physician voices

Time theft: the unseen harm of abusive oversight

Kayvan Haddadan, MD

July 17, 2025Jul 17, 2025

Theft, in its essence, is the unlawful taking of something valuable from another. While usually associated with material possessions, it also extends to intangible assets such as time, reputation, and emotional well-being. When authorities like medical boards or the Department of Justice (DOJ) engage in unfair practices grounded in presumptive guilt, they are not just misusing their roles but actively stripping individuals of these invaluable resources—an abuse of power that …

Physician voices

How regulatory overreach is destroying innovation in U.S. health care

Kayvan Haddadan, MD

July 8, 2025Jul 8, 2025

Health care regulatory bodies have embraced a dangerous "accuse first, prove later" strategy that is eroding the foundation of our health care system. Physicians, the bedrock of patient care, are being subjected to accusations based on flimsy, illegitimate reports or…

Health care regulatory bodies have embraced a dangerous “accuse first, prove later” strategy that is eroding the foundation of our health care system. Physicians, the bedrock of patient care, are being subjected to accusations based on flimsy, illegitimate reports or random audits. Rather than building cases on substantial initial evidence, these authorities thrive on retrospective scrutiny—analyzing old notes, reframing past actions, and bending interpretations of guidelines to validate their accusations. …

Physician voices

The weaponization of rules: How regulatory overreach puts physicians and health care at risk

Kayvan Haddadan, MD

June 24, 2025Jun 24, 2025

In recent years, an alarming trend has emerged within the health care system, one that is eroding the very backbone of medical care delivery: the physician. What once were rules and regulations designed to protect and elevate the standard of medical care are increasingly being exploited by medical authorities as a tool to extort, reprimand, and harass physicians. More disturbingly, this extortion is now cloaked as “education,” forcing doctors to …

Physician voices

Bureaucracy over care: How the U.S. health care system lost its way

Kayvan Haddadan, MD

May 24, 2025May 24, 2025

The health care system, in theory, operates on one fundamental principle: to prioritize patient welfare. Yet, contemporary systems in many regions, particularly the United States, have increasingly veered off course, entangling themselves in a jungle of bureaucracy, regulation, and profit-driven motives that obscure the vital role patients play as the focal point of care. The result is a system riddled with inefficiencies, frustration, and barriers to optimal health care delivery. …

Physician voices

The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors

Kayvan Haddadan, MD

April 17, 2025Apr 17, 20253

The actions taken by the Medical Board against a compassionate physician dedicated to alleviating chronic pain are nothing short of egregious, deeply flawed, and emblematic of a system that seems intent on punishing rather than protecting. This esteemed doctor, who has spent years serving patients in dire need with integrity and professionalism, now finds himself ensnared by a process that appears more vindictive than just, more biased than fair. …