A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
The recent uproar over the American College of Physicians’ recommendation against routine pelvic examinations made me think about the status of the annual visit (a.k.a. yearly physical, annual exam) on average risk, asymptomatic adults that most internal medicine specialists perform. Some would say that …
Moving annual visits into the 21st century
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
Physicians in California are mobilizing to oppose an initiative on the November ballot that will raise the cap on non-economic damages in medical malpractice cases. The current cap of $250,000 is part of California’s Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act, or MICRA. Adopted in …
The California ballot initiative: Protecting patients or letting in a Trojan horse?
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
It has all of the features of a talk radio discussion that you might encounter in any US city: Commentators (many of them anonymous) at one extreme or the other of a topic, name-calling, blaming, and empty rhetoric overshadowing the real issues. I am …
The success stories of medicine deserve more attention
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
On a Thursday in April, my practice upgraded its electronic health record to the next version, the “latest and greatest” with more features, as well as compliance with meaningful uses 2 through infinity. That was the good news. The bad news was that it meant that our EHR …
Lessons learned during an unplanned EMR downtime
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
In the annual cycle of a medical practice, there are seasons. For example, we have “flu season,” “poison ivy season,” “camp or school physical season,” “snowbirds back from Florida season,” and in my part of the world, “Lyme disease season.” There are other seasons that physicians must endure that have …
Deductibles and donuts change the flavor of health care
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
A couple of weeks ago, a television commercial caught my attention. It was an official-sounding announcement, a “national healthcare alert” that if you have Medicare, you might qualify for a knee brace “at little or no cost to you.” I found it interesting because a week earlier, a durable …
The high cost of “free,” unnecessary medical equipment
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
A few months ago, I attended a social event and ran into a few colleagues whom I had not seen in a long time. In the interest of privacy, I won’t reveal their specialties but I will note that I was the only primary care specialist in the group. As …
How I changed my private practice glass from half empty to half full
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in 2012, 65% of U.S. adults ages 50-75 were current with screening for colorectal cancer. Almost 28% were never screened. Despite the availability of multiple methods for detecting precancerous polyps or early cancers, the number of people who take advantage of …
ACP: Increase screening for second leading cause of cancer-related deaths
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
In earlier columns I wrote about two initiatives to promote physicians providing the best possible care by reducing or eliminating the use of tests or treatments that have little or no value to patients. They are ACP’s High Value Care and ABIM Foundation’s Choosing Wisely. I …
ACP: Practicing high value care and overcoming patients’ concerns
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
It seems to begin earlier and earlier each year — displays are up in stores in late July, newspaper and radio ads start appearing in August, and the media reports on it before the kids even go back to school. Yes, flu vaccine season is in full motion. Last year I …
ACP: Making the most of opportunities to get people immunized
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
ACP recently launched a campaign to celebrate and increase awareness of internal medicine, the “I.M. Proud to Be an Internist” campaign. If you visit the website, you will find a summary of the campaign’s goals, information for patients and families, links to downloadable posters for the office, and merchandise that …
ACP: Raising the profile of internal medicine
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
I will begin this month’s column with a confession on something that most people don’t know about me. I hope it doesn’t lose me any friends. I am a member of the AMA/Specialty Society Relative Value Scale Update Committee, better known as the RUC. Actually, I’m an alternate, but …
Are we unfair to the RUC? A view from the inside
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
Over the past several years, I have had the honor of representing the American College of Physicians at scientific conferences and professional society meetings. In addition to hearing about the latest advances in internal medicine at these events, I learn what is on the minds of physicians in …
ACP: Physicians around the world face similar non-clinical issues
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
English is the international language of medicine, according to many. Regardless of whether that is true, what is becoming increasingly clear is that English is the second language of medical documentation. For those of you who blame EHRs for this, the replacement of English by something else started …
English is the second language of medical documentation
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
Over the past several months, I have covered some controversial topics, such as electronic health records and the overuse of diagnostic testing. For this month’s column, I will address a less provocative topic: the role of non-physician providers …
Doctors and nurse practitioners: We’re failing the reality test
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
Whether we call them “unnecessary,” “not indicated,” “inappropriate,” or “overused,” certain tests and procedures add little or no clinical benefit to patients and in some cases they cause harm. They also contribute to the cost of care without improving care. At a time when payers are challenging payment …
ACP: 5 excuses physicians and patients should question
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
Medicine is big business. If you don’t believe me, the next time that you travel by plane, pick up the airline magazine in the seat pocket and read the ads. If the advertising is a reflection of the air traveling …
ACP: Medicine up in the air inflates patient expectations
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
Two years ago, my practice became a patient-centered medical home (PCMH), or more accurately, my practice began the transition towards delivering patient care under this new model. While that process is far from complete at this point, it’s been a positive experience. This month, I’d like to share …
ACP: What I’ve learned from my medical home
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
Recently, I was invited to speak at an ACP chapter meeting on the topic of shared vision. In the talk, I used as examples Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, and Steve Jobs, leaders whose visions inspired people and helped them to achieve great things. As I wrote the talk, it occurred to me that …
ACP: Practice transformation is more than checking off boxes
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
How to reduce the cost of medical care while improving quality is the focus of several initiatives, including the American College of Physicians’ High Value Care initiative, the ABIM Foundation’s Choosing Wisely campaign, and Consumer Reports’ Consumer Health Choices.
The common message is that we …
Inappropriate care requests: The role of health care professionals
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