Public Health & Policy

A cardiologist’s urgent call to combat heat-related health risks

Physician

August 9, 2024

As I drive to work and back, my eyes are on the ambient temperature reading in my car—it has been creeping up every day. I routinely listen to NPR, and extreme heat in various parts of the world comes up in daily discussions.

As a heart failure cardiologist in the clinic, I routinely ask my patients about their activity levels. Most of them complain about the heat and how it impacts …

21st century schizoid health care: the unseen crisis of our system

Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA

Physician

July 29, 2024

“21st Century Schizoid Man” is a 1969 antiwar song by the prog rock band King Crimson. It appeared as the lead cut on their debut album In the Court of the Crimson King. “Schizoid Man” is considered an epic, described by Rolling Stone as “a seven-and-a-half-minute statement of purpose: rock power, jazz spontaneity, and classical precision harnessed in the service of a common aim.”

Schizoid personality disorder is much …

Prescribing data and efficiency: Harnessing technology to alleviate the physician shortage in the U.S.

Patrick Hunt, MD, MBA

Policy

July 29, 2024

Amidst the pressing challenges confronting the health care landscape in the United States, the physician shortage stands out as a critical issue demanding innovative solutions. The Association of American Medical College’s latest report projects that the nation’s physician shortage could reach up to 86,000 by 2036. Burnout, which was further exacerbated by the pandemic, a large portion of physicians nearing retirement, limited medical school enrollment, and population growth …

Revitalizing rural health care with technology and policy

Jay Anders, MD

Physician

July 25, 2024

As a physician who grew up in a small town in central Illinois, I’ve witnessed firsthand the decline of rural health care in America. The hospital where I first became interested in medicine is now half its original size, merged with a larger health system, and struggling to stay afloat. This story is all too common across rural America, where health care access is becoming increasingly scarce, and the challenges …

The truth behind the U.S. doctor shortage: Is it intentional or not?

Charles Dinerstein, MD, MBA

Policy

July 20, 2024

My friend and colleague, Alex Berezow, wrote a piece titled “Is the U.S. doctor shortage intentional?” The writers at ACSH share their work before publication to get feedback, and in the case of Alex’s latest, we disagreed. While much of what he wrote is factual, without the nuance of the setting, it fails to tell the entire story. So here is not so much my rebuttal but the rest of …

When judges influence the practice of medicine: How Braidwood v. Becerra jeopardizes public health

Eliot H. Blum, MD, Xyruz Villariz, and Jasmine Ann Castillejos

Physician

July 16, 2024

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a medication regimen that effectively helps prevent the transmission of HIV. Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), most private health insurance companies must cover preventive care services, including PrEP, without additional cost-sharing. In Braidwood v. Becerra, a for-profit corporation challenged the ACA’ s PrEP coverage mandate. The corporate plaintiff argued that compulsory PrEP coverage infringed upon its religious beliefs and violated the Religious Freedom Restoration …

When protocols fail: lessons from Trump’s attempted assassination and medical errors

Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA

Physician

July 16, 2024

The breakdown in security leading to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump can be compared to the multifactorial failure inherent in medical errors. Both scenarios involve complex systems where multiple layers of defense and prevention are designed to avoid catastrophic outcomes. When these layers fail, it often results from a combination of human error, systemic issues, and procedural flaws.

Both presidential security and health care systems are highly complex and require …

Health information censorship in prisons [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

July 13, 2024

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!

Join us as we explore the critical issue of carceral censorship and its impact on incarcerated individuals’ access to health information. Our guest is Brian Tuohy, an assistant professor of bioethics, who shares …

Administrative harm is destroying the practice of medicine

Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA

Physician

July 13, 2024

“Rules and regulations, who needs them? Throw them out the door.”
— Graham Nash (lyrics), from “Chicago,” sung by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Business entrepreneur and billionaire Michael B. Kim recently was quoted as saying: “Leadership without ethics is a body without a soul.” Kim donated $25 million to his alma mater, Haverford College in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to start a new Institute for Ethical Inquiry and Leadership. His goal is …

Can local health care survive in a world of mega-corporations? [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

July 7, 2024

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!

We delve into the evolution of health care with our guest, Brian R. Jackson, a pathologist. Once a local industry where doctors and hospitals were deeply integrated into their communities, health care has …

Migrant health in crisis: How we can lead the way in inclusive care

Stephanie Dominic Berchmans, LMSW

Policy

June 24, 2024

“I’m sorry, but we’re unable to accept this patient into the program right now due to a shortage of Spanish-speaking workers.”

I have lost count of the number of times I’ve had to say this statement to the various referral sources that call me daily, requesting services for immigrant patients.

Jane is a single parent from Guyana. She traveled to New York to visit family with her daughter, who was …

Navigating profit-driven metrics: Upholding core values in medicine

Shideh Shafie, MD

Physician

June 19, 2024

As physicians, many of us were drawn to the medical field by a profound desire to serve humanity and alleviate suffering. We hear buzzwords in corporate work about values-led teams, but in the house of medicine, we have always been led by a strong sense of values. This calling propelled us through the rigorous demands of medical training—endless hours of study, countless lectures, sleepless nights, and missed personal milestones. We …

For treatment, please call Dr. Congressman

Joseph Lanctot, FNP-C

Policy

June 14, 2024

Recent regulatory changes create a national staffing level for nursing facilities. Despite the much-needed rule change and the well-known stench of understaffed nursing homes that many Americans dread going to, most of the news cycle has portrayed this as a negative development. This is but one example where our patients are being manipulated into beliefs and actions that are contrary to their best health care interests. Recently, the same lies …

The unseen impact of Miami’s homeless crackdown

Madison Guido and Karen Weinstock

Policy

June 12, 2024

17th Street – nestled between Jackson Memorial, a major U.S. safety net hospital, and Camillus House, the largest homeless shelter in South Florida – is empty. There are no bicycles or tents belonging to the individuals who typically inhabit the area. There is no line outside of the Three Sisters where people usually wait for a meal. The street is quiet and desolate.

We visit 17th Street every Saturday morning with …

Why the U.S. must urgently address maternal health disparities for Black women

Isabelle Akinyemiju

Policy

June 11, 2024

It is no secret that the U.S. lags greatly behind other developed nations in maternal health outcomes. When we hear the stories of women like Shalon Irving, who died three weeks after giving birth and whose pleas for help prior to her death were all but ignored, or the story of Kira Johnson, who was left hemorrhaging for ten hours in the hospital after what was supposed to be a …

Why health care organizations must be accountable to local communities

Brian R. Jackson, MD and Paul R. DeMuro, JD, PhD, MBA

Policy

June 11, 2024

In the not-too-distant past, health care was a local industry. If you saw a doctor, they were likely a solo practitioner. If you went to the hospital, it was probably run by a local religious order or non-profit. Health care leaders and board members shopped at the same stores as their patients did, socialized in the same community groups, and sent their children to the same schools. Today, though, health …

Korean resident doctors mass resignation: a cry for change [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

June 8, 2024

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!

Join us for a discussion on the recent wave of resident physician resignations in South Korea and the underlying issues within the country’s health care system. Our guest, Joo-Young Lee, a child and …

Health care costs: Looking in the mirror for solutions [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

May 29, 2024

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!

Join us for a discussion on the complexities of the U.S. health care system with orthopedic surgeon Alejandro Badia. We’ll delve into the evolving perceptions surrounding health care, exploring factors contributing to its …

America’s broken health care system: Can doctors lead the fix?

Alisa Berger, MD

Policy

May 25, 2024

America’s health care system, much like Congress, is broken, and doctors have to be part of the solution. I don’t know a single doctor who doesn’t wish to improve our ability to increase access and the delivery of health services to our patients. Maintaining and/or improving the health of patients is our goal. That should be the goal of anyone associated with the health careRead more…

America’s broken health care system: Can doctors lead the fix?

Forced immigration and the American dream: a physician’s story

Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD

Physician

May 22, 2024

My grandfather was forced to immigrate from Japan to Canada in 1910. As I learned, he owned many sake factories in Japan, which were nationalized in a government takeover of certain businesses. Governments do that. The family was heavily burdened, and the government pressured them to move across the Pacific.

Over the next century, our family prospered under the Canadian government, with some family members coming to the United States.

One reflection …