Public Health & Policy

Medical reparations are long overdue in medicine

Policy

July 5, 2023

The Philadelphia Inquirer has been covering health inequities and potential remedial solutions for years. One recent story described how a new policy requires that patients’ kidney function be estimated without taking their race into account, highlighting the case of a Black woman whose kidney transplant was delayed five years because the medical center relied on an outdated race-based formula to determine her kidney function, …

Philadelphia’s devastating gun violence epidemic: a wake-up call for action

Lauren Burgoon, MD

Policy

July 4, 2023

It’s become my morning ritual on the way to the hospital. Cruising down a main Philadelphia stretch, just as the road crests and the hospital becomes visible, I steel myself for the line. Is it going to be long today? In just a few more blocks, my second reflexive check-in: Are there news vans outside of the hospital?

Both glances are woven into the larger story of Philadelphia’s gun violence epidemic …

Unveiling the ever-evolving truth: a transformative journey beyond boundaries

Osmund Agbo, MD

Physician

July 3, 2023

Not too long ago, I found myself immersed in a profoundly thought-provoking encounter that ignited a cascade of reflections on the intricate interplay between truth, faith, and the essence of what we hold dear as our ultimate truth.

It was a casual evening spent with a group of friends, a mix of familiar faces, and some new acquaintances. Our host, a genuinely compassionate man, had inadvertently sparked an impassioned conversation on …

Addressing America’s dental health crisis [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

June 30, 2023

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Join us in this episode as we discuss the critical shortage of health care workers, especially in the dental field, with our guest Theekshana Fernando, a research scientist. We explore the connection between oral health and overall …

The role of competition in health care: a complex interplay

Harvey Castro, MD, MBA

Physician

June 30, 2023

In the dynamic field of health care, physicians hold a vital role. Their invaluable contribution as life-savers, pain alleviators, and guides towards healthier living necessitates continuous learning and improvement. A potential catalyst for such progress is friendly competition among physicians. This concept isn’t about outdoing each other for a prize but striving for better patient outcomes, refining medical practices, and nurturing a culture of excellence.

A study by the National Bureau …

The Little Mermaid inspires a health care revolution: Breaking silos for equitable, accessible, and innovative solutions

Erkeda DeRouen, MD

Physician

June 25, 2023

The Little Mermaid remake was recently released, and I was excited to experience the film for a few reasons. First, it was my favorite animated Disney film of all time. It came out when I was three years old, and I watched the VHS tape until it didn’t work anymore. Yes, I’m dating myself. Second, there were updated lyrics and a Black Ariel. Although it was strangely controversial that Ariel …

Unlocking the power of value-based care: How collaborative partnerships drive health care success

Kristan Langdon, DNP and Timothy Lee, MPH

Policy

June 20, 2023

Value-based care (VBC) holds the opportunity to re-create partnerships designed to increase health care sustainability by strategically improving processes, care delivery, and patient outcomes. However, the potential of the Institute of Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Triple Aim framework will never be optimized until the major stakeholders are identified, connected by a common goal, and willing to participate equally. Thus, the movement toward VBC delivery models is found mainly in …

Conferences’ duty of care in the face of discriminatory health policy

Christian John Lillis

Policy

June 18, 2023

I’ve spoken at many medical conferences since co-founding the Peggy Lillis Foundation for C. diff Education & Advocacy following my mother’s death from a C. difficile infection in 2010. Unfortunately, I am often the only patient advocate. The pressure of representing patients in a group of hundreds of clinicians, scientists, and administrators can be intimidating. But for the most part, I have always felt welcome and valued.

One of my favorites …

Breaking barriers in Medicaid access [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

June 16, 2023

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Join us in this insightful podcast episode as we discuss the challenges and importance of Medicaid access in the United States. Our guests include Fatima Al-Shimari, an epidemiologist, and medical students Miriam Al-Saedy and Salsabeal Al-Saedy. We …

Revolutionizing oral health care: the affordable solution that’s breaking barriers and boosting health equity

Dr. Theekshana Fernando

Policy

June 12, 2023

Concern is rising about the shortage of health care workers in the U.S. As Senator Bernie Sanders told the media, “We don’t have enough doctors. We don’t have enough nurses. We don’t have enough psychologists or counselors for addiction. We don’t have enough pharmacists.”

He should have added, “We don’t have enough dental health workers.” Because study after study shows that oral health is integral to overall …

How healthy eating can protect us from extreme weather

R. Jason Newsom, MD, MPH

Policy

June 10, 2023

Hurricane season starts June 1, and many of us in the Southeast and along the Gulf Coast are stocking up on bottled water and other supplies. As a physician focused on preventive medicine and public health, I recommend filling your pantry with healthful plant-based foods like black-eyed peas, sweet potatoes, pecans, canned soups, peanut butter, oat milk, and apples. Many plant-based foods can withstand a loss of …

Georgia’s new law promoting truth and transparency in health care credentials

Carmen Kavali, MD

Policy

June 8, 2023

Landmark legislation was signed into law by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp on May 2, 2023. Senate Bill 197, the Health Care Practitioners Truth and Transparency Act, is likely the most comprehensive state law promoting exactly what its name promises: truth and transparency, in this case regarding health care credentials.

Informed consent for a patient means, in part, that the patient understands exactly who is treating them. This new Georgia …

Revealing America’s expansion: the dark truth of Native American suffering and unjustified abuses

Anonymous

Physician

June 6, 2023

It is nearly universally agreed that the United States of America is a “great nation” with the world’s strongest economy, an expansive international presence, and being physically one of the largest countries in the world. The groundwork for this expansion, both in size and economically, was grounded in our concept of “manifest destiny” – the belief that as a nation, we were intended to span from ocean to ocean. For …

From Moscow Mule to the opioid crisis: Unveiling the tragic legacy and urgent solutions

Osmund Agbo, MD

Meds

June 6, 2023

The Moscow mule, a mix of ginger beer, an ounce of vodka, and a squeeze of lemon, has become one of the favorites among cocktail aficionados across the United States. It delivers on all that it promises, namely, an easy-to-make tasty drink, except it has nothing to do with the Russian capital whose name it bears. The birthplace was New York’s Chatham Hotel in Lower Manhattan, and the year was …

Breaking free from restrictive covenants to combat burnout

Raya E. Kheirbek, MD

Physician

June 5, 2023

Hospitals have the duty to ensure that their physicians are professionally content, both physically and mentally to provide the highest quality of care. But they also have a responsibility to prevent physicians from leaving work for competing institutions. The paradox between the use of restrictive covenants in physicians’ contracts and hospitals’ concerns about physician wellness arises from a tension between two important objectives.

Restrictive covenants, which are clauses in contracts that …

Empowering Black nurses for lasting change [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

June 3, 2023

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

Join us for an enlightening episode as we sit down with Kashica J. Webber-Ritchey, an assistant professor of nursing, to discuss the pressing issue of equity in health care, particularly for Black nurses. Kashica shares her first-hand …

The revolutionary Kaiser-Geisinger deal: How health care giants are reshaping the industry and empowering patients

Robert Pearl, MD

Policy

June 2, 2023

Health care’s most recent billion-dollar deal took the industry by surprise, leaving medical experts and hospital leaders grappling to comprehend its implications.

In case you missed it, California-based Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals, which make up the insurance and facilities half of Kaiser Permanente, announced the acquisition of Geisinger, a Pennsylvania-based health system once acknowledged by President Obama for delivering “high-quality care.”

Upon regulatory approval, Geisinger will become the first …

The escalating violence in health care workplaces: a critical problem facing the nation’s health care system

Harry Severance, MD

Physician

June 2, 2023

The recent shootings at an Atlanta medical facility that left one dead and four seriously wounded are just the most recent, widely published event documenting the accelerating violence occurring in the nation’s health care workplaces.

Violence within our health care workplaces has been a steadily rising and critical problem over the past decade – now further fueled by issues such as fallout from the COVID pandemic – including a political-issue-motivated …

Is chaos in health care leading us towards socialized medicine? How physician burnout is a catalyst.

Howard Smith, MD

Physician

June 2, 2023

A recurring theme expressed by many contributors and commentators to KevinMD is physician burnout.

It is generally accepted that chaos causes burnout. There is no shortage of chaos in the practice of medicine: emotional, physical, personal, professional, and political stresses, not to mention the threat of lawsuits and the cost of liability insurance. This is just the shortlist. There is also no shortage of adjustments that doctors make in response.

It is …

Unveiling the intricate link between housing costs and health care

Harvey Castro, MD, MBA

Policy

May 29, 2023

While housing costs have escalated, health care costs have not been left behind. According to the National Health Expenditure Account (NHEA), health care spending grew 4.6 percent in 2019, reaching $3.8 trillion or $11,582 per person. The correlation between these two factors is multifaceted.

When housing is unaffordable, it consumes a large chunk of a household’s budget, leaving little for health care. This can lead to skipped doctor appointments, unfilled prescriptions, …

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