Practice Management

The physician who turned burnout into a mission for change

Physician

July 17, 2025

When I stepped away from my clinical practice, it wasn’t because I didn’t care. It was because I cared deeply—about my patients, my colleagues, and the future of medicine. I didn’t leave to escape. I left to help heal the culture that was quietly breaking so many of us.

You can love medicine and stop seeing patients. You can love medicine and change the way you see patients. Choosing to follow …

Why more doctors are leaving clinical practice and how it helps health care

Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA

Physician

July 16, 2025

The author of a recent article claimed that “we all lose” when an experienced physician prematurely leaves clinical medicine. Of course, it is inevitable that a clinical career will end, but whether patients and society suffer depends on what that retiring doctor does next. Increasingly, it seems, they pursue other ways to help patients and add value to the system by pursuing non-clinical careers. That’s a good thing, because:

There …
Read more…

Why more doctors are leaving clinical practice and how it helps health care

Why starting with why can transform your medical practice

Neil Baum, MD

Physician

July 16, 2025

Have you ever asked yourself, “Why do your patients select you and your practice for their medical care?” Most medical practices offer the same service, i.e., evaluation and treatment, at approximately the same cost, and produce similar outcomes. After all, how many ways are there to treat a urinary tract infection, diabetes, hypertension, or arthritis? Most doctors are trained to offer similar services, which typically produce identical outcomes. So, why …

Why your most heroic act might be in a department meeting [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

July 15, 2025

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

Cardiologist Lauren Weber and critical care physician Jess Bunin, co-founders of All Levels Leadership, discuss their article, “Not all heroes wear capes: Sometimes they just speak up in meetings.” They reframe medical …

How to advance workforce development through research mentorship and evidence-based management

Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD

Physician

July 14, 2025

In the current era of rapid health care changes, a very effective tool for workforce development is research mentorship based on evidence-based principles. As the health care industry faces a worsening shortage of professionals, the need to cultivate talent, empower early-career clinicians, and guide them through structured research and professional development is becoming more urgent. Research mentorship offers a replicable and transformative framework for addressing the health workforce crisis.

Research mentorship …

Civil discourse as a leadership competency: the case for curiosity in medicine

All Levels Leadership

Physician

July 14, 2025

In the high-stakes, knowledge-driven world of medicine, we’re taught from day one to project an aura of certainty. From the anatomy lab to the hospital wards, the message is clear: know the answers, lead with confidence, and never let them see you sweat. But what if that fixation on “knowing” is holding us back? What if the very traits we’ve been trained to cultivate—the resolute certainty, the surgical precision, the …

When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

Ralph Messo, DO

Physician

July 13, 2025

An excerpt from The Doctor is Out—Justice vs Injustice in America.

In the hug of a crisp autumn morning, with the world adorned in the warm hues of changing leaves, the seed of an idea took root within me—an idea born from the necessity of expanding my medical practice to accommodate the growing needs of my patients.

Crossing the convoluted corridors of administrative tasks and logistical considerations, I found myself confronted …

Why hospitals are quietly capping top doctors’ pay

Dennis Hursh, Esq

Conditions

July 10, 2025

Are 10 percent (or 25 percent) of all the physicians in your specialty breaking the law?

Of course not! Who would think such a thing?

Your friendly neighborhood “nonprofit” hospital, that’s who!

I have been reviewing physician employment agreements for almost 40 years, and in the last few years I have noticed a spike in the number of agreements that “cap” physician salary. A shocking number of hospital employment agreements provide that the …

How early meetings and after-hours events penalize physician-mothers

Samira Jeimy, MD, PhD and Menaka Pai, MD

Physician

July 9, 2025

Medicine has long valorized the early riser – the physician who arrives before sunrise, who joins 7:30 a.m. meetings and stays for evening journal clubs, case conferences, and post-dinner networking events. These scheduling patterns have come to symbolize dedication, productivity, and professionalism. However, for many physicians, particularly those with caregiving responsibilities, these norms reflect more than tradition; they represent structural exclusion.

The architecture of medical professionalism was built on an outdated …

Why financial planning is a critical tool for physician well-being [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

July 8, 2025

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

Certified financial planner Brian Case discusses the article, “Personal financial planning shouldn’t be a taboo subject.” They explore the often-overlooked link between financial stress and the crisis of physician burnout, turnover, and …

Why evidence-based management may be an effective strategy for stronger health care leadership and equity

Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD

Physician

July 4, 2025

In the current complex health care landscape, health care leaders are frequently challenged to make management decisions that are effective but also equitable. Numerous leadership transitions are occurring in Canada’s health care systems because of leadership failures. In British Columbia, multiple health care leaders were replaced in the first half of 2025. David Eby, British Columbia’s Premier, declared, “The anxiety that I have is that the people who see the …

Why health care leaders fail at execution—and how to fix it

Dave Cummings, RN

Policy

July 4, 2025

Health care leaders don’t have a vision problem. We have an execution problem.

Over the last two decades, I’ve seen countless strategic plans crafted with care, insight, and bold ambition. Mission statements get refreshed. Core values are realigned. Retreats are held. Vision decks are created and shared from the C-suite to the frontlines. And yet — within weeks — most of those plans fade into the background.

The problem isn’t poor leadership …

Healing the doctor-patient relationship by attacking administrative inefficiencies

Allen Fredrickson

Policy

July 3, 2025

I have a great doctor. I’ve enjoyed his approach to providing care so much that I was greatly distressed when, at my last visit, he told me he was thinking of retiring early. While I consider myself fortunate to have a positive and dependable relationship with my doctor, fewer people now relate to that sentiment than before.

Gallup recently reported that America’s trust in professionals has declined, with overall trust …

5 blind spots that stall physician wealth

Johnny Medina, MSc

Finance

June 29, 2025

Many of the physicians we work with are highly disciplined, generous with their time, and deeply committed to their profession. They spend years in training, work demanding hours, and carry an enormous sense of responsibility. Yet even with strong incomes and responsible habits, many still feel uncertain about their long-term financial picture.

The problem is not how much they earn. It is that income alone is not a strategy.

Physicians face unique …

Combating physician burnout with a coaching leadership style [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

June 27, 2025

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

Family physician and certified executive leadership coach Lisa Herbert discusses her article, “From burnout to breakthrough: How a coaching culture transforms health care.” Lisa shares her personal journey with physician burnout, a …

The most overlooked skill in medicine: contract negotiation

Cynthia Chen-Joea, DO, MPH and Peter Baum, DO

Finance

June 26, 2025

As an early career physician, transitioning from residency or fellowship into attendinghood, or even just contemplating a job change, can feel both exciting and overwhelming. There’s the thrill of stepping into your first “real” job, finally earning a salary that reflects the years you’ve invested. But alongside that excitement often comes anxiety: About finding the right fit, navigating unfamiliar systems, and negotiating a contract you may not fully understand.

Amid all …

What if medicine had an exit interview?

Lynn McComas, DNP, ANP-C

Conditions

June 20, 2025

They left quietly. Logged their last note. Disconnected their badge. Maybe cleared out a drawer, maybe not. And just like that, another clinician walked away from medicine. No exit interview. No debrief. No conversation about what led up to that final decision. Just silence.

In most professions, when someone resigns, leadership wants to know why. What worked? What didn’t? What could we do better next time? But in medicine? We barely …

Read more…

What if medicine had an exit interview?

How locum tenens work helps physicians and APPs reclaim control

Brian Sutter

Policy

June 16, 2025

Burnout isn’t a weakness—it’s a warning sign.

I recently spoke with a nurse practitioner looking for a lifestyle change that could give her more balance without stepping away from medicine.

“I love caring for patients,” she told me, “but I don’t even recognize my life anymore. My schedule runs me, not the other way around.”

For her, locum tenens wasn’t a detour but a lifeline. Within months, she regained control of her time, …

Mastering medical presentations: Elevating your impact

Harvey Castro, MD, MBA

Physician

June 15, 2025

As health care professionals, we are constantly immersed in data, intricate details, and complex ideas. Whether presenting at grand rounds, sharing research at conferences, or explaining treatment plans to patients, your PowerPoint slides can either amplify your message or obscure it in a deluge of information.

Let’s be clear: Effective communication is not merely a desirable trait; it is a clinical necessity. Communication …