Primary Care
Breaking free from corporate medicine: one doctor’s quest for ethical care
An excerpt from If I Betray These Words: Moral Injury in Medicine and Why It’s So Hard for Clinicians to Put Patients First.
In late March 2021, during a lull between the third and fourth waves of the coronavirus pandemic, I drove to the small town three hours west of the …
Certified, but denied: the impact of board certification on patient care [PODCAST]
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In this episode, we’re joined by Emmanuel K. Konstantakos, an orthopedic surgeon, and Jeff Morris, an attorney and CEO of the American Board of Physician Specialties. They discuss the ongoing debate about physician board certifications and the …
Healing clinician-associated trauma: a call for connection
Our modern existence is a state of perpetual disconnection.
Earbuds in. Staring down at our screens. Avoiding eye contact.
Disconnected from each other and ourselves, we go about our lives in adult parallel play.
Numbing any hint of uncomfortable feelings with more Netflix or scrolling.
The social, political, and health consequences of this existence have accelerated over the last three years. As a result, the physician-patient relationship is more fractured than ever. Physicians are …
The rise of direct pay: a solution to the fragmented, impersonal and costly medical system
It used to be easy. You didn’t worry about your health care or how to pay for it. You had a family physician who cared for you in the office and the hospital. They coordinated every aspect of your care, including working with consultants. And after discharge, they would resume caring for you knowing what had occurred firsthand. That was then.
This is now.
Patients rarely see their primary care physician in …
Breaking the stigma: Making HIV and COVID screening routine in primary care [PODCAST]
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In this episode, we welcome clinical research assistant professor, Maranda C. Ward, to discuss the importance of routine screening for both HIV and COVID-19 in primary care. During the COVID pandemic, we became familiar with answering questions …
Breaking the communication barrier: a survival guide for doctors, nurses, and patients [PODCAST]
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In this episode, we sit down with attorney and author Michael J. Grace to discuss his book, The Mumbo Jumbo Fix: A Survival Guide for Effective Doctor-Patient-Nurse Communication. As a defense lawyer representing health care providers, …
Discover the power of occupational therapy: a solution for doctors and patients
Many of us physicians are starting off 2023 with various new resolutions, including efficiency and “doing better,” but how do we get there? Our variable training experiences may prevent us from working with health professionals around us who can make our life easier and more efficient. Occupational therapists (or OTs) are that magical unicorn you may have overlooked.
Occupational therapists are regulated health care professionals with advanced training in physical and …
Gaslighting and dismissal: the consequences of invalidating patients’ concerns
Social media has really exposed the trauma caused by gaslighting, dismissal, and misogyny by medical professionals. Chronic illness groups are rife with posts recounting the poor treatment they suffered at the hands of doctors. Imagine presenting with extreme fatigue, intermittent balance problems, and tingling in your hands and, after a cursory exam, being told your symptoms are due to stress and to lose weight. Two years later, you are diagnosed …
Why being a perfectionist can be good for patient care [PODCAST]
Breaking the glass ceiling in medicine: the struggles and strengths of female doctors
There’s some pretty good evidence out there that women physicians provide really good medical care—in some cases, better than their male counterparts. For instance, a 2017 study showed that hospitalized Medicare patients under the care of a female doctor had lower rates of 30-day mortality and readmission to the hospital than those cared for by a male doctor. A study in Canada in 2016 found that patients of female doctors …
The unexpected gift of friendship in trying times
I spotted her on the opposite sidewalk, standing right next to the idling police cruiser. Petite. Brunette. Late 80s and leaning over her red walker as she stared, transfixed, as the EMTs eased her husband into the back of the ambulance.
A few minutes earlier, one of the many sidewalk onlookers had explained: “Poor old man was just crossing the street. Someone said he’d just gone to buy a bagel for …
A thank you to those who take care of us
As patients, we often think of our health care providers as infallible beings who can easily handle their profession’s emotional and physical tolls. However, the reality is that health care professionals are human too, and they are not immune to the effects of burnout, depression, and even suicide.
One forgotten fact about our health care system is that providers are constantly exposed to the suffering of others and are faced with …
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The hidden toll of racism in medicine: a doctor’s perspective
It felt like a monumental moment when I started my career in medicine. I grew up largely on the borderline of poverty; my parents lived check to check with my sister and me. Neither of them had gotten a college education, and they sacrificed much of their lives to support my ambitions. So to see their son realize his dream was a proud moment for them. But as a Hispanic …
When a loved one is a patient: Navigating the emotional burden for physicians
It can be uniquely difficult as a physician when your loved one needs medical care, and you can’t help them in the way you would like.
Many feelings arise (failure, anger, anxiety, frustration) and the sense that you are letting them down.
As with anything, speaking about the commonality of an experience and normalizing it can help us generate self-compassion, a useful emotion that does not readily come to most …
The dark side of medicine: How the profession can become an emotionally and psychologically manipulative relationship
To the quiet physician who keeps her head down and powers through her days while secretly calculating the ratio of BS-to-be-tolerated versus time-to-retirement:
I have some tough love for you.
You are in a toxic relationship.
How do I know? I’ll let you in on my secret: I was in a psychologically and emotionally manipulative marriage for over twenty years.
At the start of our relationship, I felt blissfully lucky …
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The challenges and rewards of being the doctor in the family
Let me tell you that being a doctor in the family can be a tricky business! On the one hand, you’re the go-to person for all things medical, so you’re never short on people to talk to at family gatherings. On the other hand, you’re also the go-to person for all things medical, so you’re never short on people to talk to at family gatherings. That can get old very …
How direct primary care can revolutionize health care [PODCAST]
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The U.S. health care system ranks poorly among high-income countries, but the direct primary care (DPC) model offers a potential solution. In this model, primary care providers are paid a consistent fee through a retainer or membership …
Not just another Hallmark holiday: Happy National Women Physicians Day
February 3rd marks the annual observance of National Women Physicians Day, a special day dedicated to honoring the countless female physicians who have dedicated their lives to the health and well-being of their patients. The holiday was created in response to the fact that although women make up over half of all medical school graduates, they still only make up a small percentage of physicians in practice today. This day …
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7 ways to help your doctor help you: a guide to improving your health care experience
Surveys show that people are pretty unhappy with the state of health care in the United States these days. Insurance is way too expensive, and co-pays and cost-sharing are out of control, with patients paying the bulk of office visits out of their own pockets. Staffing shortages mean fewer people answer phones, and finding a primary care doctor open to new patients is darn near impossible in my neck …
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The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors
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How to build a culture where physicians feel valued [PODCAST]
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ADHD isn’t one-size-fits-all: Why nuance in diagnosis matters
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Why vaccine access still fails America’s most vulnerable groups
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From the other side of the table: a plea for empathy
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Past 6 Months
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How trade wars could destroy the U.S. health care system
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Cutting opioid use in half: a hospital’s pain management breakthrough
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How hospitals are quietly taking control of physicians
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The hidden bias young female physicians face every day
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How the system hunts physicians who refuse to kneel
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How to advocate for your transgender child’s health care
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What happened to real care in health care?
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When saving lives leads to losing your own
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A surgeon’s startling ketamine experience [PODCAST]
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Past Week
-
The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors
-
How the CDC’s opioid rules created a crisis for chronic pain patients
-
How to build a culture where physicians feel valued [PODCAST]
-
ADHD isn’t one-size-fits-all: Why nuance in diagnosis matters
-
Why vaccine access still fails America’s most vulnerable groups
-
From the other side of the table: a plea for empathy
-
Past 6 Months
-
How trade wars could destroy the U.S. health care system
-
Cutting opioid use in half: a hospital’s pain management breakthrough
-
How hospitals are quietly taking control of physicians
-
The hidden bias young female physicians face every day
-
How the system hunts physicians who refuse to kneel
-
How to advocate for your transgender child’s health care
-
Recent Posts
-
What happened to real care in health care?
-
When saving lives leads to losing your own
-
A surgeon’s startling ketamine experience [PODCAST]
-
How doctors can thrive despite declining reimbursements
-
How DrKoop.com rose and fell: the untold story behind the Surgeon General’s startup
-
Why prescribing medicine to kids scares even experienced doctors
-
