<span itemprop="author">Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA

Author's posts

Medicine is a joke, except no one is laughing

My brother and I like to swap stories about our medical encounters. I suppose our ages – 69 for me and 74 for him – lead to varied encounters and tales. “It’s a sh*t-show,” he tells me from his home on Martha’s Vineyard. “…

When an MBA degree meets medicine: an eye-opening experience

I recently saw an ophthalmologist for my worsening eyesight. The doctor came highly recommended and was credentialed as an MD and MBA. He founded his practice, which has grown to over a dozen practitioners. His website boasts how he works with the phar…

The benefits of facing mortality: How Bruce Springsteen and other rock stars prove productivity can increase with age

According to Chris Jordan, a New Jersey shore native who writes about music and entertainment, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band performed “like their lives depended on it” when they recently kicked off their 2023 tour in Tampa, Flori…

What does it mean when we say someone has died after a long illness?

My personal doctor and two of my cherished mentors died within the past several years, each “after a long illness,” according to their obituaries. Rock legend David Crosby (The Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young) recently died &#822…

What does it mean when we say someone has died after a long illness?

My personal doctor and two of my cherished mentors died within the past several years, each “after a long illness,” according to their obituaries. Rock legend David Crosby (The Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young) recently died &#822…

Does ageism lurk behind mandatory retirement for physicians?

Several years ago, a good friend and colleague – the chairman of a psychiatry department – notified people about his retirement in a department newsletter. He wrote, “I sent out a letter to the alumni and adjunct faculty that I will retire on Jun…

Trauma motivated me to become a doctor

“Raise your hand if you said you wanted to become a doctor to help people during your medical school interview. I see practically every hand in the room raised. Keep them raised if you told your interviewer you also wanted to become a doctor to o…

The decline of whole-person treatment in modern medicine

Recently, a nurse practitioner responded to one of my op-eds in which I discussed the doctor-patient relationship. The nurse said: I feel so frustrated at times, by the time constraints forced on us by using a business model of practice. In the 30-plus…

The incessant hounding of doctors: A look at the lengthy professional disclosures required of physicians

Can you absolutely and unequivocally answer “no” to all of the following questions: Has your license to practice in any jurisdiction ever been limited, restricted, reduced, suspended, voluntarily surrendered, revoked, denied, or not renewed…

Understanding patients’ religious and spiritual beliefs promotes healing

Religious and spiritual experiences have shaped my worldview since I was a teenager. At age 13, I celebrated my bar mitzvah. Later that year, I underwent an appendectomy. A priest asked my mother if he could pray for me prior to the operation. My mothe…