My son’s favorite thing to do is fish. I bought him a brand-new Mickey the Mouse fishing pole and a tackle box for his birthday. His favorite spot was on a small inland lake in a state park. On the bank of the lake, we would fish underneath a lar…
Category: Policy
How the NFL offers a window into health care solutions for our country
The NFL season is now in full swing, with TV screens ablaze in households across the nation, eyes glued to an elliptically-shaped ball being thrown and kicked far distances. This reminds me of an incredibly rare case that happened to a male patient I s…
Unlocking the potential of allied health roles for a thriving health care system
In the complex world of health care, doctors and nurses often take center stage. But behind them is a much larger team supporting the delivery of exceptional care. Allied health professionals – like radiology and surgery technicians – play an essential…
Efficient staffing partners for health systems
Although the health care workforce has begun to normalize following the historic lows of the pandemic, according to Staffing Industry Analyst’s most recent Healthcare Staffing Report, health care employers across the board still struggle with a t…
In the crosshairs: The False Claims Act’s new targets in health care
The practice of medicine involves a delicate interplay between medical expertise and the unique needs of each individual. Ideally, medical decisions should prioritize the health and well-being of patients while being rooted in science and evidence-base…
Challenging misconceptions in nursing education
Regressive legislators in a Southwestern state discovered that doctoral-level nursing students, future nurse practitioners at the state university, were receiving education in human sexuality. As watchdogs of public morality, and with a conviction that…
Not all physicians are nice
I have been representing physicians for over 40 years, and the vast majority of the people I work with are genuinely nice. Overworked, stressed, sometimes distracted – yes, but most physicians entered the profession because they were sincerely concerne…
Medicine has become the new McDonald’s of health care
I was having a conversation with a colleague about a state-funded Medicaid managed care organization (MCO). She told me that the mental health performance measures used by the state to evaluate the MCO were all “placement and provider issues,R…
The alarming problem for rural medicine
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to have a heart attack? Or maybe you’ve had one. What about that same heart attack on a single-lane, pitted road flanked by cornfields on both sides, two hours from the nearest city? This is the reality…
Unlocking value-based care: challenges and incentives
Value-based care is everywhere. It is really having a moment right now. It has taken on many forms, from the Medicare Advantage home care models to the employer-based direct primary care, but certain aspects of it remain consistent across all delivery …
