“He died because he’s Black!” screamed his mother, inconsolable in the intensive care unit as her unresponsive teenage son underwent a formal neurologic examination. We had done all that we could. Mr. M had experienced a cardiac arres…
Category: KevinMD
MKSAP: 48-year-old woman with elevated liver chemistry tests
Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians. A 48-year-old woman is evaluated at a follow-up appointment for elevated liver chemistry tests over the preceding 6 months. She reports no sy…
Pay people for their kidneys? It’s time.
These are trying times for health care optimists. Despite all the hype surrounding breakthroughs in clinical practice and technology, American medicine is stuck in in neutral. Though the engine is revving loudly, little progress is being made. This unf…
The story of how a homeless teen became a physician
An excerpt from Hindsight: Coming of age on the streets of Hollywood. During my medical school clerkships, an attending recognized a truth within me that I’d hidden for many years. Just a few hours into my pediatrics rotation, the attending asked…
Medicare for all will kill jobs. But it may be necessary.
As calls for radical health reform grow louder, many on the right, in the center and in the health care industry are arguing that proposals like “Medicare for all” would cause economic ruin, decimating a sector that represents nearly 20% of our economy…
Compassion is never a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of greatness.
Recently I had the wonderful, yet solemn opportunity of attending my ninety-three-year-old paternal uncle’s funeral. I purposely choose the word “wonderful” to describe this experience because honoring the life of such a remarkable m…
Ageism in medicine is real. How can it be stopped?
Society gives short shrift to older age. This distinct phase of life doesn’t get the same attention that’s devoted to childhood. And the special characteristics of people in their 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond are poorly understood. Medicine reflects this n…
You can save your baby for $2 million. Can we afford to do this?
You can save your baby for $2 million. Can you afford to do this? If you cannot, should we all pay? Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a rare genetic disease affecting the part of the nervous system that controls voluntary muscle movement. All types of S…
A physician’s sudden, disastrous day. And its tragic consequences.
An excerpt from Physician Suicide: Cases and Commentaries. “Dear Richard and Yvonne, I feel I have no choice but to end my life and am doing so in the hope that you will take this letter and employ it in the way that I suggest below. Please use what ha…
It’s time to rethink what it means to be a DO
The future of our profession lies in our ability to come together with a unified voice. We must also recognize that the practice of osteopathic medicine, and the training of osteopathic physicians, has evolved significantly since A.T. Still, MD, DO, cr…
