What was the first question that popped into your head last time you had an adverse outcome with a patient? If you’re anything like me, it was: “What did I miss?” As physicians, we tend to be very hard on ourselves. It starts as undergrads (we must get…
Category: KevinMD
Primary Care First: CMS develops a value-based primary care program for independent practices
The monumental shift in health care from fee-for-service or a volume-based approach to value-based care will change health care delivery for the better in the United States. When physicians do what is necessary and avoid over-testing and procedures of…
5 powerful words you can say to patients
Our job as health care professionals is not just to diagnose our patients by applying our scientific knowledge and clinical skills, but also to be the “communicator-in-chief,” “listener-in-chief,” and “reassurer-in-chief.” Any doctor who doesn’t fully …
Paltering: When the truth is used to deceive
One evening in the clinic’s bullpen provider office, a colleague of mine wondered aloud how to respond to a difficult question a patient asked via patient portal message. A physician within earshot responded, “Just because someone asks you a question d…
The re-education of a physician into the school of pain
Since childhood, I have suffered from severe stabbing headaches. Then in my first year of medical school in anatomy, as we peeled back the scalp of our cadaver, I saw a nerve poking out of a muscle on the back of the skull. With a flash, I knew that I …
MKSAP: 45-year-old woman with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians. A 45-year-old woman is evaluated for management of type 2 diabetes mellitus diagnosed 3 months ago. She was asymptomatic at diagnosis with an…
When the standard of care is bad medicine
For the last three decades, the numeric pain score has been the go-to assessment for acute pain in the hospital setting. Since this methodology was developed for research purposes to see if drug “A” had an effect on patient “A,” its clinical utility is…
The disaster at Hahnemann University Hospital
Though the news at first stayed local in Philadelphia and the northeast, it’s gaining traction nationwide. ZDoggMD is on it. Bernie Sanders held a rally. What happened? The venerable Hahnemann University Hospital, the main teaching hospital for Drexel …
The experiences in medicine shape your future
Hitting a roadblock in your life and career? Don’t get frustrated. Use the resources that are readily available to you. Not sure what they are? Think about it. You have had access to them all the time. The moment you decided to become a doctor, you bec…
What health care can learn from the Boeing 737 Max tragedies
The recent Boeing 737 airline crashes have left a scar on the American (and worldwide) psyche regarding air travel. Boeing, an iconic brand, prestigious in history and talent, neglected to update and formally educate pilots regarding an essential softw…
