Whether you are starting a new job, like me, or extending the contract at your current one, part of the process may involve signing up for retirement accounts. Most people have heard of a 401(k), but you may have other options available to you such as …
The line, “If you want something done right, do it yourself,” is complete bull. To run a successful business of any kind — but especially to run a thriving medical practice — you have to make sure you’re using your time wisely and pro…
As Wei Wei Lee sat with her doctor to discuss starting a family, she felt a “distance” between them. The physician was busy on the computer and focused on the screen. “It just didn’t feel very personal,” Lee said. “I didn’t feel heard.” It seemed as th…
You’re a clinician. You had a patient die under your care, and now your hospital is being sued. You are not named in the lawsuit, but you are being asked to give a deposition. How much of your time is this going to take? If some lawyer sends you …
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…
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…
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 …
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…
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 …
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…
