It’s no secret that society has encountered a student loan crisis. Politicians from both sides of the aisle share similar concerns but promote widely disparate solutions. With over $1.5 trillion of student debt outstanding and default rates skyro…
Category: KevinMD
Physician compensation is on the chopping block
Being a physician has served me well. It has given me purpose and identity throughout my career. It has also provided me with a stable income. I knew, however, from the beginning that things were changing. From the earliest days of practice, I pursued …
Why patients should read their medical notes
For centuries, doctors felt that their notes were their property, and none of the patients’ business. This attitude slowly shifted, and the Health Insurance Portability and Availability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 put into law the fact that patients must be al…
A physician volunteers with migrants. Here’s what she saw.
“At least seven children are known to have died in immigration custody since last year,” according to a NBC News report last month. I recently spent a Saturday working with amnesty-seekers that had been detained at California detention centers in the d…
Discrimination against doctors is costing us
“I want to see the doctor. Not you. I don’t like your kind. I want to see a white doctor, a man,” a patient gasping for air in an emergency room says to the dark-skinned resident assessing her vitals. “Speak slowly, I don’t understand you people,” a ma…
Can the states fix our national health care disaster?
Earlier this year, California’s new governor, Gavin Newsom, promised to pursue a smörgåsbord of changes to his state’s health care system: state negotiation of drug prices, a requirement that every Californian have health insurance, more assistance to …
Can the states fix our national health care disaster?
Earlier this year, California’s new governor, Gavin Newsom, promised to pursue a smörgåsbord of changes to his state’s health care system: state negotiation of drug prices, a requirement that every Californian have health insurance, more assistance to …
How becoming a doctor can help and hurt the ability to build wealth
I recently graduated from medical school and will soon start residency. Yay! Although I’m happy with my decision to become a doctor, I can’t help but notice that there are several ways that going to medical school and becoming a physician h…
Travel during residency: perspective of a resident’s spouse
My husband and I are nearing the completion of a fifth and final year of residency. I say “we” because, as all residents know, the training years involve the entire family. As I reflect on the struggles and successes over the past five years, there are…
Medicine is the last bastion of faxes and printers
Yesterday, I went into an exam room to print out some orders for a patient who needed to get his labs done at an outside facility. Due to his insurance, he cannot get his labs drawn in our office during a scheduled appointment, but must do it at one of…
