Category: KevinMD

Think you have an iodine allergy? You may want to reconsider.

Let’s begin with a quiz question: Patients may be allergic to: A. oxygen B. carbon C. iodine D. none of the above If you answered anything but “D,” better keep reading. Consider this scenario: If a patient is allergic to penicillin, you would document “penicillin” in the medical records. It would never occur to you […]

Making the world a better place for new medical interns

It’s that time of year again. The start of a new academic year, marked by the arrival of a brand-new class of interns starting out in their training. Clutching their freshly-minted medical degrees, they appear so ready, so anxious, so excited, so eager to learn. Now it’s our job to make sure they stay this […]

The evolving definition of doctor

Doctor: (from Latin docere “teach” Greek phusikḗ epistḗmē “knowledge of nature”) a specially trained and skilled person who holds an advanced medical degree and is licensed to practice the healing arts. My definition of doctor keeps evolving. As a child, I was cared for by FPs who helped set bones, suture skin and fight infections […]

The nuances of a primary care visit aren’t always appreciated

I subscribe to a financial newsletter that happens to be written by a non-practicing physician in a highly specialized field. His daily updates are a mixture of financial and health advice, and he is a proponent of evidence-based medicine. Based on the letters from subscribers, they are willing to follow his advice eagerly, and when […]

To my residents after a suicide

It’s been a gut-punch kind of time for many of us, and I want to say a few things that I think are important. First of all, I really love working with you guys. It is the best part of my job, hands down. I have taken stock of my career lately, and I keep […]

A private equity primer for physicians

“My group has been approached by a private equity company.  It sounds like a great deal!  Any questions I should ask?” Whether it be through one on one discussions or through the Physician Side gigs group, I’ve found myself having this conversation with increasing frequency.  Part of the reason for that is because I find it […]

Atul Gawande’s prescient 2012 TED talk

Health care is buzzing as Atul Gawande has been selected as CEO of the Berkshire-Hathaway/Amazon/JP Morgan strategic venture. I was thrilled they picked a physician, like myself, in the trenches to run their gig. After hearing the news, I remembered Gawande’s TED Talk from 2012 and decided to catch up on it during my flight to the Healthcare […]

Don’t throw the E&M baby out with the bath water: the proposed CMS changes

By now everyone has heard that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed to dramatically change the way physicians get paid for evaluation and management (E&M) services in the office as part of the proposed 2019 Physician Fee Schedule Rule. In fact, as of the end of July, CMS has received over […]

Don’t throw the E&M baby out with the bath water: the proposed CMS changes

By now everyone has heard that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed to dramatically change the way physicians get paid for evaluation and management (E&M) services in the office as part of the proposed 2019 Physician Fee Schedule Rule. In fact, as of the end of July, CMS has received over […]

New interns: Get ready to be fleeced

This one’s for the new interns. You’re excited, you’re about to start residency. You’re a doctor. No more short white coat. You’ve got the long white coat that you’ve been waiting for. You’ve arrived. But actually, there’s one more thing you need before you really feel like you look like a doctor. It might be […]