Category: KevinMD

5 disruptive trends transforming health care

Spiraling costs, poor quality outcomes, and inequities in access to care are driving significant and long overdue changes to the way health care is administered and managed in the United States. And while the U.S. spends more on health care per person …

The journey from expectation to agreement

We sat in the driveway, my business partner and I, each peering out our opposite windows, each wrapped in the disappointing sense that we had failed one another while the uncaring car simply idled in the background.  “We agreed on this,” my partner sai…

In honor of Black History Month: Thank you to all the doctors breaking boundaries

In honor of Black History Month, I wrote this article to say thank you to all the wonderful black doctors breaking boundaries and exploring careers that would have been unattainable to black people in late 1800 and even early 1900 America. To all the b…

Legislators, please stay out of our exam rooms. Especially when it comes to children and gender.

Legislators have found a new way to insert themselves into the physician-patient relationship. In October and November 2019, news stories regarding a parental dispute over the treatment of a transgender child prompted legislators in Texas, Kentucky, an…

What to do with the extremely defensive doctor

Let’s talk about the doctor who is excessively defensive. I divide this kind of communication blocker into two varieties: physician personality and physician mode of practice. The physician with a defensive personality is one who interprets quest…

More is not always better with fertility treatment

The fertility clinic waiting room is a space where many people will find themselves at some point in their lives. In spite of cheery music, shared success stories, infertility awareness weeks, and positive media campaigns, this can be a challenging and…

More is not always better with fertility treatment

The fertility clinic waiting room is a space where many people will find themselves at some point in their lives. In spite of cheery music, shared success stories, infertility awareness weeks, and positive media campaigns, this can be a challenging and…

My patient isn’t doing well. Is it my fault?

The front-desk clerk, Ruth, comes to me and says Rose Henderson wants a cab voucher signed — which guaranteed payment. Rose could not be made to understand, Ruth tells me, that we are not permitted to sign vouchers when the person, the client, comes to…

Why direct primary care is the future

I recently wrote about my new type 1 diabetes diagnosis, the quest for affordable meds and supplies, and the subsequent financial savings found through transparent pricing outside of my insurance plan. I summarized that health care “coverage&#822…

Keep attacking doctors: What the New York Times gets wrong about surprise medical bills

Do you think I went too far in my last blog post, calling out some journalists as “pontificating parasites” who love nothing more than to slam physicians and blame us for the cost of health care? If you do, then you must not have read Elisabeth Rosenth…