Category: primary care

Health care’s tech renaissance during the pandemic extends to medical training

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in at least 25 million cases worldwide with a continued spread in the United States, causing global disruption in every sector of society and forcing adaptation to a new normal relying increasingly on technology. Even…

It is time to pause, reflect, and decide what being a physician means to us

A bird slams into the glass. A bird slams into the glass. A bird slams into the glass. Over and over again, head first, determined to defeat its own reflection. A headbutt of bravado. I watched it, time and time again. From the inside, I studied the do…

Direct primary care: Great for some doctors, but challenging for patients

The COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent drop in patient visits have led some observers to conclude that primary care physicians would be better off financially if they were capitated than if they were paid fee for service. If they received a fixed amo…

That’s what doctors do

A free Wednesday afternoon, time to catch up on charts and paperwork, do a little online CME. “I’ll see a few walk-ins if anyone comes by,” I told my front office. A knock on my door sometime later: “A patient for you, Doctor.&#…

Make the time to pause during the busyness of the day to reflect upon all we have

“The only end to pain is the graveyard.” Those words are etched forever in my mind. They underscore the hopelessness of so many throughout the world. She was 90 years old, crippled by arthritis, no family, and lived alone in a dirt floor hovel with no …

Virtual care needs to be designed for equitable usage and accessibility [PODCAST]

“Although technology and disruptive innovation theoretically diminish systemic barriers and geographic isolation, in practice, they frequently widen chasms in access for vulnerable populations. The reality is telemedicine disproportionately cater…

A post-COVID medical world

As we navigate everyday life in the midst of battling COVID-19, our thoughts naturally migrate to what medicine might look like post viral pandemic. As the new norms of social distancing, virtual meetings, and little to no human contact continue, we ca…

Making a career change for better work-life balance [PODCAST]

“Is it possible to have it all?  Can you have a job that you love, helping people and using your brain and hands all at the same time; plus, a family, with a spouse and children, that you are always there for?  Is it possible to have a balance be…

AI-powered, digital voice assistants in the exam room [PODCAST]

“Building great tech for doctors is no different from ventilator technology. In some scenarios, you will want to talk to the EMR like you talk to Siri, rather than poring over a screen littered with boxes and lists. In other cases, you will want …

When physicians get sick: We are just a human as the patients we treat

Physicians are natural caregivers. We are in-tune with the needs of our patients, often to the detriment of our own health. It is a rite of passage during medical school to stand in for lengthy eight to ten-hour surgeries, as retractor holders, keeping…