“Physicians can exert their influence in a health care environment to put the patient-physician relationship at the center of the enterprise. Working with middle-market employers (between 200-2,000 employees), some companies pair bold doctors wit…
Category: primary care
Change is critical to fulfilling our calling
July 2, 1973, is a day etched forever in my mind. A day I remember as if it happened yesterday even though 47 years have passed. A day I thought would never come and then, when it did, would never end. It was the day I entered West Point as a 17-year-o…
A medical student shares a story about language [PODCAST]
“My mother screamed. It meant my father needed a doctor — now. But why? We just visited the hospital days before to refill his drugs. He would be better if he used the drugs. Magic drugs. That is what he called them. I stood up from the mat where…
Navigating infertility as a Black male family physician
Black men need to be comfortable saying that we can be scared sometimes, and to share our emotions without guilt or shame. I say this as a Black man who has experienced vulnerability both as a family physician and as a patient. Over the last year, I’v…
Patient surveys: the quest for positive
An excerpt from Doc-Related: A Physician’s Guide to Fixing Our Ailing Health Care System. Early in my career as a rural physician in Texas, I took care of a couple in their mid-70s named Vernon and Nellie. They drove in from another small town 50…
Amid powerlessness, reclaim your personal power [PODCAST]
“You have more power than you realize. It’s no secret that medical providers feel structurally powerless in our chaotic health care system. Control over the volume, pace, and elements of our work often rests squarely in the hands of others. But k…
Beat the overwhelm this holiday season and set the stage for cheer
Like anyone else, the holiday season can be the source of great joy. And it can add to the stress and overwhelm that physicians already experience. The practicing physician may find herself torn between responsibilities in the clinical setting and the…
A universal patient medical record
Today, most medical organizations have gotten away from paper medical records and use computerized electronic medical record systems (EMRs). The U.S. government has encouraged the use of such systems, no matter how large or small these systems are. A c…
A physician’s exam room should be educational and inviting
Today’s health care system has become so standardized that if a person in a medical office were instantly and magically transported to a medical office in another city, the person would instantly recognize that they were still in a medical office. Our …
Life as an MD online with Kevin Pho, MD
It was an honor to be interviewed by Jonathan Baktari, MD on his show, the Baktari MD Show. In this hour-long episode, Life as an MD Online, I discuss how I got started, online reputation and social media, the KevinMD platform, my medical career, physi…
