I was two months into my first year of medical school when I experienced it for the first time. “Room 214 … oh yeah, she’s a real pain. She will probably talk your ear off and come up with a new self-diagnosis that she will want to get a fu…
Category: primary care
Depression is a notification that the old patterns are not working
My energy level was plummeting as Mrs. Jones explained how much her shoulder, her knees, her back, her belly, her head, hurt. She was worn out. “And I don’t ever think I’ll feel better. I’ve felt like this for so long and I thin…
How to convert medical knowledge into digital assets that work for you
Over 12 months, I rebuilt my practice workflow to solve the problem of inefficient knowledge transfer between me and my patients. Now with a new system incorporating a library of leveraged digital assets I’m saving time and improving patient expe…
Hasan Minhaj’s joke at the expense of DOs
In September 2021, Hasan Minhaj appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and touted a purported “a war … between MDs and DOs.” In it, he compared osteopathic physicians, DOs, to RC Cola as opposed to the Coca-Cola of MDs, claiming that DOs ar…
My colleagues didn’t take good care of me
I was recently, on two occasions, the recipient of poor care. Care provided by my colleagues. Care that was not good. Care that made me feel sad. Care that did not help me or my patients. First, I was yelled at by an angry son, who said I had not taken…
How physicians can transform through play
I went ziplining with a group of fellow doctors this summer. It was an activity that was part of my Adventure Retreat for Women Physicians, which was a CME-awarding retreat that focused on having fun. This may sound extraneous, but making time for fun …
7 causes of low back pain
The New Year is a typical time for resolutions, and one of the most common ones is to get healthier. For many of us, a common stumbling block is dealing with low back pain. As a rehabilitation medicine physician, my focus is nonoperative spine care wit…
Beware of errors in your medical record
Anyone can make a mistake — even your health care provider. And sometimes, those mistakes end up in your medical records. That can cause a variety of issues, including misdiagnosis, medication interactions, missed follow-up testing and care, duplicate …
CPT coding changes: 5 proven methods of how to do more with less
It’s well known that coding changes drive provider behavior, and billing behavior drives provider decisions. For the last 30 years, little has changed in health insurance billing, which is why the standard of care within the payer system has rema…
How writing fiction can free physicians [PODCAST]
“Physicians can find — or start — writing workshops at medical conferences, or just about anywhere else, at any time. These workshops can become part of wellness or burnout-prevention events. To interact with other writers, all you need is a cham…
