Once hailed as “The Paris of the Caribbean” the city of San Pedro de Macoris (SPM) was established in 1822 and became one of the major producers of sugar, molasses, bovine cattle, rum, and Major League Baseball players. In the mid-1800s Cub…
Category: primary care
A physician’s self-care song [PODCAST]
“No matter what, your healing work matters. No one should tell you otherwise, and nothing can change that, not even a shortcoming. You provide healing in a way no one else can. Care for yourself, and you can be the healer you truly wish to be.…
Telemedicine exhaustion is real
I’m angry. The sound cut out again, for the fifth time in the last hour. “Why can’t I get through one telemedicine visit without some technical problem?” I ask myself. I can feel the chest discomfort, my shoulders tense, I start…
I’m sorry, but I can’t “clear” your patient
Every primary care provider has been there. A patient comes in requesting a pre-operative evaluation or places a phone call or EMR message expressing the need for “clearance” before having a surgical procedure. Sometimes, we even get a requ…
How advanced analytics can help social determinants of health [PODCAST]
“Advanced analytics can provide the insights needed to understand social determinants and help develop interventions that assist patients in overcoming some of the challenges and adverse environmental and social factors that are barriers to healt…
A shout out to small hospitals
I’m a small-time doc in a small town, and I work at a small hospital in the Midwest, and I’m proud of it. The huge university hospitals (like Cleveland Clinic) get all the glory (especially in society and in the press), but small hospitals like mine dr…
It’s time to rethink board recertification
Doctors are reporting an alarming rate of dissatisfaction and burnout, with some leaving the practice of medicine altogether. Administrators and insurance companies are often blamed; however, our own professional organizations impose a significant port…
Get familiar with the 2021/2022 coding changes
In my previous article, we covered 5 proven ways to use 2021/2022 CPT coding changes to leverage your time, team, and outsourcing capabilities to grow your practice and improve patient outcomes. In this article, we’ll dive into specific examples …
My left foot is fine. My left arm? Well, maybe not so much.
It began simply enough. There were 12 of us at the spacious table, gathered for a tasty, albeit unconventional Christmas meal of soup and salad. My adult son was seated to my immediate left. Meal completed, compliments and gratitude expressed to the pr…
I’m a burned out family doctor and racism is part of the problem
Stories of overworked and burned out, front line health care workers have been in the news since early in the pandemic. Job vacancies in health care and social assistance are at a record high, according to Statistics Canada data published in March of 2…
