Category: Public Health & Policy

Physicians have been reduced to overpaid dairy farm labor

I can tell you why there is a high burnout rate in the medical profession, but to do so, I have to explain why there isn’t one for small private practices. When I was finishing up medical school, I went to see a general practitioner. Now, this doctor h…

Why MIPS is a useless mental exercise

Every day I receive all kinds of emails and other ads telling me about services offering me help to meet MIPS quality metrics. While they may be helpful, most doctors don’t see the need for such a program. It drives up costs in administering and time i…

A new rule that could be a game changer for health care

As President Donald Trump was fighting with Congress over the shutdown and funding for a border wall, his administration implemented a new rule that could be a game changer for health care. Now, hospitals must publicly reveal the contents of their mast…

The devaluation of physicians

Chip Kelly was a former coach and general manager of my beloved Philadelphia Eagles. He was a firm believer in his “system” and felt that his players were disposable and easily replaced.  Because of that, he proceeded to trade away or release very tale…

The power of advocacy: How doctors can be empowered physicians

An excerpt from Recapturing Joy in Medicine, During my year as chief resident, I was also president of the Florida Association of Family Medicine Residents. The faculty at my residency program inspired me by their excellence as clinicians and teachers….

The power of advocacy: How doctors can be empowered physicians

An excerpt from Recapturing Joy in Medicine, During my year as chief resident, I was also president of the Florida Association of Family Medicine Residents. The faculty at my residency program inspired me by their excellence as clinicians and teachers….

Death threats won’t stop this doctor from advocating for vaccines

In the U.S., we now have an outbreak of measles where the cases number more than it has in decades. Most of the people being infected are unvaccinated, and we’ve all seen the media reports of the growing tide of anti-vaxxers. While the CDC, WHO, and pr…

How pharmacy-based primary care takes the low-hanging fruit

With the announcement of CVS Health HUBs, the synergy of data and business is rapidly coming to the health sector; health systems will become havens only for the severely acutely ill, the more complex, the expensive. In the same way that urgent care ce…

Language matters: the not-so-innocuous provider effect

Language matters. The use of the word “provider” may seem innocuous, but it is significant both for patients and physicians. For patients, it has been perhaps the most pronounced step — if not leap — away from transparency. (Who is who? Nur…

Putting patients first by letting patients go

Like many primary care physicians in this health care marketplace, I found myself operating on a hamster wheel of volume care, seeing more and more patients and spending less and less time with them.  The pressure on my practice, my patients and my sta…