A 2021 Merritt Hawkins article reports increasing physician shortfalls in the U.S. while pointing out that almost 50 percent of all currently practicing physicians are older than 55. In some medical specialties, the “greater-than-55” physic…
Category: Public Health & Policy
Breaking down the barriers to effective bar-code medication administration
According to the Commonwealth Fund and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the health care system in the United States continues to rank the highest in health spending, has the highest rates of avoidable deaths, and rates…
The locums industry has a beef problem
America, we have a beef problem! The inflation rate is high, and the inflation on beef is even more outrageous. At the time of this article, inflation hovers around 8 to 9 percent, while beef is priced at least 15 to 30 percent more than before COVID-1…
Canada’s health workers are sounding the alarm. We must act, now.
It is no longer hyperbole to say that we are witnessing our health system moving slowly but surely to a point where it will be very difficult to return. Despite the weighty First Ministers’ meeting with the Prime Minister on health care, complete…
Race categorizations are worsening health inequities for the South West Asian North African (SWANA) communities
The Office of Management and Budget is requesting members of the public to provide feedback on a proposal from the Biden Administration to add Middle-Eastern North African (MENA) to the 2030 U.S. Census. If the reforms pass, it would be a major victory…
An unspoken truth about non-compete clauses in medicine
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken on non-compete clauses and requested public comments on this issue for upcoming hearings. In health care, the majority of physicians have become employees, and most practices are being bought out by hospital…
Fostering the next (diverse) generation of clinicians
As a medical student, I never saw myself as a future CEO or anything close. I was often the only Black person in the room in classes and rotations. After I became an attending, I spent a great deal of time and mental energy fitting in. Speaking up and …
Unintended consequences of Health Care Quality Improvement Act: a violation of physicians’ civil and constitutional rights
The Black Lives Matter and Me Too movements, as well as the Human Rights Campaign for the LGBTQ+ community, are a few examples of where American democracy and values have triumphed in restoring dignity and civil and constitutional rights to marginalize…
We need a new approach to Black mental health
In recent weeks, an outpouring of new research has highlighted the severity of the Black mental health crisis. One new poll shows that 77% of Black and Latinx women face mental health barriers related to racism. Another new study found that Black women…
Rethinking access to the American tip jar: It’s time to include nurses and dental hygienists
Americans are accustomed to tipping for a wide array of services. We understand that our gratuity makes up an important percentage of the wages earned by many different types of laborers: massage therapists, Uber drivers, hair stylists, tour guides, ro…
