Sunlight is diminished by threatening clouds infiltrating the once azure blue sky, clouds that are framed in blackness indicating dangerous times ahead. Nature’s creatures are seeking refuge for they are wise to see the signs of impending danger…
Category: Public Health & Policy
The government’s role in compelling individual actions for public health
I wrote about this topic a few years back, but the recent outbreak of measles has once again ignited the debate of just what the government has the right to do or not do in compelling individual actions in support of public health. This is an old quest…
The history of antivaccination sentiment
In 1902, a smallpox outbreak infected thousands of people across the northeastern United States. That year, in Massachusetts alone, 2,314 people were infected, and 284 died. This was not unusual for early-twentieth-century Massachusetts: The smallpox v…
Physician burnout is as much a legal problem as it is a medical one
A career as a physician has traditionally been considered to be among the best vocations that talented students can pursue. That may no longer be the case. All too many doctors report that they are unhappy, frustrated, and even prepared to leave the pr…
Physician burnout is as much a legal problem as it is a medical one
A career as a physician has traditionally been considered to be among the best vocations that talented students can pursue. That may no longer be the case. All too many doctors report that they are unhappy, frustrated, and even prepared to leave the pr…
Has your doctor asked you about climate change?
When Michael Howard arrived for a checkup with his lung specialist, he was worried about how his body would cope with the heat and humidity of a Boston summer. “I lived in Florida for 14 years, and I moved back because the humidity was just too much,” …
Physicians need better PR
On July 8, 2019, the American Academy of Emergency Medicine wrote a letter to the American Medical Association, asking the organization to create a public campaign to support physician-led care. Noting concerns over the recent media crusade to promote …
Physicians need better PR
On July 8, 2019, the American Academy of Emergency Medicine wrote a letter to the American Medical Association, asking the organization to create a public campaign to support physician-led care. Noting concerns over the recent media crusade to promote …
Physicians are not commodities to be cut. Physicians are not waste.
Another emergency physician asked me what I think will happen if the “surprise bill reform” with a benchmark fix happens. I told her privately, but I am sharing, so everyone can understand why I am working so furiously on a seemingly boring and crass …
Primary Care First: CMS develops a value-based primary care program for independent practices
The monumental shift in health care from fee-for-service or a volume-based approach to value-based care will change health care delivery for the better in the United States. When physicians do what is necessary and avoid over-testing and procedures of…
