The Podcast by KevinMD

How doctors think about financial independence is dead wrong

21 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"A rough career transition in 2019 followed by the pandemic highlighted how I was still financially tethered to my job — after 10 years of practicin...

How one word may have harmed my patient

20 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"With this single word, mom had now completely altered her willingness to see the deep suffering of her child. This single word watered all of this ch...

Does Aduhelm mark the return of science-based medicine?

19 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"While we still lack a complete cause and effect model of Alzheimer's disease, there is no doubt that the etiology is multifaceted and nonlinear. This...

A neurosurgeon's lessons on love, loss, and compassion

18 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Dehumanizing patients can lead to indifference in physicians. It is a privilege to be trusted to take care of every patient we encounter, yet we can ...

Physicians' sense of powerlessness and being a cog in a wheel

17 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Toward the end of my clinical career, I didn't feel like I had control over much at all. The patient safety issues loomed large. We used ridiculous w...

Robert Pearl, MD on doctors and the 5 stages of grief

16 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Physicians have had a rough century, so far. In addition to battling COVID-19, doctors have spent the past two decades fighting the health care indus...

Redefining traditional gender roles and the importance of a growth mindset

15 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Maybe it's a testament to a hardy relationship that there was no resulting argument. Without thinking, I blurted out, 'You are so sexist!' I could im...

A physician's journey to walk again and how she learned self-compassion

14 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Suffering something similar in my career, I know the detrimental impact of not having a voice or being heard in the medical community. Medical profes...

Let's look at what's right about nursing homes

13 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Extensive media coverage of the emotional and death tolls that COVID-19 inflicted on nursing homes has intensified concern for preserving the humanit...

Why it is essential to prioritize universal coverage

12 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Looking to other countries that provide universal coverage to see what works and what would fit well for the U.S. is an option. Countries like France...

Unconscious biases against vitamins and supplements

11 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Like many scary health scenarios where patients seek some modicum of influence, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to patient demand for 'immune-boosting'...

You have options when it comes to board certification

10 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Remember, board certification is supposed to be an option and not a requirement. Unfortunately, finding and keeping your dream job if you're not boar...

Put yourself in the shoes of a nursing home resident

09 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Visit a nursing home and talk with some of the residents. They are not only moms and dads, but also retired teachers, first responders, former athlet...

A pediatric infectious disease physician shares his pandemic lessons

08 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"COVID-19 has changed nearly every aspect of society as we know it, and doctors in hospitals across America are at the forefront of those changes. As ...

My child wants to be a doctor

07 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"As a family physician, guest lecturer at a local medical school, and creator of a pre-med curriculum for young learners, I'm often asked by parents h...

How to convince your health care colleagues to get vaccinated

06 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"When a colleague in health care mentioned hesitation to get the COVID-19 vaccine in two separate instances, I was shocked and dismayed. If we recomme...

Addressing racial disparities in health begins upstream with racial equity in society

05 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Our nation is at a crossroads, but one thing is clear – the health of our country depends on the health of all individuals in it, regardless of inc...

A daughter's addiction. A mother's love.

04 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"I think back to the first time I ever brought Natalie to an emergency room. It was my fault. It was an odd accident. I had lifted her out of her car ...

Replaceable thoughts and essential books to help you survive burnout

03 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"If you don't ask for something you want, then you have already accepted the answer of no. Go ahead and ask for what you want and need. You may not ge...

How racial microaggressions lead to poor care outcomes

02 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"A few weeks ago, a white physical therapy colleague of mine unconsciously committed a racial microaggression. She was interviewing her patient, a mid...

How technology in the ER boosts the patient experience

01 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"When harnessing easy-to-use technology to provide answers to frequently asked questions such as the ER wait time, or the ER's address, for instance, ...

Medical school and the lessons learned from football

31 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"In the Spring semester of my final year as a football player, my college team faced necessary coaching, staff, and player position changes. At this p...

An underutilized way to relieve stress

30 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"As a former hospitalist who transitioned out of clinical practice in 2015, I've been deep in the physician wellness space for years. Far and away, th...

Remote patient monitoring: a health IT perspective

29 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"The primary benefits for mobile care units are the fact that they decrease patient travel times by arriving at their residences and ensuring that app...

President Biden's tax proposal and its effects on estate and income tax planning for physicians

28 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"While physicians provide a vital service to the U.S., they often have blind spots when it comes to maintaining their own financial health. Many in th...

Doctors beware: There's a $400,000 target on your back

27 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"President Joe Biden recently signaled that a multi-trillion-dollar spending plan for our country should be paid for by the rich corporations and weal...

Why it's important for physicians to change the system

26 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"What if I had access to real solutions? What if I had resources to provide to a person to help them overcome their problem? As a primary care provide...

Why doctors can't rest

25 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"I think doctors are just wired that way. We are productive. We get things done. It is expected. We are supposed to do more, do it all, and be all the...

Marshall Allen on how to contest hospital bills and avoid treatment you don't need

24 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"It's rare for anyone to try and tally the precise cost of unnecessary care. But when they do, the estimates are staggering. The Washington Health All...

How physicians can be better medical leaders

23 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"A sad truth is this: Most everywhere, health care is a low-margin industry that lacks resources to invest in leadership development. Although our bus...

How a homeless teen became a physician

22 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"During my medical school clerkships, an attending recognized a truth within me that I'd hidden for many years. Just a few hours into my pediatrics ro...

What this physician learned from medicine in developing countries

21 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"On a recent call with a small health organization in rural Uganda, I asked the director about the C-section rate in the community. In some private ma...

Using nanoparticles to treat polycystic kidney disease

20 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Excited by the promise our research holds for PKD patients, we have been packaging a variety of PKD drugs into our nanoparticles, testing their abili...

Hypertension is killing pregnant mothers. Blood pressure monitoring can help.

19 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Hypertensive disorders with onset during pregnancies are among the leading causes of maternal and infant mortality and morbidity in the U.S. and can ...

Winning at parenting without losing yourself

18 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"As working women, we have an opportunity to be an example of living with passion and priorities, of working hard, of staying committed, not necessari...

Anti-Asian racism and how bystander intervention training can save a life

17 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Doctors undergo mandatory training sessions in medical school to prepare for unexpected medical emergencies. Health care workers are mandated reporte...

What you need to know about the updated benzodiazepine boxed warning

16 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"The FDA recommended an updated boxed warning and standardization of product labels across the drug class. They recommended judicious prescribing and ...

A message to medical doctors who are unhappy with their careers

15 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"This is a message to any medical doctor who is unhappy with their career. The individual reasons for this dissatisfaction will vary. Whatever the iss...

Is health care a right or privilege? The economic consequences of that answer.

14 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"American medicine is facing an identity crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic brought renewed attention to socioeconomic health disparities and turned up the...

What clinicians need to know about clinical trials

13 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Before COVID-19, clinical research was a little-known part of health care. Despite this process being responsible for determining the safety and effi...

Medical facilities: Please keep your immune-deficient patients safe

12 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"I have a form of genetic primary immunodeficiency and several heart issues, among other things. I know that I need to be far more vigilant than someo...

How to raise tenacious and resilient children

11 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"For thousands of generations, parents, relatives, and the extended community raised and prepared children to become successful adults, to acquire kno...

Huntington's disease and a patient's perspective on genetic testing

10 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"When I was diagnosed as gene-positive for HD, just over ten years ago, there wasn't anything promising on the horizon in terms of a cure. It has only...

How deep mindset work helped me find the courage to make my career transition

09 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"I've been semi-retired in clinical medicine for almost four years now. Initially, I found myself coaching burned out physicians: Helping them recover...

A plea for help from the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic

08 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"This plea for help is on behalf of every hospital worker who has been on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic — from the environmental services...

COVID in Pakistan: a physician's story

07 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"The right choice of words, at the right time, can lift a person out of despair and literally save a person's life, while an ill-chosen word, or worse...

How to pay for women in medicine programs

06 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"'That's great. You want to start a women in medicine program! How are you going to pay for it?' This is the most common question and potential barrie...

Dying of loneliness: the COVID-19 epidemic in children and adolescents

05 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"We know the ER's revolving door will continue to spin for so many children and adolescents who seek help in the heat of their personal crisis. Some w...

Meet the physician who educates patients with cartoons

04 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Listen to psychiatrist Emily Watters' work with the homeless population and how she got her start writing cartoons, educating patients using out-of-th...

Let's talk about vanishing twin syndrome

03 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"For the folks who are either physicians or becoming care providers, I hope you choose to familiarize yourself with this odd yet common form of loss. ...

To the patient who wants to die: a psychologist's perspective

02 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"I often think about how I can make you see these things about yourself that others see. I think about the ways I can tell you that things will get be...

COVID vaccines' tragic dance

01 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"As a species, we have been an abject failure in dealing with a worldwide crisis. We politicize things for money, political reasons and some kind of w...

Bloated notes are a huge problem and a time suck

30 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"From a charting standpoint, the sins of commission easily outnumber the sins of omission. Our group's progress note template begins with a summary th...

Pediatric patients need appropriate pain management after surgery

29 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"We believe optimal postoperative pain management should provide adequate pain relief, minimize adverse effects, and reduce chances of drug misuse. Wh...

What you need to know about Ehlers-Danlos syndrome patients

28 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"The symptoms of EDS aren't limited to the musculoskeletal system and commonly affect everything from hearing and vision to integumentary issues such ...

Weight gain during the pandemic: An obesity medicine specialist explains

27 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"The impact of the pandemic on the lives of Americans will be felt for years, if not generations, to come. This includes its alarming effect on health...

How to keep your optimism in medicine

26 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Interviewing for medical schools was intense, excruciating, and terrifying. Despite the difficult questions, there are three that stand out to me. Th...

Attention mid-career physicians: Let's find our ikigai

25 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Mid-career colleagues: it's time to go back to the future. Time to learn again. Time to build professional and social networks at work. Take a lunch ...

Unmasking the faces of COVID: pages from a neurologist's diary

24 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"COVID was ominously not only drowning people in their own spit but struck in different shades to alter human personality that kept helplessly getting...

Physicians and the midlife dip

23 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"We all go through our early lives in the S-curve of our medical education–college, medical school, residency, early practice. As you reach the mast...

Malpractice claims from the COVID-19 pandemic

22 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"We won't know until 2022 or later whether there will be an increase in claims related to the pandemic. When a medical error occurs, it's not like an ...

Love is the strongest medicine

21 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"We know this is true in our hearts and minds, but we also know it to be true in documentable terms. Studies have proven that strong, empathic engagem...

Why doctors are such bad investors and how real estate can help

20 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"How do we combat all these beliefs that can make doctors into bad investors? I have a few thoughts. First of all, don't panic. Most of us are indeed ...

Health care leaders' roles in pandemic recovery: Caring for caregivers

19 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"These are extraordinary times. Leaders have the opportunity to seize the day, to lean into this turning point in health care delivery, to drive organ...

Physicians need growth days

18 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"We can move from being a reactor to creator. Creators think of the future and make it start happening today. Reactors are just dealing with the crisi...

Our extraordinary lungs' power and fragility

17 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"With the obvious accounted for, we turned to the obscure, the area of medicine where judgment and experience come into play. Fortunately, we received...

Advice from graduating medical students to new ones

16 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"We need you to join the ranks of this time-honored profession with new eyes and determined minds and eyes that see medicine's problematic foundations...

In memory of Bernard Lown

15 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Ever the teacher, the Dr. Lown we knew modeled 'The Lost Art of Healing' (the title of one of his books) in the clinic, the laboratory, and the halls...

Why it's time to split the autism spectrum

14 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Legislative advocacy has become difficult for the severe autism population since the DSM-5 lumped Asperger's syndrome with autism spectrum disorders ...

Estate planning mistakes for physicians to avoid

13 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"My thoughts immediately went to the tragic loss of one of my best clients, a physician who recently passed away after battling COVID-19. I remember h...

Teaching young children about the existence and acceptance of LGBTQ people

12 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Even though there has been a lot of progress, LGBTQ youth are still struggling with discrimination. I am disheartened that 40 percent of LGBTQ youth ...

It's time to reframe second victim syndrome

11 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Taking control of distress is done by embracing the concept of 'mental fitness.' Being mentally fit enables one to overcome the negative emotions tha...

What I learned from stepping away from medicine for a year

10 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Before COVID-19, I left the practice of medicine for what would turn out to become an entire year. While away, I found a new way of seeing our hearts...

Don't be the patient that says these words

09 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Don't be the patient that says: 'Doc, just tell me what to do …' Instead, you should ask for information to empower yourself to make decisions abou...

A transplant physician faces facts about his career

08 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Continuing to do this work the way I was doing it was not sustainable. I needed to get off the merry-go-round. I just didn't know how. I didn't think...

How AI technologies improve the patient experience

07 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is sponsored by the Dragon Ambient eXperience at Nuance. The exam of the future has arrived with clinical documentation that writes itsel...

Artificial intelligence, COVID-19, and the future of pandemics

06 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Machine learning is only as good as the information provided to train the machine. Models trained on partial datasets can skew toward demographics th...

Blockchain in health care and in your portfolio

05 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"The future of health care will be focused on prevention rather than focused on performing excessive medical treatments, diagnostic tests, and procedu...

Patient satisfaction through a hospitalist lens

04 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"In addition to leaking private information to an unauthorized individual who just happened to ask for Ms. Mann by name, Larry commanded Nigel to wors...

An update on prostate cancer treatment

03 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Even though prostate cancer patients are anxious to receive treatment, they still want to minimize their exposure to anyone outside their COVID bubbl...

Why do physicians fail to focus on their personal finances?

02 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"We need to crawl before we walk and walk before we run. The first step is to establish your why. Why do you want the financial freedom to practice me...

Medicine's contribution to my family

01 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"My children are embarking on their own lives now. While their paths are not taking them into medicine, I see how medicine has influenced their lives....

Reflecting on COVID-19 and combustion

31 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Decreasing the burden of combustion material, whether from a cigarette, a power plant, or an engine, will not only pay off now in reducing COVID-19 b...

How I lost sight of my own health care while creating a women's health care company

30 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"My world tumbled upside down. I was managing taking care of three children from home, helping them navigate the realities of our new world while tryi...

Shame and the medical profession

29 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"We can't escape shame. But don't despair, dear reader, because shame resilience can be cultivated. There are mental-fitness skills that can be learne...

My patient called me the N-word

28 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"There were many things to be processed about that event. It happened within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, its disproportional effects on the ...

Bridging business principles with emergency medicine

27 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"We created a core team of individuals from different levels and functions who met daily. This team's purpose was to receive and synthesize department...

Bridging the political divide

26 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Where do we go from here? Conventional wisdom suggests that we can only transform ourselves. This is why I propose that we attempt to recognize the T...

Social connectedness, volunteerism, and the remedy for COVID fatigue

25 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Social connectedness is the remedy to the COVID fatigue that is running rampant in the United States. We need to stay connected to those we love. At ...

A panic attack brought on by the stress of medical school

24 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"As I leaned against the pristine wall, my vision suddenly dimmed. Everything turned gray. I gulped for air. My arms and legs went numb. I felt that d...

Go behind the scenes with a pathologist

23 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Clinicians want specific things from a pathology consultation. They want a short turnaround time and a clear and coherent report, which can be discus...

What to consider when recommending yoga to patients

22 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Yoga therapy differs from contemporary yoga in that the profession has a defined scope of practice based on educational standards and accreditation r...

A physician hung himself. That could have been me.

21 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"We eventually got the news that Dr. Rathburn had hung himself from one of those beautiful trees that the wind made dance. How sad. It adds to my own ...

A family physician shares her inspiration

20 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Why else should a person become a doctor? Because there is always something to learn. Because holding someone's hand when they're scared is a profoun...

How this physician created a multi-specialty ambulatory surgery clinic from scratch

19 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"I firmly believe that if physicians leveraged themselves and their knowledge of medicine, there would be no need to for them to undertake ventures in...

Being a private practice pediatrician in a pandemic

18 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"The hospital systems ignored us by putting us lowest on the totem pole for the COVID vaccine.  The pharmaceutical companies overlooked the strains o...

How to leverage social media to combat misinformation

17 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"As members of the health care workforce, we must recognize the crucial role we play in influencing vaccine uptake. With the death toll over rising in...

How mentors changed this physician's life

16 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Dr. Good's willing intervention and active interest in my development kept me in medical school and led me to become an academic anesthesiologist. Wh...

How switching to psychiatry made me understand suicide far better

15 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"I realized that training in psychiatry would give me the opportunity to understand suicide far better, and hopefully allow me to make a difference at...

Stress in medicine: lessons learned through my years as a surgeon

14 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Medical professionals face uniquely challenging pressures. Our work itself is extremely demanding, and always has high stakes for those we care for. ...