The Podcast by KevinMD

Latest Episodes:

Coming back from the brink of burnout Mar 09, 2022

Show notes

"I understand what it feels like to be in the depths of depression and hopelessness. I have had a lifelong battle with stuttering, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, depression, and suicide.

I continually fight these battles and have learned to heal and recover through family, friends, and ultra-running. Since attempting to take my life on September 12, 2009, I have developed wellness tactics to help me journey through life to achieve optimum performance and to have a better work-life balance to lead a more healthy, peaceful, and purposeful life."

Anthony Avellino is a pediatric neurosurgeon.

He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "Coming back from the brink of burnout."

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Eating disorders thrive in secrecy, so let's talk about it Mar 08, 2022

Show notes

"I was diagnosed over 20 years ago, and looking back, I feel privileged that I did meet the stereotype for anorexia and be forced into treatment. However, along the way, I have gained insight that people of all bodies share my struggles. And the use of weight/BMI to determine whether someone is struggling and should have access to treatment results in delayed diagnoses, limitations in access to care, prolonged suffering, invalidation, and shame."

Jillian Rigert is an oral medicine specialist and radiation oncology research fellow.

She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Eating disorders thrive in secrecy, so let's talk about it. Starting with BMI."

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Tax planning tips for physicians Mar 07, 2022

Show notes

Often, physicians only give minimal attention to their financial futures, but potential federal changes could make tax planning even more important. The proposed infrastructure bill would increase taxes, affecting those with an annual income higher than $400,000, which is not uncommon for physicians. These changes make it vital for physicians to sit down with their financial advisors and CPAs now to minimize their own tax burden.

Syed Nishat is a partner, Wall Street Alliance Group.

This article is sponsored by Wall Street Alliance Group, specializing in physician financial planning.

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Why health care delivery is an exceptionally different industry Mar 06, 2022

Show notes

"The business of health care delivery differs markedly from other consumer and service industries in many ways. First and foremost, the economics differ. Specifically, the payers of medical care are often different from the customers, the government and third-party insurers are the primary payers, demand is inelastic, quality metrics are typically unavailable, and the industry consists largely of nonprofits that avoid taxes. And that's just the start of the economic differences. These profound economic differences vis-a-vis other industries lead to fundamental deficiencies in health care governance, leadership, organizational design, infrastructure, and operations. We believe economic exceptionalism is the root cause."

Joe Mandato is a venture capitalist. Ryan Van Wert is a pulmonary physician and health care executive.

They share their stories and discuss their KevinMD article, "Why health care delivery is an exceptionally different industry."

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Why we should celebrate the Great Resignation Mar 05, 2022

Show notes

"I see lamenting the Great Resignation. I celebrate it. It's not so much about what people are leaving – but where are they going? What have they empowered themselves to become?

The thought, 'There has to be something more,' has been pondered and fleshed out. We are stretching our wings, becoming educators, influencers, and entrepreneurs; creating movements and businesses; becoming the parents we always wanted to be. And I dare say that the writing is on the wall for organized medicine. We can lament that physicians are resigning and feverishly design retention programs. Or we can see that physicians do not want to be retained in this system. We are big thinkers, we are idealists, we are creative, and we are creating the future of medicine right now."

Wendy Schofer is a pediatrician.

She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Why we should celebrate the Great Resignation."

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Digital apps and sustaining mental health Mar 04, 2022

Show notes

"Digital mental health apps have increased access to mental health care for people around the world. You can find services that fit your specific needs, often on a 24/7/365 basis, so if you need support in the middle of the night, it's there. Digital apps can include resource libraries, artificial intelligence-driven chatbots that tailor the treatment they provide to your responses, and digital coaching from credentialed mental health professionals at any hour of the day or night from the privacy of your home. Busy schedules or concerns about stigma no longer need to hold people back from getting the support they need, so if the holidays have you struggling, help is available."

Zereana Jess-Huff is a counselor and health care executive.

She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Sustaining mental health during the holidays and starting strong in 2022."

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A nuanced look at the Tuskegee syphilis study Mar 03, 2022

Show notes

"The Tuskegee Syphilis Study is widely acknowledged as a violation of ethics today, but the social conditions of the time allowed the grave injustices to happen in plain sight. In the 1930s, social Darwinism emerged as justification for racist practices. The perceived inevitability of African Americans' natural "extinction" was used to justify many unethical practices within the study, including the decision to withhold known treatment from participants. The USPHS earned the approval of the United States government after making the case that African Americans would not seek out treatment of their own volition, a harmful preconception linked to the theory of social Darwinism."

Bintou Diarra is a premedical student.

She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "COVID-19 and the Tuskegee syphilis study."

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High deductible health insurance is bankrupting Americans Mar 02, 2022

Show notes

"Regulators should push health savings accounts (HSA) and businesses should offer them. While HSAs are growing, they are still only available to 30 percent of workers — more likely for larger companies than smaller ones. This, of course, is a way to help pay for extra medical costs almost always incurred under a high deductible health plan.

Perhaps a better option is to require all health insurance plans come with free primary care office visits. That can encourage patients to seek care earlier at lower costs (especially when compared to hospital emergency rooms or urgent care facilities, sites of choice if patients wait). One compelling example of this is when plans build in access to direct primary care.

In addition, we should advocate for price transparency at all levels and guide patients better on the "total cost" of their health care on an annual basis and not just the monthly premium cost.

High deductible health plans are not going away, but we can guide our community better to make costs transparent for better decision making."

Ben Aiken is a family physician and health care executive.

He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "High deductible health insurance is bankrupting Americans."

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Stop health care's great resignation Mar 01, 2022

Show notes

"As the next COVID-19 variant hits our country, I feel a renewed sense of urgency. We need to move faster to invest in an infrastructure that protects our nation's health care workforce before we lose more nurses, doctors, and other care team members. Every day they risk their own safety for ours and our loved ones. It is time to reimagine safety and take action to make lasting change. That means investing in new policies, processes, resources, and solutions that ease the burden of team members and safeguard their physical, emotional, and psychological wellbeing. It means coming together as a nation and recognizing that health care is an essential infrastructure and that the people who work in health care are national assets and that their safety and wellbeing matters. We cannot afford to lose another nurse, physician, or frontline care team member."

Bridget Duffy is an internal medicine physician and health care executive.

She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "End the trauma, stop health care's great resignation, and protect care teams now."

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Diabetes impacts the whole body, but the foot can't be forgotten Feb 28, 2022

Show notes

"As we know, diabetes is a comorbidity that can cause more severe symptoms in COVID-positive patients. This knowledge, along with the sense that diabetes is overwhelming the entire body, can quickly deplete a patient's reserve of positive energy. Despite all their best efforts, diabetes is a disease that can often spiral out of control and make a patient feel helpless.

While it's critical to maintain this "whole body" approach, it's also important to prioritize complications. One of the most debilitating complications of diabetes is diabetic amputation, but it's often not top of mind for many patients with diabetes — or the providers treating other diabetic complications. Yet every four minutes, a lower limb is amputated due to diabetes."

Jon Bloom is an anesthesiologist and health care executive.

He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "Diabetes impacts the whole body, but the foot can't be forgotten."

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