5 ways pain and addiction patients can get better care

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[Patient misidentification can lead to medical errors, patient harm, and costly inefficiencies]( for providers. Get the facts on patient misidentification, and [learn how to avoid it]( from organizations that use biometrics to do so. --------------------------------------------------------------- KevinMD Plus: Feb. 26, 2018 [5 ways pain and addiction patients can get better care]( About 25 million people are in recovery from substance use disorder (SUD), while approximately 100 million people live in chronic pain. With our nation fixated on the estimated 60,000 opioid-related overdose deaths in 2016, you might expect the interests of both groups to be in conflict. Consider two anecdotes. Paul is living with chronic pain […] [When a patient dies, do you cry?]( Apparently, I wanted to become a doctor since I was four. My mother tells the story of me getting ready for bed and simply saying: “Mommy, when I grow up I want to be a doctor so I can make people better.” This notion stuck with me, and, luckily, I took a liking to biology, […] [10 tips that make me a (mostly) happy doctor]( Burnout is defined as emotional exhaustion, feelings of cynicism and detachment, and a sense of ineffectiveness at work. The inverse of burnout is engagement — a persistent, upbeat sense of fulfillment characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption. I haven’t seen that doctor in the hospital lounge in a long time. I am a neurologist practicing […] [A physician’s life as an FBI informant]( “Where is Saipan?” I typed into Google to search for this little U.S. territory island in the Western Pacific when I was told about a need for an OB/GYN in 2016. Next, I inquired to the private physician looking to expand his practice, “Do you really have a significant volume to support another doctor?” My […] [The biggest innovation in health is here. And you’re probably using it.]( Health care is obsessed with new technology. Every week, a new article comes out promising disruption of medical care as we know it through personalized genetic therapy, app extensions that transform smartphones into ultrasounds or autonomous surgical robots. Yet, one of the best examples of health care technologies is also one of its oldest — […] --------------------------------------------------------------- [Should I add obesity care services to my practice?]( Despite the opportunity to add $10,000 to $50,000+ per month in additional revenue, more than 80% of medical providers indicated that nobody in the practice was trained to deal with weight-related issues. [Take the survey.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Medicine needs its soul back]( In a recent issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, Terwiesch and colleagues propose “reimagining provider visits as the new tertiary care.” Initially, their arguments seem sound, even reasonable. Then, they conclude with this: The conceptual change is to see every engagement with a clinician not as something to be celebrated but as a kind […] [There’s no easy way out of the opioid epidemic]( Across the United States at least forty people die each day from overdosing on opioids like Vicodin, codeine, heroin, and oxycontin. Seven percent of drivers who died in car crashes last year were found to have prescription opioids in their systems — seven times more than in 1995. Considering these alarming rates of overdosing and […] [A doctor to a patient: Please call me when you get home]( It is 3:30 p.m. on a Wednesday, and I am bringing my last patient out of the operating room. Everyone is in great spirits: a smooth case and an early finish at our surgical center. The patient has already awakened, stretching his arms, and clearly comfortable. “Everything went alright, doc?” I smile, knowing that I […] [Influencing your resident evaluations for success]( Performance appraisals are an integral part of an organization’s assessment of employee and trainee standing. Management and human resource literature is full of analysis and debate regarding how to best rate subordinates. Regardless of evaluation system utilized, some of the common goals of individual appraisals are to monitor progress, identify areas for growth, set goals, […] [We are a product of our upbringing: a tale of 2 cities]( We are a product of our upbringing. For many of us, this means we develop values and beliefs about money and work from our parents. Our communities, however, also play a role. It is in these communities that we learn a joint value system, a blueprint for how to approach and interact with the world. […] [The CVS-Aetna merger is still the one to watch in 2018]( Lots of mergers have been announced lately, but there’s still one transformative merger that will define and reshape the U.S. health care market in 2018: the CVS/Aetna $69 billion deal announced last December. CVS is best known for its 9700 retail pharmacies and 1100 walk-in clinics, but its most significant profit driver is its pharmacy […] [What if we treated physicians in training the way we want to be treated?]( What if each doctor in contact with medical students and residents acknowledge that they are a diverse group with their own inherent strengths and weaknesses? Some residents will have mastered the knowledge within the pages of the textbook and can easily recite it during attending rounds. Others will have a natural bedside manner making patients […] [You’ve prescribed an opioid: Now what? 5 key strategies to prevent addiction]( After being prescribed opioids for just one day, individuals can face significant challenges with addiction, with six percent continuing to use opioids a year later, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The likelihood of long-term use increases sharply after five days of use. While much of the discussion around the opioid […] [A physician sees end-of-life care through a religious lens]( In my second year of residency, I was on the hematology/oncology service where we were taking care of a pleasant lady in her 80s who was admitted with pancreatic cancer. It was apparent that the disease had spread rapidly, and when we discussed her at rounds, we knew that she likely had a few months […] [The irony of me observing death on a day celebrating my birth]( As part of my medical school’s inter-professional learning, I shadowed a hospital chaplain this afternoon. While physicians principally attend to the physical healing of patients, chaplains also fulfill an important role in health care: meeting the spiritual needs of patients. When faced with disease, patients often grapple with deeper questions about their illness beyond just […] [What #MeToo must learn from the science of sexual harassment]( As a psychiatrist, I’ve spent almost two decades caring for patients who have survived sexual trauma, be it childhood sexual abuse, rape or repeated and threatening forms of sexual harassment. I’ve witnessed how when the assailant was known to the victim, especially someone from whom they expected comradery or even just professionalism, it can be […] [3 steps doctors can take to stop living paycheck to paycheck]( Many doctors today find themselves living paycheck to paycheck. They make a good income but just never seem to get caught up. Non-doctors see us as rich. But many of us are just broke on a larger salary. The whole reason I wrote my book stemmed from a conversation with a doctor who was struggling […] [In tragedy, practicing medicine both an honor and a privilege]( For the past four years, this is James Beck’s routine: After a morning spent guzzling $5 vodka, he stumbles into a Dunkin’ Donuts parking lot, lying on the cement with his dusty oversized coat splayed open to reveal a cachectic chest. A concerned patron (cigarette and coffee in hand) will call 911 and, in accordance […] [The problem with patients bringing in their own CDs]( As someone who has been in IT health care supporting hospitals, radiologists, and specialty surgeons, I’ve seen the struggle from just about every angle when it comes to the problems with health care technology. One of these struggles that continue to be a problem for myself, our patients, and our physicians are the imaging CDs […] [How this physician started his consulting business]( I do some of my best thinking while exercising. A few years ago, I was swimming laps in the still-dark early morning. Swimming is one of my favorite activities. But in a pool, it gets boring staring at the bottom, so my mind often wanders off to tackle difficult problems. That morning, like many of […] [A medical student’s first day in anatomy lab]( During the first week of medical school classes, we visited the anatomy lab. As far as I can remember, I had extremely mixed feelings on that day. I felt the thrill of taking my first baby steps towards my medical journey blending with a certain feeling of fear. Was I afraid of the pure existence of […] [MKSAP: 26-year-old woman with a mechanical mitral valve prosthesis]( Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians. A 26-year-old woman with a mechanical mitral valve prosthesis visits to discuss anticoagulation management during pregnancy. Her last menstrual period was 6 weeks ago and her pregnancy was confirmed by laboratory testing in the office. Her mitral valve was replaced 5 […] [4 lessons every woman doctor must learn]( Recently, I wanted to find some inspirational articles for female doctors. This letter to the young female physician by Dr. Suzanne Koven was one of the first things I came across. I wish someone had written me a letter when I was young and dumb and entering internship. Maybe it would have been a good [… [Why do we treat psychiatric illness different from other illness?]( I recently had the opportunity to be the informal medical navigator for a friend with an acute psychiatric crisis. This previously “normal” friend lives alone, is a high-functioning professional and was unable to sleep, to eat, to finish a coherent thought or to carry on his business for several weeks. I was called to help […] --------------------------------------------------------------- You are receiving this email because you subscribed to the KevinMD e-newsletter. If a friend sent you this email and you want to subscribe, go to [KevinMD](. --------------------------------------------------------------- 173 Daniel Webster Highway Nashua, New Hampshire 03062 [Unsubscribe]( | [Change Subscriber Options](