When the buck stops with primary care

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More than a search engine, a personal subscription to [ClinicalKey]( puts an entire library of trusted resources at your fingertips. Empower your clinical decisions, [test drive ClinicalKey today](. --------------------------------------------------------------- KevinMD Plus: Jan 3, 2019 [When the buck stops with primary care]( “Red” McDougall had terrible leg pains soon after going to bed. He did have a bad back, and some mild spinal stenosis, but I hadn’t heard much about that in the past few years. He was dealing with the ache in his legs when he was on his feet too long. A few months ago […] [Health care professionals must always be on their A game]( I was having dinner with somebody not so long ago, and the conversation turned to what life is like as a physician. I always find it interesting to have these conversations with people who are not in the medical field, especially those who have got their ideas from watching medical shows on television! The person […] [Solving physician burnout requires so much more than self-care]( So many people are suggesting that if only doctors practice self-care we could deflect burnout before it overtakes us. Yes, physicians are probably the worst professionals for taking care of ourselves. We work long hours, answer calls at all hours of the night, take little vacation, work in stressful situations, and often face hostility in […] [Reflecting on the state of global anesthesia]( A guest column by the American Society of Anesthesiologists, exclusive to KevinMD.com. I imagine every physician anesthesiologist has experienced drug or equipment shortages in the last year. How frustrating that even in the world’s largest health care system, basic medications can be unavailable. However, when I step back and look at the big picture, I am reminded […] [To do population health right, think about individuals]( How do we change the way we think about taking care of patients, particularly when it comes to not the individual patient sitting in front of us, but a whole population of patients just like them (or somewhat like them)? In our practice, we have been struggling with how to best do population health, trying […] --------------------------------------------------------------- [Conference planners!]( Find vetted, handpicked physician speakers that shine on stage. Now booking for 2019! Physician Speaking by KevinMD: [Your audience deserves the best](. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Seasoned medical professionals prescribe new medicines sparingly]( I prescribe heartburn medicines every day. There’s a gaggle of them now — Prilosec, Nexium, Prevacid, Protonix — to name a few. As far as experts know, their primary effect is to reduce the production of stomach acid. This is why they are so effective at putting out your heartburn fire. In simple terms: no […] [After a partial retirement, what this physician misses the most]( This weekend was bliss. I went from Friday night to Monday morning without a single phone call. No nursing homes were needing to send a patient to the emergency room: no new fevers or unexpected falls. I can honestly say that it is the first time in more than a decade that I have gone […] [Too many moving parts: Physicians can’t own it all anymore]( A few days ago, I made a call to my neurologist’s office. The fourth call about the same issue. I needed my migraine medication and wasn’t able to get it. I was almost ready to give up and give in to having migraines on a daily basis. None of the usual preventative medications have worked […] [Standing on the shoulders of the basic science researchers who came before us]( I recently attended a small dinner hosting Robert Lefkowitz, MD, the winner of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his discovery for G-protein coupled receptors. Throughout the night, the conversation traversed a diverse range of topics — from his adventures in Stockholm, Sweden to his work-life balance — but his remarks on one particular subject […] [How to spark the attention of patients]( I’ve been mean to my body lately. And since I know better, I talk negatively to myself about why I continue to be mean to my body. Lately, I’ve been considering why I do this — why we do this — and how to think about ourselves differently. Several months ago I had immobilizing low […] [Why managers will never be a source of disruptive innovation in health care]( I have had several dealings with the benefits managers/HR managers of large corporations and other large organizations over my career. I have one over-arching conclusion about what motivates these people: They will never be a source of disruptive innovation in health care. I find them to be passive people. They are fundamentally people pleasers. They […] [The Apple Watch’s ECG feature could save many lives. But only if it has something else.]( Recently the Apple Watch’s latest feature went live – an electrocardiogram (ECG) app that monitors irregular heart rhythms. The internet is overflowing with reports from people didn’t know they had irregular heartbeats until they took their data to their doctors and received diagnoses of atrial fibrillation (AFib), a common cause of stroke. As neurologists who […] --------------------------------------------------------------- If a friend sent you this email and you want to subscribe, go to [KevinMD](. --------------------------------------------------------------- 345 Hudson Street New York NY 10014 USA [Unsubscribe]( | [Change Subscriber Options](