How MOC is contributing to the demise of physicians

Here are the stories you missed on KevinMD. Thank you for your continuing readership. --------------------------------------------------------------- Here are the stories you missed on [KevinMD](. Thank you for your continuing readership. --------------------------------------------------------------- Sponsors There are no easy ways to eliminate alarm fatigue, protect health care workers from workplace violence events, or eradicate physician burnout. [COVID-19 complicates these issues](. Improved communications can be part of the solution. [Read this eBook to find out more](. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to [reopening medical practices during COVID-19](. This [checklist with tips and resources]( can be adapted and downloaded for individual practices. Did you know more than 80% of surveyed Americans who have used telehealth services said they [liked or loved it]( Download the Updox infographic on consumer preferences of telehealth both [now and post-COVID](. [Tax planning for physicians]( updated with recent COVID-19 changes. Learn how to save taxes and keep more of what you make by registering for [this month’s webinars]( Make the Most of Your Home Office and Maximize Your C Corporation Fringe Benefits. --------------------------------------------------------------- KevinMD Plus: Jun 8, 2020 [How MOC is contributing to the demise of physicians]( Let me start by saying that I am a diplomate (i.e., “board-certified”) by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. I was completely in agreement that to display competence in my specialty after four years of residency, I should pass the oral and written exams required by the ABPN, further to prove I have maintained […] [How the words, “I can’t breathe,” affect this pulmonary physician]( As I held the shaky, sweaty hand of my 52-year-old African American patient, lying in her ICU bed, trembling with fear, tears rolling down her eyes, she gathered enough strength to utter “I can’t breathe.” Her words felt like a punch in my gut, eliciting a visceral reaction, with flashes of George Floyd’s body pinned […] [Patients deserve our best all the time, in a pandemic, and at 5:59]( It’s 4:30 a.m. as I trudge to the parking garage with a sense of defeat. I am an internal medicine resident wrapping up a swing shift, the magnanimous buffer to admission responsibilities between the day and overnight ward teams. Though clinically tucking in patients that arrive before six o’clock is often easily accomplished well before […] [The USMLE needs better pandemic communication [PODCAST]]( “The USMLE has failed the medical education community, and subsequently, future patients, as medical students will undoubtedly have irreplaceable damage from this experience; however, like all tests, it is possible to learn from mistakes and improve. In these unprecedented times, we as students understand the need to be flexible, but in return, we ask not […] [Medical education during COVID is more than a monolith]( This pandemic has taught us that undergraduate medical education is nimbler and more adaptive than we have previously assumed it to be. COVID-19 has propelled medical schools into an online, remote learning age. It has beseeched educators to creatively deliver new means of teaching human anatomy, pathophysiology, and clinical skills. It has driven administrators around […] [Medical heroism in the age of COVID-19]( A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the signs have been everywhere – celebrating the heroism of health care workers. It’s a wonderful sentiment that as a physician personally makes me feel very good about our profession and what we do. It’s also […] [Breaking the silence within the medical profession]( The stereotypical orthopedic residency class looks like a construction scene from the Flintstones, a few burly white men playing with tools. I can spend time here listing off different statistics and percentages showcasing why orthopedic surgery is the least diverse specialty in medicine, but just the fact that the stereotype is what it is should […] [From the COVID-19 front lines: the present and future impact on nephrology]( In anticipation of the strain on resources and staff in New York City, part of the battling strategy included deployment calling for providers from all areas to directly devote their efforts in the care of COVID-19 patients. Despite being relieved temporarily of the role of a nephrologist, the COVID-19 population soon showed that managing renal […] [The COVID-19 pandemic is a catalyst for reimagining future health care delivery]( Coronavirus has overwhelmed hospitals, staff, and supply chains, stripped many Americans of health care coverage along with their jobs, and affected billions of people worldwide with mounting fatalities. Despite its massive human toll, the pandemic offers the promise of a much-improved health care system for the future. Our response to this tragedy paves the way […] [A medical student perspective on George Floyd’s murder]( Recently in Minneapolis, George Floyd was killed by Officer Derek Chauvin, who held his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes, including almost three minutes after Floyd was unresponsive. This senseless murder is now added to an already long list of occurrences of police brutality that disproportionately affects communities of color. The need […] [It is our job to change the rhetoric on who physicians are]( A colleague of mine once asked me a question that haunts me to this day: “If you care about social justice this much, why are you in medical school?” I was stunned, and I had no response to offer them. That day, I walked away to preserve my peace, but I have an answer now. […] [Primary care isn’t broken. It needs a better support system.]( Primary care is at the heart of each and every health care system. Effective and efficient primary care leads to positive health outcomes across the board, most notably lower rates of mortality and hospitalization, and higher life expectancy. But to achieve such results, primary care needs an integrated system to support efficient care delivery. Despite […] [Protect our medical trainees during the pandemic [PODCAST]]( “When I first heard about medical schools fast-tracking graduation for students and shifting young residents into high need areas to fight the pandemic of COVID-19, I thought of how panicked those students and residents must feel. Asking them to step in to fight a battle we don’t know how to win, and envisioning them witnessing […] [Just what is the WHO and why does it matter?]( As medical students with backgrounds in public health and global health care operations, we were shocked by the action on the part of the Trump administration to defund the World Health Organization (WHO). This decision undermines the global community’s progress in combating the COVID-19 pandemic and will ultimately cost the lives of thousands of individuals. […] [3 enemas? For a man without a colon?]( “Three Fleet enemas?” I ask the nurse. She isn’t much interested in a conversation with me about anything. She is busy. “This man, so far as I understand it, does not have a colon.” It looks to me like they want to reconnect his colon,” she says as if I hadn’t said what I just […] [Your personal meditative journey begins in the shower]( By now, you’ve heard that meditation has many health benefits, including stress management. You’re probably thinking, that’s great for my single friend with time for self-care, but I’m a busy working parent, there’s no time for that! Wrong. There is time for it. Granted, it is different than what you have been traditionally taught about […] [Medical rationing in the age of COVID-19]( As the COVID-19 pandemic quickly moved across the nation this spring, state governments and health systems rushed to create or revise their crisis standards of care that contain medical rationing guidelines. In light of the crisis, how can we distribute health care resources equitably and without discrimination or bias when they are in short supply? […] [You’re outraged by police brutality and racism. OK, now what?]( You are outraged. You realize you are part of the problem. You abhor rampant, unchecked police brutality and centuries of systemic, institutionalized racism. It sickens you. OK, awesome. Now what? In recent days following the death of George Floyd and the massive uprisings of the American people from all across the country demanding decisive justice […] [A subtle change in the parents at a pediatric clinic]( Currently, we are in a transition time. Many of us are still healing from the shock brought on by the beginning days of the COVID crisis. While it has been nice to enjoy the warmer weather both from a distance but also amongst friends given the lifting of many social restrictions, life still does not […] [Empathy is a crucial component when working with older adults [PODCAST]]( “Empathy is more than just loving an elderly loved one. It is more than simply making the decision we may feel is best for our loved one. Empathy is different from sympathy. Empathy means putting ourselves in someone else’s shoes and making an informed decision. Empathy is seeing through our loved ones’ eyes, hearing through […] [The health effects of a bad economy may be worse than COVID-19]( Thinking that it was time to think about what sort of long-term mask I would like to procure to wear in public as the summer approaches, I got to thinking, what sort of mask defines me as a person? Is it the stagecoach robber triangular bandana? Is it a standard medical ear-loop mask? An OR […] [Health care workers need policy changes, not just applause]( While the COVID-19 pandemic has been straining our health care system, public support for health care workers has never been greater. Every evening for a few minutes, neighborhoods across the country erupt into enthusiastic cheering and instrumental noise as people show their support for us. My social media feed has erupted with posts, artwork, and […] [The divorced physician parent in the time of COVID-19]( I’d like to focus on a group that isn’t discussed much: the divorced health care parent. With physician marriages ending at a rate of 24 percent and over 1 million physicians and 18 million health care workers in the U.S., this topic will undoubtedly resonate with many despite a paucity of literature. Co-parenting is hard […] [What’s next for medical students? The path is not so clear.]( The evolving COVID-19 outbreak has generated concern for students across a variety of disciplines. While some might believe the healthcare sector is protected in the setting of a pandemic, rising medical graduates are realizing they, too, are not immune from uncertainty. Third- and fourth-year medical students, in particular, are experiencing unprecedented changes to the traditional […] [The 2 calamities killing Americans: COVID-19 and racism]( There are two calamities killing Americans: COVID-19 and racism. One is novel, and the other is perennial. It is not coincidental that black Americans have died of COVID-19 at almost three times the rate of white people. Both biological and socioeconomic factors contribute to this alarming statistic. However, as emergency physicians and public health practitioners […] [How this physician incorporated medical students in COVID care]( More than once, I have joked with my medical student leader that I look forward to the day when she will be my boss. I have mentored hundreds of health professions students over the past ten years. Teaching young thought leaders to address complex issues is rewarding and rejuvenating; it only seemed natural to incorporate […] [During this terrible pandemic, let’s make compassion go viral]( Right now, we are facing a living nightmare. Thousands of people across the globe, perhaps even people we know, are dying from COVID-19. This pandemic has left death and disability in its wake. The main way we are being asked to help is by staying at home in order to lower the chances of the […] [Racialized violence and health care’s call to action]( Over the last few months, we have faced a relentless pandemic and seen humans rising to serve the most critically ill. However, we have also borne witness to the relentless evidence of health and health care disparities during a time in our country’s history in which the discourse around race, nationality, gender, sex, sexual orientation, […] [When imposter syndrome becomes incompatible with the profession of medicine]( When people ask me what A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara is about, I have trouble describing it beyond the story of a young man named Jude with a horrific past and his relationships with the people he meets in college. The heart of the story lies not in the plot but in the connections […] [How emotional antibodies can help recover from the impact of COVID-19 [PODCAST]]( “In my lifetime, I have encountered those who have seemingly endured far greater states of human privation than I could ever imagine (though I try to eschew establishing comparative equivalencies [or non-equivalencies] among human suffering as much as possible because such an impossibly herculean task never ends well). And what I have come to realize […] [Why whole person care is needed for better population health management]( Many health care organizations – health plans and hospitals alike – continue to debate what it means to provide population health management (PHM). Most have landed on a definition that aligns closely with what PHM means to them, rather than operationalizing an overly broad definition that doesn’t resonate with the populations and communities they serve. 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