The toxic doctor-insurer relationship

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 What did 200+ health care professionals say about health care communications in 2021? [Read this eBook]( to learn about current communication challenges, the impact of COVID-19 on communication methods, burnout among health care workers, and the [future of health care communications](. As the pandemic continues, find answers from a [national expert]( to patients' questions on vaccines, safety measures, and efficacy of new treatments. Get a free copy of [Money Insights for Physicians]( which teaches doctors the proven path to move from high income to high net worth! [Take the F3 Assessment]( and find out where you’re at along the path to financial freedom. New edition! [Bradley and Daroff's Neurology in Clinical Practice]( - the definitive reference in clinical neurology. Shop all newly published medical books at [Elsevier Health](. --------------------------------------------------------------- KevinMD Plus: Nov 8, 2021 [The toxic doctor-insurer relationship]( My introduction to health insurance companies was very abrupt and simple. I received my medical training in the U.S. Navy and served three years after that. Then, I was finally discharged. I had treated thousands of patients as a Navy doctor, but I had never charged one, nor did I even know how to charge [...] [You’re a doctor when you’re not giving anesthesia?]( One recent afternoon in the GI endoscopy suite (not my favorite place to work, but that’s a topic for another day), I walked up to the bedside of my next patient and introduced myself as I always do. “Hi,” I said, holding up my name badge for the patient and his wife to see. “I’m [...] [Grieving our collective loss with compassion]( What can we learn as we experience turmoil, change, or as we grieve a loss? Is there something we can focus on to help us go through difficult times in our lives? This can be a minor occurrence in our life, or it can be what we have all lived through collectively during a global [...] [The unique agony of being a Black female doctor]( It was as if my four-day-old daughter’s condition was not critical. It was as if I was not a clinician who could confidently assess and identify seizure episodes. It was as if there were no monitors blatantly showing critically low oxygen levels. Nine long hours and still no response. I felt like I was begging [...] [Maintaining a patent airway in medical school]( “GCS less than 8, intubate.” “Right, what else?” “Acute respiratory failure!” “Good, and what are the contraindications?” Crickets. The small flock of medical students stares blankly into our surgery TA’s face, anticipating an answer, like chicks awaiting a feed from a mother hen. He pauses, then eventually tells us. We regurgitate the answers before dispersing [...] [Professional gay: Charting a career in LGBTQ health [PODCAST]]( “After much searching, I was fortunate to find a fellowship that though inexperienced in LGBTQ health recognized an opportunity. Faculty and mentors worked from a growth mindset rooted in finding what I needed to succeed rather than what they knew they had to offer at that moment. With their and others’ support, despite the discouragement [...] [What does it mean to be a nurse innovator?]( A nurse innovator is a nurse who specializes in bringing forth positive change in health care quality and equity by addressing the unmet needs of a target population through new products, processes, and services. Innovators have existed throughout the history of nursing which dates to the 19th century. Yet, the formalization of a ‘nurse innovator’ [...] [What if technology can help doctors make more accurate clinical decisions?]( After attending the first telehealth awareness week hosted by the American Telemedicine Association, I’ve become aware that there are more possibilities to improve clinical operations and patient experience with telehealth. In this seminar, Exploring Asynchronous Telehealth and its Critical Role within our Evolving Healthcare System, leading startups share their observations after implementing asynchronous communication features in telehealth. Could [...] [My 5 residency money goals]( As resident physicians, many of us are overworked, underpaid, and trying our best to make it through. While this time has its ups and downs, we can’t lose sight of the bigger picture. One of the best things we can do during residency is laying the foundation for the life and career we desire. This [...] [Diagnosis: malformation of a health care system [PODCAST]]( “The diagnosis is well-established. A cure is within our reach, and the wisest among our practitioners of the healing arts are offering valuable counsel. When the U.S. government and science, in its most principled form, work together, insulated from a culture of insidious and invidious profiteering, they can put a man on the moon, and [...] [The troubling similarities between primary care physicians and MLB relief pitchers]( When I was young, my father told me that baseball is a metaphor for life. As a lifelong fan, I’ve found professional inspiration and valuable lessons in this game, time after time after time. This year was no different. Throughout the 2021 MLB playoffs, and amid an exciting World Series between the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves, I’ve been [...] [The art of asking where it hurts]( Norman Grant was a new patient. He had chronic back pain, not helped by surgery or a dozen injections after that. It all started with an industrial accident in 2001. He had settled his case and was on chronic OxyContin, which far from kept him functional. But as of January 1, his insurance was no [...] [Mitigating risks from care during COVID-19 [PODCAST]]( “We have observed that delays in screenings and intervention for patients with certain common chronic conditions can contribute to claims. Now, clinicians have the opportunity to identify patients whose conditions merit priority contact, such as those with cardiac conditions, those on blood pressure medication, or those with diabetes, and request they come in for delayed [...] [The unsung heroes: respiratory therapists]( Working day after day, year after year, in a busy high acuity ICU, we all have become a “second family.” The public doesn’t hear much about respiratory therapists, especially during this COVID nightmare. But they have been the unsung heroes. So who are the respiratory therapists, and what do they do? Respiratory therapists are specialized [...] [5 sure ways to raise a responsible child]( An excerpt from Love Your Child More Than You Hate Your Ex: What Every Divorced Parent Needs to Know. As an experienced clinical child psychologist, I believe the ultimate goal of any parent is to rear an independent, responsible child. While at first glance this may appear obvious yet if we observe most parents in [...] [A Black physician’s perfectionism [PODCAST]]( I did not realize I was a perfectionist. I was far from perfect. It was not until I listened to a master class on perfectionism from a physician coach that I had my “aha moment.” I am now working extremely hard on training my brain to be an imperfectionist. To do that means to let [...] --------------------------------------------------------------- [Thousands of physicians are browsing this job board](. 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