10 lessons from Hamilton that made me a better oncologist

--------------------------------------------------------------- Here are the stories you missed on KevinMD. Thank you for your continuing readership. --------------------------------------------------------------- Sponsors [6 ways to bolster the benefits of your EHR]( While EHRs have enabled caregivers to make well-informed treatment decisions more quickly and more safely, they do not solve the challenges of one critical area of care: clinical communication and collaboration. [Read the ebrief now](. Take note: Scribes are the fastest growing medical field -- but there is no standard training or certification. [Does that make them a risk to safe patient care?]( [Is your hospital communication system trapped in the dark ages?]( Just like a medieval page boy, pagers are annoying and inefficient. This leads to delayed patient care, frustrated providers, and potential HIPAA breaches. Learn why you need to ditch your [Page Boy]( today. [Infographic]( 57% of physicians are dissatisfied with current communication methods. [Learn more](. --------------------------------------------------------------- KevinMD Today: Jul. 31, 2017 [10 lessons from Hamilton that made me a better oncologist]( Over 30,000 visitors flocked to Chicago in early June to participate in the ASCO annual meeting, the summer mecca for all things oncology. In between plenary sessions and poster presentations, some attendees found their way to one of the Hamilton Chicago performances. Having opened in Chicago about seven months ago, this version of the “hip-hop […] [Being Latina, a physician, a mother and a runner: by the numbers]( To a runner, numbers are everything. It’s data. It’s workouts. It’s goals. It’s pace. It’s winning or losing. To a physician, numbers are everything as well. Before you get into medical school, numbers are your schedule, your GPA and your MCAT. In medical school, numbers are your grades, your board scores and your rank in […] [The chargemaster is health care’s most evil component]( Any backpacker traveling on a shoestring in Thailand knows not to blow their entire budget on premium whiskey in a premium hotel on the first night in Bangkok. Rather, you need to skip the occasional meal, stay in a cheap dorm with random strangers and drink cheap beer on Khao San Road if you wish […] --------------------------------------------------------------- [Physician Coaching by KevinMD]( Define your online reputation. Grow your social media platform. Be a dynamic keynote speaker. Find out more about [personal, 1-on-1 coaching]( with KevinMD. --------------------------------------------------------------- [A balanced way to fight physician burnout]( Burnout amongst physicians is real and at an all-time high. This was even highlighted on an episode of “Grey’s Anatomy,” where a resident physician surgeon imploded after a series of stressors that happened over time. She experienced the loss of a patient during surgery and of a loved one that were not addressed. Coupled with […] [The moral assassination of physicians must stop]( As a physician, all the mounting negative news I read about doctors can’t help but hit me straight in the gut. This is especially true when reading about a tragic murder of a sweet and highly dedicated 32-year-old physician, Dr. Tracy Sin-Yee Tam and the serious injuries to five other physicians on June 30th at […] [Goodbye to all that paperwork: An orthopedic surgeon leaves practice]( “For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope […] [Doctors: Don’t lose your humanity]( There has been much publicity recently surrounding the issue of doctor mental health after a spat of doctor suicides, and sadly not a new thing in the history of medical training. I think the crux of this issue is the idea that doctors are somehow above the concept of humanity. We are held to standards […] [2 stories of how physicians dealt with burnout]( We’ve been talking to doctors all around the world, and the mood is consistent. Physicians are frustrated and suffering from burn out because the old model of practicing medicine is no longer meeting their needs. From decreased compensation to desire to spend more time with our families to the combination of loss of autonomy and […] [The stupidity epidemic is far more lethal than the opioid epidemic]( Substance abuse and overdose deaths are nothing new. People who use opioids are dying, and they will keep dying until we learn how to fix our bigger problem: the “stupidity epidemic.” We see and hear about the opioid epidemic every single day in the media, but no one is talking about the epidemic of stupidity, […] [5 reasons why medical students drop out]( I write this blog in order to prepare premedical students for the road ahead. I want you to understand common obstacles facing medical students so you can be better prepared to overcome them. Medical training is akin to a roller coaster pulling you through the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. On the […] [Who is alive: man or machine?]( He had cardiomyopathy and CHF for over 20 years. At the time, doctors told him he could die at any time. That was 20 years ago. His EF was 10 percent — barely livable. Two decades later, this admit kept him on a see-saw with respiratory distress, a bad heart, bad lungs, atrial fibrillation with […] [The oral contraceptive’s PR problem]( Recently in Missouri, a bill was proposed that would ban women on oral contraceptives (OCP) from working. In the world of politics, the use of contraceptives has been discussed ad nauseam, often without medical consideration. As physicians, in order to continue to uphold our Hippocratic Oath: “First do no harm,” it is imperative that we […] [We need to talk about mental illness in the medical field]( It wasn’t until I was six months into my second depressive episode that I discovered depression existed. I didn’t know it was a real disease. I didn’t know that my grandmother got electroconvulsive “shock” therapy in the 1950s. I only knew something was terribly wrong when I sat crying for 20 minutes in front of […] [Why are doctors leaving private practice?]( In the U.S., approximately 30 percent of physicians work in practices that they own. This number has been dwindling down over recent years. Perhaps more surprising, the number of women doctors who are self-employed are a mere 18 percent. Many hospitals and other corporate entities are actively looking to purchase the remaining practices. It is […] [A homeless man says what it’s really like to be marginalized]( Humanity often exists as a bell curve which cuts off and marginalizes its own tail. We judge individuals at the end of a spectrum rather than recognizing them as products of deeply rooted systemic failures within a society. In all cultures, both ancient and modern, humans have created scapegoats — individuals designated to “take on […] [Waiting on a significant other to finish medical school? Here are some tips]( My husband and I met during my graduate studies and while he was earning his bachelor’s degree. Two years after getting married, we packed our belongings and moved to a new state where he began medical school. We started our own little family a year later and welcomed an amazing daughter into our lives. After […] [Cancer patients can’t afford care]( Lost in the debate on “Trumpcare” versus “Obamacare” is the proper consideration of the factors driving increasing health care costs. In cancer, the pharmaceutical industry plays a major role setting drug prices that exceed reasonable returns on research and development. The economics of treatment were again apparent during the plenary session of the American Society […] [MKSAP: 34-year-old man with episodic palpitations]( Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians. A 34-year-old man is evaluated for episodic palpitations of 8 months’ duration. The palpitations last 5 to 10 minutes and then resolve spontaneously. They are usually associated with sweating and anxiety. Medical history is significant for thyroidectomy for medullary thyroid carcinoma […] [See how medical marijuana can be funny]( Can medical marijuana be funny? Physician-comedian Brad Nieder, MD says yes. See more at the Healthy Humorist. Your patients are rating you online: How to respond. Manage your online reputation: A social media guide. Find out how. [Is there an EMR checkbox for a renewed spirit?]( Mr. X. is a man in his 80s who was cured of his cancer. The question remains: at what cost? The biologic therapy and radiation which eradicated the cancer left him with the inability to swallow and need for permanent PEG tube. Due to overall frailty and multiple comorbidities, he never graduated from the SNF […] [5 ways to transition to residency]( Every July, recently graduated doctors from medical school transition into hospitals, clinics and surgical rotations. Doctors completing their internship year welcome second year with additional leadership roles. This period of transition is coupled with the pressure of doing well, the stress of proving your competency on attending rounds and the desire to receive respect from […] [Forget what you’ve heard. Direct primary care is here to stay.]( Much has been written in recent weeks about the failure of direct primary care giant and pioneer Qliance. Much of the conversation has examined the reasons for their closing and the negative impact it will have on the direct primary care movement. Questions have been raised about the longevity of the movement, with many exclaiming […] --------------------------------------------------------------- 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](