5 Books to Read This Year

Life in the trenches of medicine can be taxing and having a ready escape for the mind is essential. A good book can wash away stress and recalibrate energy and attitude. Here are a few excellent reads to check out.

The Expanding Role of Telemedicine

Being part of the telemedicine evolution over the last six years has been an exciting component of medical practice. Several decades ago, I witnessed a pilot project connecting rural hospitals to tertiary centers. This facet of practice is the new […]

The Joint Commission and the Current Opioid Crisis

The Joint Commission wields such power that any hospitals that failed to meet the Joint Commission’s standard in pain management would be given “requirements on improvement” and be expected to follow them in order to remain accredited.

Power and Leadership – When Less is More

The more you lead and the less you need to exert power, the more power you exert over the output of the group. The use of direct orders or coercive power is less likely to be a positive for the recipient or the group.

You’ll know you’re a good leader when each person in the group feels that he or she is growing in their work, valued by peers and supervisors, and part of a group engaged in an enterprise that matters.

Immigration and Healthcare: How Proposed Changes Could Impact the Industry

Immigration is not only a hot-button political topic, it greatly affects the healthcare field. Foreign-born workers comprise: 1 out of 4 practicing physicians 1 out of 5 nurses and home health aides 1 out of 6 dentists and pharmacists (https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicolefisher/2016/07/12/25-of-docs-are-born-outside-of-the-u-s-can-immigration-reform-solve-our-doc-shortage/#3994d6ee155f) […]

How Physicians Feel About Single-Payer Healthcare

Considering the future of the United States’ healthcare system is yet to be determined, it comes as no surprise that a concept once foreign to the US-healthcare industry continuously re-emerges: single-payer healthcare.

The Patient Centered Medical Home: Can You Afford to Pay the Rent?

My nose wriggled as it often does when I smell something unusual, but with all this talk about Patient Centered Medical Homes (PCMH), I wanted to explore the concept and do some investigating of my own. Soon after embarking on […]

Health Care Workers Benefit from Spending Time in Nature

Spending time in nature is an important aspect of self-care for healthcare workers. Nature enhances mental and physical well–being. It boosts creativity and brain function. Exposure to nature is especially helpful for healthcare workers due to the intensity of our jobs, physical demands, and the technical environments in which we work.

How Does the Current Health Insurance Debate Affect Private Practice in the USA?

The future poses many possible changes to healthcare and its related method of insurance coverage. The focus of healthcare in the USA has not yet been established. Is the intent to cover as many people as possible, control spiraling costs, or make health insurance a personal choice to accept or reject? This debate may not be settled any time soon. Can private practice survive this storm?  

Population Health Management is Here to Stay

Confusion. Deadlines for data submissions. Insurance changes. Healthcare providers deal with a host of uncertainty and challenges during this pivotal era as we transition from a fee-for-service system to a value-based payment model. Perhaps the biggest concern of healthcare providers […]