The Podcast by KevinMD

"Taking stock of all these experiences, I feel like I have no answers. They lead me to a space of unrest and dissatisfaction for not having a pill that would instantly drop 10 kilos, cure hep E, curb food craving or resolve a heartache. But I feel grateful for bypassing most life hurdles that people live with, those hurdles that life chooses for them rather than themselves." Natasha Khalid is a physician in Pakistan. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Pay heed to the little life traumas that hit us daily." Reflect and earn 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 CME for this episode.

"Inaccurate patient records aren't just an inconvenience. They're a risk. The EHR might speak for the patient when they cannot speak for themselves, and if it's wrong, it's a serious liability. In lieu of any system-wide improvements to EHRs, I try to be vigilant. I ask the medical assistants to review the medication list at every appointment, if I can. Luckily for me, my chart's problem list is accurate now that the HNHSA diagnosis has been removed. All the same, I worry that if a medical assistant mixes up my conditions and punches in the wrong ICD code again, the chart will suffer. And I worry that if it happens, correcting the issue will prove difficult again. EHRs are wonderful additions to the clinician's toolbox, and they aid patients in accessing their records and having clear information about their health. However, some adjustments are necessary, including a more effective way to screen for and correct errors, so this tool will always be helpful and do no harm." Denise Reich is a patient advocate. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "When records are wrong, patients are at risk." Reflect and earn 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 CME for this episode.

"The reality of the last two years is that almost all of us have experienced some mental health disorder symptoms, and that mental and physical health are equally important components of overall health. We call these subclinical symptoms, or symptoms that are there but that don't meet full criteria for a disorder. Most of us have experienced subclinical symptoms, or psychosocial stressors, since the start of the pandemic due to the stress that we've been under. These can include things like divorce, illness, job loss, and even things like stressful homeschooling. If you get enough of them, you're more likely to tip over into subclinical or clinical levels of symptoms, including increasing the risk for many types of physical health problems, particularly long-lasting conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. The setpoint of our average well-being levels has shifted down the spectrum over the last few years. That means that almost all of us can benefit from seeing a provider and getting professional mental health support, whether through a digital tool or via face-to-face therapy. It's important to think about the total person, and all of the facets that may need treatment. Using technology that integrates siloed services into one ecosystem has the advantage of being able to provide highly coordinated care, whether that's for mental health, chronic condition management, substance use monitoring, managed behavioral health, or other needs." Jay Spence is a psychologist. He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "Mental health and the balance between technology and the human touch." Reflect and earn 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 CME for this episode.

"A hundred years ago, women lived one year longer than men, but now they live five years longer than men. And things are getting worse. Currently, the lifespan of men in the U.S. is declining due to alcohol, opioids, and suicide. These trends need to change. I take care of men. I've been a urologist for almost 25 years and have seen thousands of men as patients, many of whom have shared their most personal thoughts and feelings with me. I've followed many men in my practice for 15 to 20 years and have witnessed the slow physical decline that is inevitable with age. Over that time, I have also aged, yet many of my patients have had it far worse than I have. As a urologic surgeon, clinical researcher, physician educator, and practicing clinician, I have embarked on a journey to help myself, my patients, and other physicians meet these challenges, to maximize our health and maintain the glow and vitality of youth." Judson Brandeis is a urologist. He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "The catastrophe of men's health and how we can help." Reflect and earn 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 CME for this episode.

"Studies show that those physicians with negative online reviews were more often scored poorly due to non-physician specific causes. In my career, I've read comments from patients that said they were not satisfied with their provider because they didn't like the color of the walls in the exam room. Another mentioned that tea wasn't offered in the waiting room, just coffee. Surveys are not necessarily bad, but they have changed the way we interact with patients. Doctors are now feeling pressured to provide care patients don't need because of fears of bad patient satisfaction scores or negative reviews online. This causes more stress on health care professionals. In a national study, 78 percent of clinicians said patient satisfaction scores moderately or severely affected their job satisfaction negatively, and 28 percent said the scores made them consider quitting." Peter Valenzuela is a family physician and author of Doc-Related: A Physician's Guide to Fixing Our Ailing Health Care System. He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "Patient surveys: the quest for positive reviews." Reflect and earn 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 CME for this episode.

"All the faceless young men who are brought to his operating table, prepped and draped, broken and bleeding, are finding their experience of war bears little resemblance to their reveries of war. They should have known better. At corner taverns in Chicago, Albuquerque, and Murphysboro, there were tired veterans with scars and limps; men with faded names of regiments or slogans like "Semper Fi" tattooed on their biceps; men with creased faces and shuttered eyes, who quietly nursed schooners of beer while they watched the Sox or the Dodgers on the TV behind the bar; men who had been to places like Bastogne and Peleliu and the Chosin Reservoir. They, too, once had reveries. Carelessly fingering an old scar or slowly twisting a worn ring, they might have explained some things to these un-blooded young men, things forever indecipherable to those who have never worn the uniform, who have never lit the flame. But words are weapons, slashing open memories, ripping open wounds, stirring the smoldering fires of pain that old warriors have doused with alcohol and denial for millennia. And while they spoke, these old veterans could not help but see distorted reflections of their own youthful faces on the bar's polished surface and could not help but remember things they had tried so long to forget." Michael J. Collins is an orthopedic surgeon and author of All Bleeding Stops. He can be reached on Twitter @mjcollinsmd. He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "War is really not all it's cracked up to be." Reflect and earn 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 CME for this episode.

"No matter what, your healing work matters. No one should tell you otherwise, and nothing can change that, not even a shortcoming. You provide healing in a way no one else can. Care for yourself, and you can be the healer you truly wish to be." J. C. Sue is a family medicine resident. He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "Self-care should now be your plan." Reflect and earn 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 CME for this episode.

Welcome to a special episode of The Podcast by KevinMD. In this 60-minute episode, I partner with DrFirst, a pioneer in health IT for over 20 years. We bring together physicians with different backgrounds to explore information overload and physician burnout. Dr. Sameer Badlani is chief digital officer, M. Health Fairview, a major health system in Minnesota. He is also adjunct faculty at Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Colin Banas is chief medical officer, DrFirst. He was an internal medicine hospitalist and served as the chief medical information officer for VCU Health System in Richmond, VA. They share their stories and discuss the following questions: Based on your roles as physicians and as leaders in health IT, what are your insights into what is contributing to clinician burnout? How did you look at it differently when you became a tech leader? Did your perspectives change? Does tech sometimes contribute to burnout? How can tech best help burnout? What advice do you have for docs? For other IT leaders? Reflect and earn 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 CME for this episode.

"For me, my own personal stories of opioid patients come to mind, including one who keyed my car when I stopped prescribing his opioid after an acute injury. I think of some local opioid overdose deaths in my community. I would love to hear what other doctors and clinicians have to say about these issues, like the 'not responsible' verdict and the Sackler family running away liability-free and still worth billions of dollars. Does anybody feel like the opioid companies were pushy in the '90s and 2000s? Were they in the right? Is the California ruling in line with the common good? Are our prescribing practices under scrutiny? What runs through our heads right now, doctors? I would love to know." Rebecca Thaxton is a family physician. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "The people vs. opioid pharma: Pharma wins again." Reflect and earn 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 CME for this episode.

"Advanced analytics can provide the insights needed to understand social determinants and help develop interventions that assist patients in overcoming some of the challenges and adverse environmental and social factors that are barriers to healthier behavior. Analytics are needed to support the team-based approach to care delivery. With advanced analytics bringing together data on clinical and social needs, as well as health behaviors, providers and payors can enable effective care coordination and successfully implement value-based care models." Mike Dulin is a family physician and health care executive. He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "How advanced analytics can help social determinants of health." Reflect and earn 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 CME for this episode.