Now more than ever, there are two sides to practicing medicine. There’s the fulfilling side, the parts of each day that include improving patient health. And then there are the ever-increasing parts of our days that remain pressure-packed with data-entry and...
Update: After discontinuing additional treatment for glioblastoma, John McCain died on Saturday, August 25, 2018 at 4:28 p.m. local time in his Arizona home. Arizona Senator John McCain, 81, has decided to forgo additional treatment for an aggressive form of brain...
This month’s reader survey is about wellness. And, like every survey in Monthly Musings, it is totally anonymous. I’m interested in understanding how readers think about work-life balance, stress and personal fulfillment. Collectively, the answers will inform future...
Early polls indicate that healthcare will play a major role in the November midterm elections. According to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, 22% of voters say healthcare is their No. 1 issue. That eye-opening statistic brings us to the July reader survey on the...
Growing up in Great Neck, a Long Island suburb about twenty miles east of Manhattan, kids my age played baseball, basketball and, when our mothers allowed, tackle football. The thought of playing a game only with our feet and heads made no more sense than walking home...
Here at the America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) annual meeting in San Diego, the roster of speakers reads like list of healthcare’s household names: Atul Gawande (newly announced head of the Amazon-Berkshire-JPMorgan Chase venture), Jo Ann C. Jenkins (CEO of AARP)...
This brief excerpt from the book “Mistreated” tells the story of my father’s life and his heroics during the Battle of Normandy. As the world remembers the 75th anniversary of D-Day on June 6, 2019, let’s take a moment to reflect on the bravery and sacrifices of the...
In May, I dedicated the "Monthly Musings On American Healthcare" newsletter to my mother, Lillian. In the days that followed, I received dozens of emails from readers who offered similar stories of love and gratitude about their own moms. I was touched by this...
Last month, President Trump promised to lower drug prices, but failed to deliver on past campaign promises to use the government’s negotiating power to drive down drug costs for Medicare beneficiaries. His latest plan, announced alongside HHS secretary Alex M. Azar...
Our May reader poll came on the heels of a controversial and highly debated Forbes article about blockchain technology and electronic health records. Some readers felt strongly that the future of our medical records will be built on blockchain tech. Others felt the...
