The Podcast by KevinMD

"As a clinician who has received two Pfizer doses and a booster without any side effects, I wholeheartedly embrace vaccination to solve this pressing public health crisis. The key is for policymakers to identify the best tool for the job (i.e., Covaxin) and utilize it effectively to solve the widest-ranging public health crisis of the past century." Tayson DeLengocky is an ophthalmologist. He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "Why is the world's first universal coronavirus vaccine not in the FDA's toolbox?" Reflect and earn 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 CME for this episode. This episode is sponsored by Athelas, the number one provider of remote patient monitoring. Did you know more than 65 percent of doctors are actively investing in remote patient monitoring? That's because RPM is the fastest-growing segment in health care today. And for good reason: RPM boosts patient outcomes through preventative care. In fact, a recent study by the VA showed that implementing RPM at a practice can reduce hospital readmission rates by as much as 25 percent, saving more than $20,000 per patient in medical costs. If you're not investing in RPM, you're missing out. Luckily, Athelas can help you roll out RPM end-to-end. They provide devices to your patients, handle 100 percent of billing, and even provide a team of nurses to monitor patient vitals for you. All at zero net cost to your practice. Try out RPM for your practice by going to KevinMD.com/tryrpm. Did you enjoy today's episode? Rate and review the show so more audiences can find The Podcast by KevinMD. Subscribe on your favorite podcast app to get notified when a new episode comes out.

"At the beginning of my time as a CMIO, I needed to remain clinical to build camaraderie with my colleagues. This proved essential as the health system was going through a transition to a new EMR. The medical staff needed to know that every decision I made affected me as much as it affected them. As time went on and the EMR matured, it became less relevant if I practiced and more critical to perform as a change agent. However, I elected to still practice in a part-time fashion because of my love for orthopedics. I also recognized the importance of a minority surgeon for the community." Nathan Gause is an orthopedic surgeon and former CMIO. Afua Aning is a physician informaticist. They share their stories and discuss the KevinMD article, "Innovation and the ever-changing role of the CMIO." Reflect and earn 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 CME for this episode. This episode is sponsored by Athelas, the number one provider of remote patient monitoring. Did you know more than 65 percent of doctors are actively investing in remote patient monitoring? That's because RPM is the fastest-growing segment in health care today. And for good reason: RPM boosts patient outcomes through preventative care. In fact, a recent study by the VA showed that implementing RPM at a practice can reduce hospital readmission rates by as much as 25 percent, saving more than $20,000 per patient in medical costs. If you're not investing in RPM, you're missing out. Luckily, Athelas can help you roll out RPM end-to-end. They provide devices to your patients, handle 100 percent of billing, and even provide a team of nurses to monitor patient vitals for you. All at zero net cost to your practice. Try out RPM for your practice by going to KevinMD.com/tryrpm. Did you enjoy today's episode? Rate and review the show so more audiences can find The Podcast by KevinMD. Subscribe on your favorite podcast app to get notified when a new episode comes out.

"Patients die. This is a tragic truism in the world of medicine. Usually, the patients who die are elderly. Patients die from diabetes and kidney disease, or from alcohol abuse and liver failure, or from heavy smoking and lung disease. Or patients die from cancer. As a physician, I take these deaths in stride. I try to provide comfort care as they lay dying. Patients often pass into a dreamlike state, at the end. They are not fully conscious. I provide morphine for any pain, which may or may not hasten their entry into the final, dreamlike state." Janet Tamaren is a family physician and author of Yankee Doctor in the Bible Belt: A Memoir. She can be reached at her self-titled site, Dr. Janet Tamaren, and on Twitter @jtamaren. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Patients should never underestimate the self-flagellation of the physician." Reflect and earn 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 CME for this episode. This episode is sponsored by Athelas, the number one provider of remote patient monitoring. Did you know more than 65 percent of doctors are actively investing in remote patient monitoring? That's because RPM is the fastest-growing segment in health care today. And for good reason: RPM boosts patient outcomes through preventative care. In fact, a recent study by the VA showed that implementing RPM at a practice can reduce hospital readmission rates by as much as 25 percent, saving more than $20,000 per patient in medical costs. If you're not investing in RPM, you're missing out. Luckily, Athelas can help you roll out RPM end-to-end. They provide devices to your patients, handle 100 percent of billing, and even provide a team of nurses to monitor patient vitals for you. All at zero net cost to your practice. Try out RPM for your practice by going to KevinMD.com/tryrpm. Did you enjoy today's episode? Rate and review the show so more audiences can find The Podcast by KevinMD. Subscribe on your favorite podcast app to get notified when a new episode comes out.

"The U.S. health care industry has large challenges that can be overcome if we remember why our systems and services exist. We are here to help patients, and we must obtain the needed staffing capacity to drive throughput so patients can receive the care they need. Our system will cease to exist if hospitals are forced to close or begin to limit services offered due to financial concerns. As stated in the title of this paper, the 'goal' is in peril. However, by remembering and instituting key principles from operations, accounting, and with federal assistance, we can overcome the challenges worsened by the pandemic and build a resilient health care system that will be in place in this country for years to come." Vincent Roddy is an emergency physician. He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "The goal of health care is in peril." Reflect and earn 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 CME for this episode.

"Absolutely, there are times when you need to be face-to-face with your patient. Yet looking at the broader picture, COVID-19 has shown us that in many instances, we can perform at an optimal level while remote. In my experience, I'm often able to see more patients, and the quality of the connections I form with them is higher when I don't have to shuffle them around in an office. Aside from the bonds I'm able to create with my patients, I'm also more productive without the distractions of sitting in an office. Expanding the options that we as patients and providers have readily available to us is, in turn, making health care more efficient for all of us." Kirk Heath is a health care executive and can be reached on Twitter @ModioHealth. He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "Can medicine transcend beyond the clinic walls? I'd like to see us try." Reflect and earn 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 CME for this episode.

"Gastroenterology clinics in rural areas have the unique opportunity to innovate the field by working with local community organizations and farms. Patients and physicians develop a deeper understanding of the root cause for chronic disease, particularly digestive diseases using a food as medicine approach. Cultivating gut microbes in the soil and gut can re-shape the management of chronic diseases rooted in inflammation and metabolic dysfunction. Rural gastroenterology clinics can be at the forefront of shaping the innovative clinic-to-farm-to-table paradigm in health care that can lead to cost savings and improved outcomes. This model ultimately can foster deeper connections between patients, physicians, communities, and nature as well as better health outcomes." Savita Srivastava is a gastroenterologist. She shares her story and discusses the KevinMD article, "Innovation in a rural gastroenterology practice using a farm." Reflect and earn 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 CME for this episode.

"In the end, the patient-physician relationship is crucial to overall decision-making for any plan of care, treatment, or surgery. There are many variations in the reviewed studies in health care literature as to the cost-effectiveness of second opinions in medicine. These studies could be easily misconstrued that there are no benefits to second opinions, thus possibly leading to little pay or no pay by insurance companies. A patient should consider the substantial short and long-term implications of their body's health and well-being. In other words … it is worth it. Go with your intuition. When in doubt, or if you have more questions, get a second opinion." Sonya M. Sloan is an orthopedic surgeon and author of The Rules of Medicine: A Medical Professional's Guide for Success. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Think again: Get a second opinion." Reflect and earn 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 CME for this episode.

"The more I spoke with individuals who had experienced a shared crossing event, the more I also noticed repeating patterns. A woman in West Virginia and a woman in Australia with deeply similar experiences around the loss of a baby. A grown daughter in California and a grown daughter in Pennsylvania; a woman in Alabama and a man in Spain. None had met, yet each spoke a common language. Again and again, I found that this moment of shared connection that they had experienced also changed their lives and how they chose to live them in unexpected ways. It provided insight. It provided closure. It made end-of-life decisions easier. It eased grief." William Peters is a grief and bereavement therapist and author of At Heaven's Door: What Shared Journeys to the Afterlife Teach About Dying Well and Living Better. He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "What shared journeys to the afterlife teach about dying well and living better." Reflect and earn 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 CME for this episode.

"As individual patients, we often don't think about these costs. In my Instagram poll, nearly everyone taking Descovy reported receiving the drug effectively for free, largely due to Gilead's copay coupons. However, as with anything in life, nothing really ever is free. More patients taking Descovy rather than generic Truvada means higher overall spending by insurance companies. This eventually comes back to haunt us in the form of higher premiums, and is why we shouldn't simply adopt a costlier drug like Descovy without good reason to do so." Frank F. Zhou is a medical student. He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "Is Descovy really the better option?" Reflect and earn 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 CME for this episode.

Emergency physician and financial planner Noah Kaufman gives a general cryptocurrency market update. He discusses the state of Bitcoin and the impact of fiscal tightening by the Federal Reserve and also comments on Paul Krugman's recent New York Times column comparing cryptocurrency to the subprime mortgage crisis. Finally, we talk about Crypto Pulse, a free newsletter he runs with Chris Palmer, MD, educating clinicians about Bitcoin and cryptocurrency. Noah Kaufman is an emergency physician, financial planner, and can be reached on Twitter @noahkaufmanmd. He is co-founder of the free newsletter, Crypto Pulse, an educational and actionable bi-weekly newsletter written by passionate crypto investors/traders (and medical doctors) for health care professionals. Reflect and earn 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 CME for this episode.