The Podcast by KevinMD

"The pharmacy department plays a vital role in hospitals. They prepare and dispense medications. Sometimes the pharmacist will receive an order from the doctor on a med whose written dosage he is not sure of. In some cases, the pharmacist will call the nurse in order to get clarification on this. The problem here is that the nurse did not write the order. The nurse does not have the authorization to write the order. The appropriate thing for the pharmacist to do is to call the doctor on this. We, in turn, tell the pharmacist to call the doctor. The pharmacist knows that this should have been done in the first place. The problem here is that the nurse has wasted valuable time talking to the pharmacist about something he should have never been called on, but this situation happens frequently. Here, we have a situation where the pharmacist is hoping that the nurse can do the doctor's job." Anthony Langley is a nurse. He shares his story and discusses his book, Nurses are Nuts. (https://amzn.to/3gJBiPN)

"Fraud in the health care industry is a fact of life. In 2016 alone, the federal government estimated that improper payments by Medicare and Medicaid totaled about $95 billion. And that's only a single year's amount for just two of the government's many health care programs. With an aging population, increased health care spending, the passage of the CARES Act, and the government's multi-trillion-dollar effort to mitigate the health and economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, health care fraud will only increase. Unfortunately, some of the readers of this article will be in the unenviable position of witnessing or even being asked to participate in billing and treatment frauds. Most will want to do the right thing and report it but will understandably be concerned about the effect on their careers. Rest assured, there are powerful laws in place to address this situation." Joseph Gentile is an attorney. He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "Blowing the whistle on health care fraud: the rewards and protections of doing the right thing." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/04/blowing-the-whistle-on-health-care-fraud-the-rewards-and-protections-of-doing-the-right-thing.html)

"In honor of one of the great classic novels, Go the F**k to Sleep, I would like to present to you my literary work: Stay the F@$k at Home. To the healthy 20 year old who asks, "Why should I stay the F@$k at home, COVID-19 is not going to kill me?" I ask: Do you want to kill your nana and grand-pops? No? Then stay the F@$k at home." Jesica Herrick is an infectious disease physician. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "An infectious disease physician says: Stay the F@$k at home." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/03/an-infectious-disease-physician-says-stay-the-fk-at-home.html)

"Although technology and disruptive innovation theoretically diminish systemic barriers and geographic isolation, in practice, they frequently widen chasms in access for vulnerable populations. The reality is telemedicine disproportionately caters to younger, wealthier, and more educated patients. Hospital systems need to ensure every patient has access to remote health care services, whether through offering landline phone visits, examining pitfalls in digital skill requirements, providing devices and/or application tutorials, or simply assessing if patients are capable of sending or replying to an email. Telehealth applications need to be designed for equitable usage and accessibility instead of automatically expecting rural, poor, minority, and elderly people to just 'get with the digital program' during a crisis." Shantel Hebert-Magee is a pathologist. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "During COVID-19, not everyone can get with the digital program." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/05/during-covid-19-not-everyone-can-get-with-the-digital-program.html)

"Is it possible to have it all? Can you have a job that you love, helping people and using your brain and hands all at the same time; plus, a family, with a spouse and children, that you are always there for? Is it possible to have a balance between your work and your family live while working as a medical practitioner?" James A. Quinn is a physician assistant. He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "Our patients matter, but at what cost to our families?" (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/07/our-patients-matter-but-at-what-cost-to-our-families.html)

"With COVID-19 raging through the nation, and limited supply of PPE at hospitals, doctors and other critical care personnel are at high risk due to their increased and daily exposure to the virus. For health care workers, the need to plan for a possible worst-case outcome for themselves and their families has become an immediate concern. Doctors are spending limited weekend time urgently completing the paperwork so that their family is protected in case of the worst outcome. If a person were to pass away intestate (with no will or living trust), the legal system makes the decision on their behalf, which can be a long and expensive process. To alleviate the stress, as a physician financial blogger, here is my suggestion on what exactly should be completed." Dewan Farhana is founder and CEO, Betternest, and blogs at Doctor Finances. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "How doctors can rush to complete their wills." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/04/how-doctors-can-rush-to-complete-their-wills.html)

"We are blessed to work in a clinic that has a very large immigrant population. Over the years, we have cared for those who speak over 80+ languages with an even higher number of unique countries and regions represented. Arabic and Spanish are our two most commonly spoken non-English languages. We also have patients who speak unique languages such as Kurdish, Zomi, and Uyghur who do not have a corresponding recognized country affiliated with them. Several of our staff and residents are foreign-born. Many of them are first-generation or come from ethnic homes, and nearly all have a deep appreciation for world cultures. Despite this, there is no way we can know about every unique culture and every corresponding custom. Yet studies have shown that immigrant families are strongly impacted by clinic members' demeanor towards them and their perceived acceptance of them. Maybe it is the language struggles that make our unspoken actions so important, but it is a factor that needs to be accounted for, especially in COVID times, where even basic facial gestures of greeting are not seen. Families may decide if they want to come back to our clinic based on something that we did or didn't do, such as simply making them feel welcomed." Gabriella Gonzales is a pediatric resident. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "A simple act to help families struggling to find their way in a foreign culture." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/07/a-simple-act-to-help-families-struggling-to-find-their-way-in-a-foreign-culture.html)

"Building great tech for doctors is no different from ventilator technology. In some scenarios, you will want to talk to the EMR like you talk to Siri, rather than poring over a screen littered with boxes and lists. In other cases, you will want elegant graphs intuitively laid out to show how your ICU patient is progressing. Other solutions will go unnoticed aside from the time they save by eliminating double work in the background. A great technology team builds products with all the attention to detail that we devote to our patients. This is how we will liberate doctors from EMRs." Erin Palm is a general surgeon and head of product, Suki. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "How to liberate doctors from EMRs." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/05/how-to-liberate-doctors-from-emrs.html)

"We all knew this pandemic was going to change how we practiced medicine, but I, personally, was not prepared for how much it would challenge the 'work-life balance' that I have spent years carefully maneuvering. Female physicians are often hesitant to express individual needs for fear of being viewed as "weak." I'm finding freedom in removing the stigma of weakness and shame from my own concept of vulnerability. It can unite and connect us, giving us strength and empowerment in a time when so much seems beyond our control." Erica Gillette is a family physician. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Vulnerability gives us strength in a time when so much seems beyond our control." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/05/vulnerability-gives-us-strength-in-a-time-when-so-much-seems-beyond-our-control.html)

"COVID-19 has given all of us the opportunity to live in extremely challenging times. We can choose to run away from this challenge or decide to acknowledge it as part of our journey to grow and transform. So, will you face your habitual reactions, biases, and unpleasant emotions and turn these COVID-19 related challenges into opportunities for personal development and growth? It's up to you." Francis Yoo is a family physician and the author of Physician Freedom: Living Your Authentic Physician Life and COVID Contemplations for Self-Awareness and Personal Development. He can be reached at his self-titled site, Dr. Francis Yoo. He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "Personal development and growth during COVID times." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/08/personal-development-and-growth-during-covid-times.html)