(A parody, except happening everywhere.) I (48, F) had to do one of those “peer-to-peer” calls with an insurance physician (undisclosed-age, M). I know, it’s a commonplace task now, what’s the big deal, etc., but let me explain. From the start of the conversation, tons of red flags. First of all, he won’t tell me…
Comments closedMy patient is older and hard of hearing, and masks aren’t helping the situation. I raise my voice so he can hear me, which means I lose a lot of nuance and expression in my tone. Within a few minutes, he allows his mask to droop below his nose, as if trying to show me…
Comments closedOriginally published on Medscape Blogs on June 8, 2022 Last week, after the multiple recent tragedies in our nation, I found myself turning to my laptop to write the feelings that were too big. But instead of my usual prose essay form, what came out was a poem. I also had been thinking a lot…
Comments closed“We only want to hear positive information.” “Don’t tell him about his prognosis.” “We don’t want to hear any doom or gloom.” This is what it’s like to be a cancer physician in America. As a medical oncologist, I spend much of my time helping people navigate the (for many) uncharted waters of uncertainty and…
Comments closedSome years ago, I noted a trend in my practice. More and more patients requested to switch their care to me for a single reason: They wanted a doctor who would answer their emails. To my surprise, that was how I learned some of the other doctors — all male — in the practice did…
Comments closedThere is a two-lane bridge in my town. It is quaint and picturesque, and when we first moved here, I would gaze out at the water as I drove, letting my mind wander along with the seagulls drifting alongside the car. Until one day, crossing back over, I passed a school bus stopped in the…
1 CommentI have a secret. It’s one I think many physicians and nurses share. Sometimes, when I’m stretched too thin — overbooked, hungry, tired, fielding yet another appeal to an insurance company in the middle of a clinic day — I find myself momentarily resenting the patients on my schedule. As soon as this happens, I…
Comments closed(Warning: This blog post contains minor spoilers for the Disney movie Encanto ) There I was. In a movie theater for the first time in almost 2 years. The occasion: to celebrate my youngest child attaining full vaccine immunity (2 weeks out from the second Pfizer vaccine). We wore our N95 masks and skipped the popcorn. One…
1 CommentOn my way to work, I drive by an abundance of water — a bay that changes with the seasons’ moods. Some mornings, the wind whips up tall waves, and I grip my steering wheel against the gusts that shake my car. Other mornings, the wind is absent, and the water placid and smooth. On…
Comments closed(I recently posted a Twitter thread that seemed to resonate with people, so thought I’d turn it into a blog post here as well): What is happening in the airline industry is happening in healthcare, too, only, unfortunately (for reasons that go back hundreds of years and are complex), physicians don’t have unions. Imagine if…
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