I am working on implementing a different type of scheduling in primary care. I know that is probably the most un-exciting way to begin a blog post so bear with me for a second because I think it is kind of interesting. Every other primary doc I know of is booked out for weeks. They have different backlogs of patients with half a dozen queues for patients. They have different slots for different types of visits each day, for example: two annual exams a day, one procedure slot, two same-day appointments, two medicare wellness visit slots, six follow up slots. They may be booked out for months for medicare wellness visits but their same-day slots may not even get filled. Continue reading Open access scheduling →

I was talking with one of my former co-residents tonight, reflecting on our practices with regards to lab and imaging investigations on various patients. In residency I was probably one of the most conservative providers. I ordered only a handful of MRIs my whole residency, rarely ordered X-rays, avoided routine laboratory blood work, and rarely follow up imaging or labs on various mild abnormalities. She is in line with me, one of the least investigative providers in our residency. As interns we classically order very little imaging and labs, and often they were inappropriate if we did order them. As we get further along we learn what really truly needs investigating and are asking more questions, balancing more diseases and patient concerns and our ordering goes up. Continue reading The harm of the over-attentive doctor and the incidentaloma →

I could never have fathomed how badly residency and medicine in the US could try to beat the compassion out of me. We all went into medical school with bright eyes, touting our love and desire to help people as our primary motivation for pursuing this career. It is likely what made us special, what marketed us as exceptional beyond the grades, MCAT scores, and extracurriculars. And yet a year and half into residency I am finding persistently berated by moral injury of a desire to help people in a system that seemingly strives to make it nearly impossible to do that.

A few months ago my residency transitioned all of our appointments to 30 minute slots, a subtle but heinously impactful change from a mix of 30-45 minutes appointments prior. Independent of new patient or established, routine or presenting with a dozen chronic diseases, we have 30 minutes to meet another human being, learn what makes them who they are and why they strive for health, and make recommendations to help influence their lives. The system is set up this way because of financial incentives to decrease duration of visits while maintaining revenue, a meaningless need to reach the arbitrary number of 1650 patient encounters before the end of residency, and a need to supply care for seemingly infinite demand with extremely limited supply. Continue reading The sin of the rvu →

Yesterday I led a case conference regarding ambiguous care for a complex patient. It was with regards a patient with shoulder pain with a small labrum tear, multiple comorbidities, severe illness anxiety who was maxed out on medical therapy, pain refractory to physical therapy and other conservative interventions. I hesitated very much on referring her to a surgeon because I knew she would likely get a surgery of questionable benefit with possibly worse outcomes. There is gross incentive for the surgeon to still perform surgery and it’s hard to refuse a patient when they likely will just go find a surgeon who will do it. I know that was the pathway and that is what happened. And then she got worse. Continue reading When to hold back? →

I have been caring for patients for nearly a year and a half now in residency and have come across some of the more subtly haunting realizations in American healthcare. Recently I watched a presentation by Lorimer Moseley on pain psychology which highlighted some of the variables in placebo effect. Early in my training I naively believed in the therapies I was providing. Things needed to be more clear cut and I sought evidence based medicine by tracking down randomized controlled trials or meta-analyses relentlessly. The further along I am the more I have realized that a significant portion of the things we do in medicine are either completely useless or of questionable efficacy. Because of this I realized that largely my patients were having benefit because of natural history of their disease process (aka they were going to get better independent of what I did) or due to placebo. Continue reading A moral dilemma of placebo in american healthcare →

Check out my post that was published on Appalachian Trials on what it takes to carry a 3.5lb pack for the northern third of the Appalachian Trail.For me, super ultralight backpacking isn’t about materialism; it’s about minimalism. Whether you’re looking to chase a FKT or just enjoy tweaking gear lists, tailoring a gear list to a specific trip is an incredibly fun challenge.

Source: Super ultralight backpacking: What it takes to carry a 3.5 pound pack – Appalachian Trials

Cooped up in a nylon wrapper can be disorienting and uncomfortable. Tarps can be pitched with ceilings high enough to stand under and open on all sides. For drastically less weight, they can be outright tremendous, big enough to sleep a dozen hikers, or just to give yourself a comfortable vantage of the torrential rain outside. And with a simple lean-to tarp setup, you’re open to quickly and easily pinpoint exactly what that rustling is in the distance.

Source: 11 reasons you may want to switch to tarp camping – Appalachian Trials