The Podcast by KevinMD

Social media's leading physician voice, Kevin Pho, MD, shares the stories of the many who intersect with our health care system but are rarely heard from. 15 minutes a day. 7 days a week. Welcome to The Podcast by KevinMD.

Buying into a medical practice: key legal and financial checks for physicians 04/25/2025

Buying into a medical practice: key legal and financial checks for physicians Health care attorney Dennis Hursh discusses his article, "." He emphasizes that while receiving an offer to buy into a practice is typically a significant honor and opportunity, physicians must perform thorough due diligence to avoid potential pitfalls. Dennis advises physicians and their legal counsel to meticulously review corporate governance documents, watching for unequal voting rights or tiered partnership structures that limit influence. He stresses the importance of examining shareholders' or operating agreements to ensure the buy-in methodology matches the buy-out methodology and scrutinizing employment agreements for parity with other partners. Dennis also highlights the necessity of assessing the practice's financial stability by reviewing recent tax returns and understanding any existing debt, distinguishing legitimate asset-backed debt from potentially problematic borrowing used to pay owners. The core message is to celebrate the opportunity but proceed with caution and professional advice to ensure the buy-in is a genuinely good deal. Our presenting sponsor is . Want to streamline your clinical documentation and take advantage of customizations that put you in control? What about the ability to surface information right at the point of care or automate tasks with just a click? Now, you can. Microsoft Dragon Copilot, your AI assistant for clinical workflow, is transforming how clinicians work. Offering an extensible AI workspace and a single, integrated platform, Dragon Copilot can help you unlock new levels of efficiency. Plus, it's backed by a proven track record and decades of clinical expertise and it's part of Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare–and it's built on a foundation of trust. Ease your administrative burdens and stay focused on what matters most with Dragon Copilot, your AI assistant for clinical workflow. VISIT SPONSOR → SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST → RECOMMENDED BY KEVINMD → /episode/index/show/kevinmd/id/36125745

Customer relationship management tools to beat physician burnout and regain practice control 04/24/2025

Customer relationship management tools to beat physician burnout and regain practice control Child psychiatrist and entrepreneur Marissa Caudill discusses her article, "." She argues that a significant driver of physician burnout is the lack of control within systems that prioritize metrics and administrative tasks over meaningful patient connections, leaving doctors feeling overwhelmed and disconnected. Marissa proposes that physicians can regain control and find more joy by implementing their own systems, specifically highlighting the power of customer relationship management (CRM) tools. She explains how a HIPAA-compliant CRM allows physicians to automate communication (like newsletters, check-ins, scheduling), enhance patient relationships, manage educational content, and ethically market their services—reframing marketing as connection—all while freeing up time. Marissa shares her transformative experience using a CRM with AI features in her parent coaching practice, enabling greater impact and easier communication. Ultimately, she contends that such tools help physicians focus on patient care, build financially stable practices potentially beyond insurance constraints, and reconnect with their original purpose. Our presenting sponsor is . , your AI assistant for clinical workflow, is transforming how clinicians work. Now you can streamline and customize documentation, surface information right at the point of care, and automate tasks with just a click. Part of Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare, Dragon Copilot offers an extensible AI workspace and a single, integrated platform to help unlock new levels of efficiency. Plus, it's backed by a proven track record and decades of clinical expertise—and it's built on a foundation of trust. It's time to ease your administrative burdens and stay focused on what matters most with Dragon Copilot, your AI assistant for clinical workflow. VISIT SPONSOR → SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST → RECOMMENDED BY KEVINMD → /episode/index/show/kevinmd/id/36125640

Taking a break from medicine: a physician assistant's journey from burnout to world travel 04/23/2025

Taking a break from medicine: a physician assistant's journey from burnout to world travel Physician assistant David Olson discusses his article, "." He describes feeling trapped in an unhealthy, borderline abusive relationship with medicine, citing normalized disrespect, intense pressure from employers focused on metrics over provider wellbeing, and the demoralizing impact of system failures, particularly during and after COVID-19. David shares his experiences with dwindling job satisfaction as a hospitalist facing staffing instability and later in the "wasteland" of primary care, highlighting how burnout severely affected his marriage and his relationship with his children, leaving him exhausted and short-tempered. Realizing incremental changes weren't enough, David and his wife made the drastic decision to take a year-long break from medicine to travel the world with their three young children, prioritizing family, joy, and quality of life over salary. This journey is his attempt to rediscover purpose and hope, offering encouragement to other health care professionals facing similar struggles to challenge limiting beliefs and consider bold changes for their own well-being. Our presenting sponsor is . Want to streamline your clinical documentation and take advantage of customizations that put you in control? What about the ability to surface information right at the point of care or automate tasks with just a click? Now, you can. Microsoft Dragon Copilot, your AI assistant for clinical workflow, is transforming how clinicians work. Offering an extensible AI workspace and a single, integrated platform, Dragon Copilot can help you unlock new levels of efficiency. Plus, it's backed by a proven track record and decades of clinical expertise and it's part of Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare–and it's built on a foundation of trust. Ease your administrative burdens and stay focused on what matters most with Dragon Copilot, your AI assistant for clinical workflow. VISIT SPONSOR → SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST → RECOMMENDED BY KEVINMD → /episode/index/show/kevinmd/id/36114030

Spreading hope one card at a time for doctors' well-being 04/22/2025

Spreading hope one card at a time for doctors' well-being Physician advocate and physical therapist Kim Downey, physician coach Erin Hurley, and patient advocate Dawn Veselka discuss their article, "." They highlight the emotional toll of medicine, noting a concerning shift in how physicians describe their work—from fulfilling to exhausting and demoralizing—contributing to burnout rates near 50 percent and high suicide rates. Kim, Erin, and Dawn champion the power of simple acts of kindness, like handwritten notes, to combat this, referencing Erin's personal experience receiving encouraging cards during medical school. They introduce the expansion of Dawn's Cards2Warriors Happy Mail program to include doctors, challenging listeners to write a note of appreciation by Doctors' Day (March 30) to refuel and rekindle hope in physicians. The conversation emphasizes that such small gestures can create a ripple effect of positivity throughout the health care community, ultimately improving well-being and potentially patient interactions. Actionable takeaways include writing a thank-you note to a doctor, signing up for or supporting the Cards2Warriors program, and organizing local card-writing events. Our presenting sponsor is . Want to streamline your clinical documentation and take advantage of customizations that put you in control? What about the ability to surface information right at the point of care or automate tasks with just a click? Now, you can. Microsoft Dragon Copilot, your AI assistant for clinical workflow, is transforming how clinicians work. Offering an extensible AI workspace and a single, integrated platform, Dragon Copilot can help you unlock new levels of efficiency. Plus, it's backed by a proven track record and decades of clinical expertise and it's part of Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare–and it's built on a foundation of trust. Ease your administrative burdens and stay focused on what matters most with Dragon Copilot, your AI assistant for clinical workflow. VISIT SPONSOR → SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST → RECOMMENDED BY KEVINMD → /episode/index/show/kevinmd/id/36114000

Fitness, mindset, and nutrition: Unlocking longevity after 60 04/21/2025

Healers or criminals: the alarming trend of physician prosecution 04/20/2025

A surgeon's startling ketamine experience 04/19/2025

Leading with care: a new approach to health care leadership for well-being 04/18/2025

Why the FDA's outdated prescription rules hinder access to birth control and naloxone 04/17/2025

Why the FDA's outdated prescription rules hinder access to birth control and naloxone Surgeon and author Jeffrey A. Singer discusses his article "." He argues that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's requirement for prescriptions for certain safe medications, specifically hormonal contraceptives and the opioid antidote naloxone, creates significant barriers to access and reflects outdated paternalism. Jeffrey highlights that obtaining prescriptions for birth control pills adds cost and inconvenience, disproportionately affecting women who report difficulty accessing appointments, despite decades of recommendations from major medical groups like the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the American Medical Association for over-the-counter access, a standard in over 100 countries. He critiques the FDA's slow and partial move to allow only one type of progestin-only "mini-pill" over-the-counter, contrasting it with the easier access to emergency contraception. Similarly, Jeffrey discusses the years-long delay in making naloxone available over-the-counter, despite its proven safety, effectiveness by laypeople, availability in other countries, and requests from experts and even the FDA itself, noting how manufacturer financial incentives and state-level workarounds preceded the eventual, partial FDA approval for the nasal spray form. Our presenting sponsor is . , your AI assistant for clinical workflow, is transforming how clinicians work. Now you can streamline and customize documentation, surface information right at the point of care, and automate tasks with just a click. Part of Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare, Dragon Copilot offers an extensible AI workspace and a single, integrated platform to help unlock new levels of efficiency. Plus, it's backed by a proven track record and decades of clinical expertise—and it's built on a foundation of trust. It's time to ease your administrative burdens and stay focused on what matters most with Dragon Copilot, your AI assistant for clinical workflow. VISIT SPONSOR → SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST → RECOMMENDED BY KEVINMD → /episode/index/show/kevinmd/id/36010820