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Primary care

The American Medical Association Stands Up To The Epidemic Of Gun Violence: “We Take It Upon Ourselves To Help Heal Our Society”​

Few moments in my experience compare with what just happened on the floor of the American Medical Association’s annual meeting of its House of Delegates: Gun violence was front and center, and the response was loud and clear: we will do whatever it takes to lend our voice and our actions to end the epidemic. The House of Delegates, or HOD as it is affectionately known, makes the policy for the AMA. It is—in my experience—the most democratic policy making exercise in which I have engaged over my decades of involvement with organized medicine. It hears testimony on various policy… Read More »The American Medical Association Stands Up To The Epidemic Of Gun Violence: “We Take It Upon Ourselves To Help Heal Our Society”​

A New Simpler Blood Test To Screen For Colorectal Cancer May Help Save More Lives

Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains one of the most common and deadly forms of cancer in the United States. That sobering reality is in no small part because we don’t do enough screening to find the cancer at its earliest stages when it is most treatable or find and remove a colon polyp before it turns into cancer. Despite all the awareness and all the attention, we don’t get enough folks screened. For almost all of us who are 45 years of age and older and are at average risk of the disease (meaning we don’t have a strong family history,… Read More »A New Simpler Blood Test To Screen For Colorectal Cancer May Help Save More Lives

Message From “The Deathclock”: “Your Time Has Expired.” Really???

“I am sorry, but your time has expired. Have a nice day!” Nope, not a friendly message from a parking meter app. This was from Deathclock.com, a site that purports to tell folks their predicted date of death based primarily on their date of birth. Mine was May 3, 2020 according to “the clock”. Uh, I don’t think so… Clearly—and fortunately for me as I write this blog—the date was more than a little off. Frankly, predicting a date of death is not something to laugh about. Too many folks facing serious illnesses deal with the burden of their mortality… Read More »Message From “The Deathclock”: “Your Time Has Expired.” Really???

Primary Medical Care For The New Age: What About The Rest Of Us?

New models of primary care offer a lot, however can they deliver for everyone? My hunch: they are focused on a younger, healthier, less demanding population.

For me, I have no expectation (or desire, for that matter) that I will be getting my medical care in my PJ’s—until I am unable to get out of my PJ’s.