Rural healthcare in America has had to face more than its share of challenges. The pandemic has only made the situation worse, revealing the weaknesses of an already fragile system. Alabama, for example, has a 41% rural population, among the […]
Dr. Ken’s Corner: Does Healthcare For The Elderly Need A Makeover?
The pandemic has disproportionately harmed older people, especially those with underlying health conditions. This has led many Americans to believe that only the elderly run the risk of becoming seriously ill from COVID. A study published in The Lancet found […]
Dr. Ken’s Corner: The Post-COVID Generation of Doctors Is Taking Shape
The American way of training its doctors has been a long-standing tradition. The first two years of medical school are crammed with lectures, laboratories, and exams—patient contact is limited. In years three and four, medical students begin their clinical rotations, […]
Dr. Ken’s Corner: “Convenience Clinics” Caring for Increasing Numbers of Children
“Parents complain that pediatricians, wary of COVID, shift kids to urgent care,” according to a recent Kaiser Health News article. The practice has apparently become so prevalent that the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a statement recommending that pediatricians […]
Dr. Ken’s Corner: “Open Notes” Requirement Delayed But Coming Soon
Patients were supposed to be given unfettered access to their clinical records beginning November 2, 2020. Because of the pandemic, the enforcement date has been delayed until April 5, 2021. The “open notes” rule is a federal mandate designed to […]
Dr. Ken’s Corner: Demand for Mental Health Practitioners Surging
The stress-related toll of the pandemic is relentless. Anxiety, depression, increasing drug and alcohol use, sleepless nights, and suicides are sweeping across America. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey, more than half of Americans say that the worry and […]
Dr. Ken’s Corner: What Lies Ahead for Primary Care Physicians?
At first glance, the future of primary care may seem unpredictable. For the most part, however, it will probably be an acceleration of changes already underway prior to the pandemic. Whatever the future has in store, it will be shaped […]
