Saravanan Kasthuri, medical director at Northwest Endovascular Surgery, and Jason McKitrick, executive director at the Office Based Facility Association, discuss their article "Medicare payment is failing rural health [https://kevinmd.com/2025/12/medicare-payment-is-failing-rural-health.html]." Saravanan and Jason analyze the critical economic forces dismantling independent medical practices and threatening patient access in underserved areas. They highlight the personal story of Mr. G to illustrate the human cost of broken reimbursement models while explaining how the outdated Physician Fee Schedule forces doctors to sell to hospitals or private equity firms. The conversation details how consolidation inflates costs without improving quality and proposes the implementation of a technical fee schedule as a vital policy solution. Listen to understand why preserving office-based care is essential for the survival of the rural health care system.

Partner with me on the KevinMD platform [https://kevinmd.com/kevinmd-influencer-opportunities]. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story.

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Medicare cuts are destroying independent rural medical practices

Family physician Tod Stillson discusses his article "Why AI in medicine elevates humanity instead of replacing it [https://kevinmd.com/2025/12/why-ai-in-medicine-elevates-humanity-instead-of-replacing-it.html]." Tod explains how his career evolution revealed that artificial intelligence is not a threat to the medical profession but a necessary tool for reshaping care delivery. He argues that physicians must actively lead the integration of AI to ensure that clinical judgment is amplified rather than overridden by automation. The conversation covers the necessity of digital fluency, the shift toward structured asynchronous data collection, and how these technologies can actually restore the human connection by relieving administrative burdens. Listen to discover why the next generation of doctors must master both stethoscopes and software to meet evolving patient expectations.

Partner with me on the KevinMD platform [https://kevinmd.com/kevinmd-influencer-opportunities]. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story.

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Artificial intelligence demands that doctors become architects of digital health

Surgeon and health tech strategist Sarah Matt discusses her article "Why fee-for-service reform is needed [https://kevinmd.com/2025/12/why-fee-for-service-reform-is-needed.html]." Sarah analyzes the friction between efficient digital health tools and an outdated payment system that rewards activity over quality. She proposes replacing analog metrics like visit volume with shadow KPIs that track actual health outcomes such as time-to-resolution and preventable hospitalizations. The discussion outlines a practical strategy to utilize existing billing codes for remote patient monitoring while simultaneously gathering data to negotiate shared savings agreements. Listen to learn how clinicians can drive the transition toward a more logical health care economy.

Partner with me on the KevinMD platform [https://kevinmd.com/kevinmd-influencer-opportunities]. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story.

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Overcoming the economic barriers of fee-for-service medicine

Urologist William Lynes discusses his article "A urologist's perspective on presidential health transparency [https://kevinmd.com/2025/10/a-urologists-perspective-on-presidential-health-transparency.html]." William examines the medical plausibility of a former president being diagnosed with widespread metastatic prostate cancer just months after leaving office. He explains why the slow growth of this disease means it almost certainly existed during the presidency and challenges the narrative that it went undetected despite world-class health care. The discussion covers the standard of care regarding PSA screening and hormonal therapy while highlighting how symptoms like bone pain would likely have been obvious to any competent medical team. William ultimately questions the ethics of Dr. Kevin O'Connor and argues that concealing such a diagnosis constitutes a severe violation of the physician's code of conduct. Listen to understand the grave implications of medical transparency at the highest levels of government.

Partner with me on the KevinMD platform [https://kevinmd.com/kevinmd-influencer-opportunities]. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story.

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Urological analysis of delayed cancer diagnoses in political figures

Fertility specialist Oluyemisi Famuyiwa discusses their article "Why carrier screening results are complex [https://kevinmd.com/2025/11/why-carrier-screening-results-are-complex.html]." Oluyemisi explores the transition to "Genetic Carrier Screening 3.0," a new era where expanded panels reveal hidden complexities that defy simple positive or negative interpretations. The conversation highlights how specific variations in genes like CFTR and SMN1 can lead to unexpected clinical consequences, such as male infertility or silent carrier status in spinal muscular atrophy. By examining the nuances of hemoglobinopathies and X-linked conditions, Oluyemisi explains why being a "carrier" often has direct health implications for the parents themselves, particularly mothers. This episode emphasizes the urgent need for expert interpretation and counseling to ensure patients truly understand the genetic information in their hands. Advanced science demands advanced communication to protect your family's future.

Partner with me on the KevinMD platform [https://kevinmd.com/kevinmd-influencer-opportunities]. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story.

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Genetic testing requires more than just a binary result

Professor and coach Kathleen Muldoon discusses their article "Why humanity in medicine requires peace with a spine [https://kevinmd.com/2025/12/why-humanity-in-medicine-requires-peace-with-a-spine.html]." Kathleen explores the dangerous misconception that peace in health care means silence or compliance. The conversation highlights how teaching medical students to smooth their edges and avoid conflict often leads to burnout, moral injury, and emotional numbness. By redefining peace as an active skill that requires a spine, Kathleen outlines how clinicians can navigate hierarchy and uncertainty without erasing their own humanity. This episode examines the vital difference between keeping the peace and protecting dignity in high-pressure clinical environments. Real professionalism demands the courage to pause and stay present when the room feels chaotic.

Partner with me on the KevinMD platform [https://kevinmd.com/kevinmd-influencer-opportunities]. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story.

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True peace in medicine requires courage not silence

Obstetrician-gynecologist Priya Panneerselvam discusses their article "How medicine reflects women's silence [https://kevinmd.com/2025/11/how-medicine-reflects-womens-silence.html]." Priya discusses how the quiet deference observed in their mother's generation continues to manifest in patients who apologize for their pain and hesitate to ask questions. The conversation explores the cultural and national forces that suppress female voices, linking personal family history to the broader political landscape regarding women's rights and leadership. By examining the cost of this inherited silence, Priya advocates for speaking out as an act of rebellion and gratitude for those who could not. Breaking this cycle is necessary to honor the past while securing a freer future.

Partner with me on the KevinMD platform [https://kevinmd.com/kevinmd-influencer-opportunities]. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story.

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Silence is a survival mechanism that costs women their joy

Health care executive Dave Wessinger discusses their article "How to adopt AI in health care responsibly [https://kevinmd.com/2025/11/how-to-adopt-ai-in-health-care-responsibly.html]." Dave explains why organizations must move beyond the hype of artificial intelligence to focus on measurable goals like driving growth and improving quality. The conversation highlights specific high-value applications in documentation and patient intake while emphasizing the critical need for a clinician in the loop approach to ensure patient safety. By prioritizing administrative automation over clinical decision-making initially, leaders can build trust and avoid the risks associated with imperfect technology. This episode explores how to shape AI as a practical tool that enhances rather than replaces human judgment.

Partner with me on the KevinMD platform [https://kevinmd.com/kevinmd-influencer-opportunities]. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story.

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Focusing on outcomes over novelty prevents AI failure in health care

Urologist Tracy Gapin discusses their article "Is your medical career a golden cage? [https://kevinmd.com/2025/10/is-your-medical-career-a-golden-cage.html]" Tracy explores the paradox of achieving professional success while feeling trapped in a demoralizing and insurance-driven health care system. The conversation highlights how factors like short visits and administrative burdens contribute to physician burnout and alarmingly high rates of suicide among doctors. By identifying the limiting beliefs that hold medical professionals hostage in their careers, Tracy outlines a path toward freedom through a cash-based precision medicine model. This episode examines the necessity of prioritizing personal well-being over systemic demands and encourages doctors to reinvent how they practice to find purpose again. Redefining your medical career might be the only way to save your life.

Partner with me on the KevinMD platform [https://kevinmd.com/kevinmd-influencer-opportunities]. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story.

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Escaping the golden cage of traditional medical practice to find joy again

Kenneth Botelho, founding director of the doctor of medical science (DMSc) program at The College of St. Scholastica and a physician assistant, discusses his article "Federal graduate-loan caps threaten rural health care access [https://kevinmd.com/2025/12/federal-graduate-loan-caps-threaten-rural-health-care-access.html]." Kenneth explains how impending borrowing limits for physician assistant and nurse practitioner programs create an insurmountable barrier for students from the very communities that need providers most. He illustrates the paradox where government grants aim to stabilize rural health care while loan policies simultaneously cut off the supply of future clinicians. The conversation highlights the urgent need to align financial aid with public health goals to prevent a rise in mortality rates in underserved areas. Join us to understand why financial barriers to education are becoming a matter of life and death for rural America.

Partner with me on the KevinMD platform [https://kevinmd.com/kevinmd-influencer-opportunities]. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story.

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Capping student loans destroys the rural medical pipeline

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.

Kevin Pho

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