Dr. Niran Al-Agba

My Ideal Electronic Health Record

I recently contacted her mother to inquire if she wanted her daughters’ medical chart. She said it was a gift to see her daughter through the eyes of her physician, who was there every step of the way. Medical records are more than metadata on a computer screen; they are a sacred chronicle of our enduring connection with our patients in life, and even in death. When an EMR can do that, I will be thrilled to embark on a digital journey. Until then, give me paper or give me death.

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-03T22:25:19+00:00August 26, 2016|Categories: Policy, Practice|Tags: Burnout, EHR, EMR, Physician Autonomy, Physician Suicide|

Spanking and Science Part 3: Medical Literature Opposing Spanking

Reviewing the anti-spanking literature revealed no randomized clinical trials exist proving spanking is ineffective or harmful. Many challenges were identified when drawing conclusions from Dr. Gershoff’s review study. Spanking is defined loosely, making the definition subjective. The research tends to be correlational; therefore, cannot support causation for spanking being beneficial or detrimental.

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-03T22:26:35+00:00August 23, 2016|Categories: Patient|Tags: Discipline, Motherhood, Parenting|

Spanking and Science: Part II

Ultimately, the developmental outcome of child-rearing is primarily determined by the overall quality of a parent-child relationship. Non abusive spanking by loving parents who use correct methods were able to achieve effective behavioral management and a rapid re-establishment of affection between parent and child following interventions.

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-03T22:28:03+00:00August 18, 2016|Categories: Patient|Tags: Discipline, Motherhood, Parenting|

Spanking and Science, by Request

The bottom-line is this: The question as to whether or not spanking is beneficial or detrimental has not definitively been answered by science. The one thing expert psychologists on both sides of the debate agree upon is the data is not conclusive.

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-03T22:30:10+00:00August 18, 2016|Categories: Patient|Tags: Discipline, Motherhood, Parenting|

Building Better Metrics: Invest in “Good” Primary Care and Get What You Pay For

Estimates suggest that a primary care physician would spend 21.7 hours per day to provide all recommended acute, chronic, and preventive care for a panel of 2,500 patients. An average workday of 8 hours extrapolates to an ideal panel of 909 patients; let us make it an even 1000 to simplify. A primary care physician could easily meet acute, chronic, and preventative needs of 1000 patients, thereby improving access.

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-03T22:32:08+00:00August 17, 2016|Categories: Patient, Physician, Policy|Tags: Burnout, Physician Autonomy, Physician Suicide, Primary Care, Rural Care, Underserved Area|

The Office of Civil Rights: The Tale of a Medical Records Renegade

When did we physicians give up our freedom and basic right to earn a living?

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-03T22:33:27+00:00August 15, 2016|Categories: Physician, Policy|Tags: Civil Rights, Discrimination, Law, Medical Records, Physician Autonomy|

Building Better Metrics: Using Physician Outcomes

Government and insurance companies should stop wasting dollars and cents chasing visions of value, rather use common sense and give physician outcomes the attention they deserve. Healthcare will be on better footing now and into the future.

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-03T22:34:52+00:00August 12, 2016|Categories: Policy, Practice|Tags: Burnout, MACRA, Medicare, MIPS, Physician Autonomy, Physician Suicide, Value-based Care|

Love and Hate with Formula 409

“My eyes are burning, oh my eyes. Mommy, help me.” My daughter was upset and screaming in pain. I went tearing out of my room and ran into the bathroom. “Ow, my eyes are stinging.” It was hard to decipher exactly what she was saying besides having pain in her eyes. “What happened?” I asked, thinking to myself, how did you damage yourself unattended in less than 60 seconds? “It sprayed me.”

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-03T22:40:44+00:00August 9, 2016|Categories: Patient|Tags: Injury Prevention, Motherhood, Parenting, Safety|

MACRA is to Medicine what No Child Left Behind was to Education

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act is to the education system what MACRA is to healthcare. Why must we keep repeating history?

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-03T22:42:21+00:00August 2, 2016|Categories: Policy, Practice|Tags: Education, MACRA, No Child Left Behind, Physician Advocacy, Physician Autonomy|

Rural Care: A Primer For Washington Officials, Columnists and Economists.

I am not convinced time and money spent implementing new technology does anything to improve patient care; I am fairly certain, however, conversations with my patients provide considerable value.

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-03T22:59:10+00:00July 27, 2016|Categories: Policy, Practice|Tags: Corporatization, EHR, EMR, Government Medicine, MACRA, MIPS, Rural Care|

The Politics of Healthcare from the Front Lines