Dr. Niran Al-Agba

Rethinking Our Duty to Respond and Be a Good Samaritan

“Mom, I know you care about people and try to help them when they are hurt,” said my 6 year old the next morning at breakfast while we discussed the previous day’s events. Based on this experience, I have come to the conclusion physicians have a duty to respond to emergencies if they can. When an accident occurs literally next to me and I do not to respond, what am I teaching other people about physicians? More importantly, what message am I sending to my own children?

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-03T17:15:09+00:00June 8, 2016|Categories: Patient, Physician|Tags: Duty to Respond, First Responders, Good Samaritan, Safety|

Lessons in Compassion From My Oldest Son

So far, with only 7 years of parenting under my belt, my children seem to have a solid self-esteem base, some self-control (a work in progress), and appear to be developing into truly compassionate human beings. There is still a lot for me to learn and many years of trials ahead. Whether or not my children will become successful adults, remains to be seen, but I can tell you it will be my life-long work in progress and it will be sprinkled with compassion along the way.

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-03T16:26:58+00:00June 2, 2016|Categories: Patient, Physician|Tags: Children, Mom, Parenting, Physician Mother|

A Physician Was Not Ready to Let Go, but Learned the Value of Less Intervention

How did he let her go? Does he not know we cut patients open and save lives? The shock wore off slowly and then a week later, we reviewed the autopsy report. It provided a remarkable lesson never to be forgotten. Somehow, her father knew better than the healthcare team, what was best for his child. I was not ready, yet he was prepared to let her go and made the right decision.

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-03T16:29:00+00:00June 1, 2016|Categories: Patient, Physician|Tags: Child Death, Death, Letting Go, Parents|

Life Lessons from Memorial Day Past

After having four children of my own, my parenting goals are now simpler than they might have been before this tragic event. The “best-I-can-do” parenting is good enough; everything does not have to be perfect. My little brother grabbed life with both hands and experienced everything he possibly could in the moment. I strive to make the most of each and every day with my children and be grateful for that time, in honor of my little brother. He would not have wanted it any other way.

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-03T16:30:22+00:00May 31, 2016|Categories: Physician|Tags: Compassion, Death, Dying, Life Lessons, Sibling Loss|

Money Talks: Survival of the Small Pediatric Clinic

A man called our office this week and asked what WE charge for co-pays. What the what? Copays and deductibles are what YOUR insurance requires you to pay according to your contract. They consider it “your investment” in your health care. We were asked the other day whether the copay really makes a difference in our bottom line. You bet it does! It makes up a significant portion of total income for our business and keeps us afloat.

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-03T16:34:02+00:00May 29, 2016|Categories: Physician, Practice|Tags: Corporatization, Independent Practice, Private Practice, Rural Medicine, TakeBackMedicine|

How a Physician Suicide 30 Years Ago Still Affects This Physician Today

I was 12 years old in 1987 when the first physician I knew committed suicide. My father was the seventh physician to join The Doctors Clinic in 1971. I was raised attending summertime backyard picnics at other physicians’ homes and remember most of their families and children. It was a close-knit community of medical providers back then; something that may have prevented more tragic events like this from occurring.

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-03T16:35:07+00:00May 28, 2016|Categories: Physician|Tags: Burnout, Human Rights Abuse, Mental health, Physician Suicide|

MOC: How the American Board of Pediatrics Failed this Nursing Physician

While swiping our credit cards to fund this atrocity known as Maintenance of Certification, maybe your group could take a few moments to streamline your rigid and archaic application process? It is not exactly rocket science or is keeping track of so much money simply too exhausting?

Niran Al-Agba2020-09-23T03:05:20+00:00May 26, 2016|Categories: Physician, Practice|Tags: Anti-MOC, Gender Bias, Gender Equality, Maintenance of Certification, MOC, NBPAS|

Using Index Cards as Medical Record Tools

Let us go back for a moment to ponder this ingenious idea of using an index card as a medical record tool. Low cost, top quality medical care is the Holy Grail for which everyone in the field of medicine is searching. Is it conceivable we already found it, used it for more than a century, and abandoned it in light of its simplicity? Possibly.

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-03T16:41:25+00:00May 25, 2016|Categories: Physician, Practice|Tags: EHR, Electronic Medical Records, EMR, Paper Records, Patient Physician Relationship, Physician Autonomy|

If Amoxicillin Liquid Were Crack…

My dad would bring home antibiotic samples and leave them on the counter. They were packaged in small little bottles containing one or two teaspoons of powder medication. If the medicine turned pink when I added water, I had hit the Jackpot! It was indeed Amoxicillin. I remember the first taste of “antibiotic crack” like it was yesterday. It was practically like sneaking dessert. There were a handful of times I recall mixing up between 6 to 10 bottles and savoring every last drop. I am certain I ingested more than the recommended dose for a child in one sitting, but who was keeping track?

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-31T00:21:57+00:00May 14, 2016|Categories: Patient, Physician|Tags: Amoxicillin, Antibiotic Use|

Patients Are In My Mind and My Heart. #DoctorsDoCare

The public should know more about what goes on in the minds and hearts of physicians. Please share this piece and start a “Doctors Do Care” Challenge. If you are a physician, write a story about a patient who changed your life. If you are a patient and a physician has improved your life in some way, please share your story with the same hashtag. #doctorsdocare.

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-03T16:21:25+00:00May 13, 2016|Categories: Physician|Tags: Burnout, Patient Physician Relationship, Physician and Media, Physician Autonomy|