Lifestyle

A physician's ability to empathize with a patient improves the quality of care he or she provides, according to a recent study. The good news is that physicians tend to have a head start in that area. But even if they don't have that skill, empathy can be taught. Here are some questions to ask to gauge your ability to empathize with your patients.

Implicitly, what every Physicians Money Digest reader is looking for is financial success. But what is it? According to my Kitchen Cabinet of bemused docs, the definition of financial success is "enough." But enough to do what? Enough for security, for power, for bragging rights? What's your definition?

Stocks sank this week, buffeted by grim news from around the globe, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average sinking beneath 12000. But HCA's record-breaking IPO and the approval of the first new drug to treat lupus in more than 50 years lifted the healthcare sector.

In what could be a sign of bank card changes to come, JPMorgan Chase is considering limiting debit-card purchases to either $50 or $100, according to a report.

Many parents don't want to burden their children with college loans, but young people have a lifetime of earnings ahead of them they can use to pay down their debts. Parents can't borrow their way into retirement.

Consumer experts say springtime is when many scammers become more aggressive at plying their trade. Like crocuses sprouting from the ground, you're guaranteed to see at least one of these four common scams pop up this spring.

A survey of residency program directors reveals concern that the new limits on resident hours will impinge on physician education and disrupt interactions between residents and hospitalized patients.

I've met many physicians who think "save" is a dirty four-letter word. They spend everything they earn and live paycheck-to-paycheck. So in this two-part series, let's explore what some of the few simple principles of saving can do for you. First, we'll tackle the three "S's": Save early, save often, save more.

Budapest is a city split by the Danube River. Historic buildings in its UNESCO World Heritage Site castle district look down what is, arguably, the most interesting river in Europe.

The unrest in the Middle East is happening for a variety of reasons -- and leaders throwing lavish celebrations, among other excesses, while their citizens suffer financial hardships is one of them. Leaders in Jordan, widely seen as the steady force for level-headiness in its region, may soon learn this lesson.

From time to time, I experience a deep hankering in my heart. Sometimes it is a yearning for Africa, sometimes I long for a simpler life; most often it's an almost nameless desire to be living a life "on fire with purpose." As a physician business coach, I can only hope to create a ripple effect through my clients, as they increase their contributions to their communities, and sometimes the world.

A lot of physicians think they have electronic referral capability because it comes with their electronic medical records system. But while most EMRs capture referral information, there is no way to transmit it out to the specialist, or for the specialist to transmit diagnosis, treatment or results back to the referring physician. That's a crucial detail that hinders practice productivity.

Contrary to "Sticks and stones...," words can actually hurt you -- and cost you money. They are all around us and some are so common that we rarely think about them. Many not only often end up costing us money, but frequently have the additional virtue of aggravating us -- insult on injury. Here are some of the most egregious examples.

For years, physicians have complained that their reimbursement was determined in large part by unaccountable Medicare bureaucrats who were more interested in controlling spending than in providing quality patient care. Now, with the passage last year of the Affordable Care Act, that lament is truer than ever. One key provision of the law will most assuredly seek to "fix" Medicare on the backs of the physicians who deliver the care.

A reader wonders whether it's worth the price to shell out for the new iPad 2. Whether or not it makes sense to buy the iPad 2 -– or one of its hot new competitors -- depends on your own personal preference and how you intend to use the device.

All active duty U.S. servicemembers, including military physicians and other healthcare professionals, and their spouses now have access to free credit scores, along with educational information and tools to help monitor and manage their credit.

If unrest continues in the Middle East, a disruption of oil supply could lead to a worldwide recession. Saudi Arabia could save the globe from that fate. Whether or not its King Abdullah and his family can contain calls for political change in his country is anybody's bet. For Americans, the best we can hope for is that not too much happens too soon.

When it comes to planning for retirement, there is no exact number for how much you should save -- defining an exact savings goal for everyone is impossible. But you can calculate a range to come up with an attainable goal for yourself by following these easy steps.

Part-maverick, part-unconventional, part-smart business owner Sir Richard Branson has business lessons to share in spades. Since I recently read his third autobiographical book "Business Stripped Bare: Adventures of a Global Entrepreneur," I wanted to pass on some lessons for physician business owners that I learned from the book.

Unrest in the Middle East and escalating oil prices caused uncertainty in the U.S. markets last week, which spilled over to the biotechnology sector. Blue-chip biotechs held firm, however, amid spate of billion-dollar deals.

Last week saw a surprisingly impressive release of quality free and paid medical apps for the iPhone and iPad, including a number of apps geared toward cardiologists, and a few for primary care and other specialists.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is considering rescinding a new Medicare rule requiring physicians to sign-off on laboratory test requests, after the agency came under pressure from physicians groups and lawmakers.

Physicians receive no training in how to evaluate financial advisors, whose guidance often becomes the backbone of their future success -- or failure. Here are two fatal flaws physicians typically make when choosing an advisor.

Physicians are finding that whether they take a phased-in approach, or dive right in to implementing an electronic medical records (EMR) systems in their practices, the key to success is for doctors and nurses to be involved in the process from the start.

There are nearly 55,000 ultra-high-net-worth individuals in the U.S., and more than half keep their primary residence in just five states, according to a new survey. Here's where the super-wealthy live in America.

In light of the physician shortage, the American Medical Association recently released recommendations to help standardize and simplify the process for doctors who want to reenter the clinical practice.

One doesn't expect Las Vegas-style extravaganzas on small ship cruises. Instead, this cruise line offers intimate enrichment lectures that feed the soul ... as well as the stomach.

We, as a society, are toting around a collective waste dump in our back pockets and purses. We don't think about wallets, we take them for granted and, if asked, become defensive -- about what they contain, about how they look and about their overstuffed size. But our wallets say a lot about us and our attitudes towards money.

Gold may get all the publicity in times of global unrest, but the price of silver recently surged to a 31-year high, and some believe the metal may be in the early stages of a multiyear bull market. Here are some of the easiest ways to invest in silver.

Physician pay has not kept up with inflation, resulting in a decline in our purchasing power. Strategies to offset inflation include boosting gross income by increasing workload, reducing expenses, or investing in inflation-beating investments. This week, I'll look at investments that have a history of outpacing inflation.