Young doctors seek to alter practice of medicine; Medical schools push training in addiction

Sep 5 2012

The Associated Press examines how tech-savy young doctors are changing medicine, and KHN looks at efforts to train doctors to recognize how addictions complicate other health problems.

The Associated Press: Young Tech-Savvy Docs Want a Real Life, But Don't Call Them Slackers
The practice of medicine is in the midst of an evolution, and millennial and Gen X doctors seem to be perfectly suited for it and in some ways may be driving it. The federal health care law is speeding some of these changes, too. These doctors embrace technology and teamwork. They like electronic medical records and smartphone apps. And they like sharing the load with other doctors on the team (9/3).

Kaiser Health News: Medical Centers Begin Training Programs For Specialists On Addictions
They are seen every day in doctors' offices, outpatient clinics and hospital emergency rooms: men in their 50s with bleeding ulcers; young adults pulled from car crashes; middle-aged women fighting a losing battle against chronic pain. As dissimilar as they seem, many of these patients are also suffering from another illness -- alcohol or drug abuse – that is at the root of the more obvious ailments that keep them cycling through the medical system. Even so, their addiction is rarely addressed by doctors (Boodman, 9/3).