Medicare physician pay has fallen 33 percent since 2001
This article by Dr. Kayvan Haddadan was originally published on KevinMD.com on May 21, 2026. Patient care is getting squeezed. For years now, the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule has failed to give doctors the resources they need to keep up with rising costs and deliver high-quality care. The result is real strain on practices, especially smaller and…
Read MoreThe administrative burden crushing California medicine
This article by Dr. Kayvan Haddadan was originally published on KevinMD.com on May 16, 2026. Think of the entire health care system as a chess game where the goal is to achieve a healthier population by checkmating against the “darker side,” which represents disease, poor outcomes, inefficiency, and the human suffering of untreated or delayed chronic conditions…
Read MoreCalifornia opioid prescribing: What the data actually shows
This article by Dr. Kayvan Haddadan was originally published on KevinMD.com on May 19, 2026. As a physician managing patients with chronic pain in California, I’ve witnessed the tension between necessary regulations and the daily reality of helping people in genuine distress. As chairman for the National Campaign to Protect People in Pain (NCP3), I know how…
Read MoreHow to Treat Chronic Pain and Depression Together
Originally published on KevinMD.com | April 23, 2026 Chronic pain and depression treatment must go hand in hand — because in my years of managing patients with persistent pain, I’ve seen the same frustrating cycle play out repeatedly. A patient arrives with unrelenting back pain that has lasted for months. They describe not just physical…
Read MoreHow Workers Compensation Reform Can Cut Litigation Costs
Originally published on KevinMD.com | May 5, 2026 Workers compensation reform is overdue — and as a pain physician treating injured workers daily, a qualified medical examiner (QME), an independent medical examiner (IME), and a business owner paying workers’ comp premiums, I see the system’s strengths and serious strains up close. It started with good…
Read MoreHow Spinal Cord Stimulation Offers Relief for Chronic Pain
Originally published on KevinMD.com | March 22, 2026 Spinal cord stimulation for chronic pain is one of the most effective minimally invasive options available for patients whose pain has not responded to medications, physical therapy, or injections. This approach delivers low-level electrical pulses through electrodes placed in the epidural space near the spinal cord, changing…
Read MoreHow to Treat Sacroiliac Joint Pain Effectively
Originally published on KevinMD.com | April 3, 2026 Sacroiliac joint pain treatment is one of the most overlooked solutions for patients who have spent months chasing the wrong diagnosis. If you have nagging pain deep in your lower back or one buttock that never seems to settle, the real source may be the sacroiliac (SI)…
Read MoreKnee Osteoarthritis Treatment: A Layered Pain Management Approach
Originally published on KevinMD.com | April 10, 2026 If you are one of the millions of adults living with knee osteoarthritis in Sacramento, Roseville, Rocklin, Folsom, Davis, or Yuba City, you already know that knee pain rarely stays put. It changes how you walk, sleep, and move through your day. At Advanced Pain Diagnostic &…
Read MoreAI in pain assessment: Balancing innovation with patient safety
Originally published on KevinMD.com | March 5, 2026 In Northern California and beyond, health care systems are rapidly integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and digital tools to transform how pain is recognized, measured, and managed. From algorithm-guided assessments to wearable sensors and predictive analytics, these tools promise to augment clinical decision-making and improve patient outcomes.…
Read MoreWhy Doctors Struggle with Health Care System Delays
Originally published on KevinMD.com | February 27, 2026 Prior authorization in pain management has long been a barrier — one I’ve fought on behalf of my patients until I became the patient myself. I write often on hurdles like restrictive opioid policy, excessive regulatory scrutiny, prior authorization, and administrative burdens that detract from patient…
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