MD&D | Medicine, Dollars & Decisions

Withdrawing Money From Your Traditional 401(k): A Bad Decision, Most of the Time | MD&D #39

Recently, I met a student who was considering withdrawing her entire $10,000 retirement savings to pay off a car loan. She didn't fully understand the financial consequences of that decision.

Early withdrawals from a traditional 401(k) can trigger income taxes, additional tax penalties, and something even more expensive: decades of lost investment growth.

In this episode, I explain why compounding is such a powerful tool for building wealth, why starting early matters, and why paying off debt and investing are not mutually exclusive.

What you'll learn:

• The potential financial consequences of withdrawing from your 401(k) early.
• How compound interest works and why time matters.
• Why consistency is essential to building wealth.
• How to balance debt repayment and retirement investing.
• Why your retirement savings should not be your emergency fund.

My goal is to help medical students, residents, fellows, and other healthcare professionals make better financial decisions early in their careers.

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Educational content only. Not individualized financial or tax advice. Withdrawal eligibility, taxes, and penalties depend on plan rules and individual circumstances.

In this episode of Medicine, Dollars & Decisions (MD&D), Dr. Bruno Casanova explains the ICD-10 coding system. Whether you're a medical resident, fellow, or early-career attending physician, understanding ICD-10 is a valuable step toward navigating the financial realities of medical practice.

Medicine, Dollars & Decisions is a free educational platform helping young physicians understand how medicine works beyond the examination room.

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Topics: ICD-10 coding, medical billing, physician reimbursement, diagnosis codes, medical documentation, medical necessity, physician compensation, and the business of medicine.

#ICD10 #MedicalBilling #PhysicianReimbursement #MedicineDollarsAndDecisions

Life shapes the changes that make us who we are today. Learn how to match your personality with the right practice.

Choosing the right medical practice involves more than salary, location, and benefits. In this episode of MD&D, we explore how your personality, and professional goals influence the best type of practice for you. Learn why understanding yourself and the culture of a medical practice can help you make better career decisions.

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Learn the Parts of a Physician Employment Contract | MD&D #11

Before signing your first physician employment contract, it's important to understand what you're agreeing to.

In this episode of Medicine, Dollars & Decisions (MD&D), we introduce the general components of physician employment contracts and why understanding them matters for residents, fellows, and early-career physicians.

Our goal is to help you approach employment contracts with greater knowledge and confidence.

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MD&D provides free educational content about physician compensation, RVUs, billing, coding, contracts, and personal finances.

For educational purposes only. This episode does not constitute legal or financial advice.

Physician bonuses can look simple on the surface, but the details matter. In this episode of MD&D, we break down signing bonuses, productivity bonuses, retention bonuses, and the clawback provisions that may require physicians to repay money. Learn what to look for before signing a  contract and why the bonus amount alone may not be as important as the strings attached to it.  

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Understanding RVUs is only the first step. In this episode, Dr. Bruno Casanova explains how physicians and other medical professionals can use RVUs to understand coding, productivity, compensation, benchmarks, and employer expectations. Learn how to estimate the work RVUs needed to support your income, evaluate productivity goals, and make better career and compensation decisions.

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How do nurse practitioners and physician assistants fit into RVU-based physician compensation? In this episode of Medicine, Dollars & Decisions, Bruno F. Casanova, MD, MSCE, MA, FACOG, explains how NPs and PAs generate RVUs and wRVUs, how healthcare organizations evaluate APP productivity and reimbursement, and how advanced practice providers fit into the broader RVU compensation model. Learn why RVU attribution, billing, productivity, and compensation matter for physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and healthcare leaders.
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Physician reimbursement has been losing ground for years. In this episode, Dr. Bruno Casanova explains how declining Medicare payment, changing RVU values, efficiency adjustments, and budget neutrality can force physicians to work more simply to maintain the same income. He also explains why understanding these changes matters when evaluating productivity targets, compensation formulas, and employment contracts.

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How do healthcare organizations decide what to pay clinicians? In this episode of The Truth About RVUs, Dr. Bruno Casanova looks at compensation from the employer’s perspective. We discuss the costs of hiring and onboarding a new clinician, staffing and support, credentialing, practice growth, productivity expectations, and the time it can take before a new hire becomes financially productive.

Understanding these forces can help residents, fellows, and new attendings better evaluate compensation models, job offers, and career decisions.

 MD&D is a platform for medical professionals who want to better understand RVUs, physician compensation, medical finances, career decisions, and leadership.
 
Free RVU Playbook:
playbook.mddecisions.org
Website:
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A high physician starting salary does not always mean a better job offer. In this episode of Medicine, Dollars & Decisions, Dr. Bruno Casanova explains how physician compensation works beyond the headline salary, including work RVUs, productivity bonuses, compensation thresholds, inflation, geographic differences, and what happens after an initial salary guarantee ends. Learn the questions residents, fellows, and physicians should ask before signing an employment contract and why understanding the structure behind your compensation can matter as much as the salary itself.

Understanding these forces can help residents, fellows, and new attendings better evaluate compensation models, job offers, and career decisions.

MD&D is a platform for medical professionals who want to better understand RVUs, physician compensation, medical finances, career decisions, and leadership.

Free RVU Playbook:
playbook.mddecisions.org
Website:
mddecisions.org

Newsletter:
read.mddecisions.org