Subscribe by RSS

• Getting Better Health Care – Stress, stress myths, and how to control stress (Part 2)

  Stress contributes to poor health and poor quality of life. What is stress? According to physician and stress coach Dr. Mort Orman, stress is just a word, not a distinct entity. Part 1 of our discussion with Dr. Orman focused on defining what we mea...

• Getting Better Health Care – Stress, stress myths, and how to control stress (Part 1)

  Stress contributes to poor health and poor quality of life. What is stress? According to physician and stress coach Dr. Mort Orman, stress is just a word, not a distinct entity. Part 1 of our discussion with Dr. Orman focuses on defining what we mea...

• Getting Better Health Care – Patients may not be taking their medication (Part 2)

  Modern medications are light years ahead of the treatments doctors had to offer years ago, but many patients don’t get the full benefit. Studies have shown that many patients aren’t taking their medication. We’re joined today by Dr. Nathaniel M. ...

• Getting Better Health Care – Patients may not be taking their medication (Part 1)

  Modern medications are light years ahead of the treatments doctors had to offer years ago, but many patients don’t get the full benefit. Studies have shown that many patients aren’t taking their medication. We’re joined today by Dr. Nathaniel M. ...

• Getting Better Health Care – Our broken malpractice system, and how to fix it (Part 2)

  The medical malpractice litigation system is a mess, resulting in hundreds of billions of dollars in defensive medicine practices. Richard Jackson, President & CEO of Jackson Healthcare (an organization that provides health care staffing, including...

• Getting Better Health Care – Our broken malpractice system, and how to fix it (Part 1)

  The medical malpractice litigation system is a mess, resulting in hundreds of billions of dollars in defensive medicine practices. Richard Jackson, President & CEO of Jackson Healthcare (an organization that provides health care staffing, including...

• Getting Better Health Care – The People’s Pharmacy for Drug and Other Health Information (part 2)

  This week, we speak with Joe and Terry Graedon, whose radio program The People’s Pharmacy, provides patients a wealth of up to date, cutting edge health information, information patients might find difficult getting anywhere else, even from their doc...

• Getting Better Health Care – The People’s Pharmacy for Drug and Other Health Information (part 1)

  This week, we speak with Joe and Terry Graedon, whose radio program The People’s Pharmacy, provides patients a wealth of up to date, cutting edge health information, information patients might find difficult getting anywhere else, even from their doc...

• Getting Better Health Care – The fundamentals of doctor-patient communication (Part 2)

  Dr. Mary Catherine Beach describes fundamental problems and solutions in doctor-patient communication. Dr. Beach is Associate Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Core Faculty, Berman Institute of Bioethics and Welch Center for Pr...

• Getting Better Health Care – The fundamentals of doctor-patient communication (Part 1)

  Dr. Mary Catherine Beach describes fundamental problems and solutions in doctor-patient communication. Dr. Beach is Associate Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Core Faculty, Berman Institute of Bioethics and Welch Center for Pr...

• Getting Better Health Care – Health care quality in America is improving

  The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has published its 2011 State of Health Care Quality Report examining quality data from health plans that cover 118 million Americans. NCQA President Margaret O’Kane joins us to report on the finding...

• Getting Better Health Care – Electronic ways to improve patient education

  Patient education is critical to successful medical outcomes. Mark Becker, pediatrician and founder of Vivacare, a company that makes patient education material available through doctors’ websites, describes how the Internet can be used to better edu...

• Getting Better Health Care – Working with a patient advocate (part 2)

  A trusted patient advocate can help people manage the complexities of our health care system. Anne Llewellyn, Editor in Chief of Dorland Healthcare, describes what patient advocates are and how they help people navigate a complex and fragmented health ...

• Getting Better Health Care – Working with a patient advocate (part 1)

  A trusted patient advocate can help people manage the complexities of our health care system. Anne Llewellyn, Editor in Chief of Dorland Healthcare, describes what patient advocates are and how they help people navigate a complex and fragmented health ...

• Getting Better Health Care – Patient Centered Medical Homes can help solve our health care problems (Part 2)

  Patient Centered Medical Homes are a proven way to reduce the cost of health care while improving health care quality. Dr. Paul Grundy, Global Director, IBM Healthcare Transformation and the current President of the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collab...

• Getting Better Health Care – Patient Centered Medical Homes can help solve our health care problems (Part 1)

  Patient Centered Medical Homes are a proven way to reduce the cost of health care while improving health care quality. Dr. Paul Grundy, Global Director, IBM Healthcare Transformation and the current President of the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collab...

• Getting Better Health Care – Being wary of treatments that just don’t help

  Our medical care system can accomplish miraculous things. Surgeons can operate on the vessels of the heart, clearing blockages and installing appliances to keep the vessels open. We have new medicines and new treatments designed to catch disease early ...

• Getting Better Health Care – Paying for unnecessary care

  Our medical care system can accomplish miraculous things. Surgeons can operate on the vessels of the heart, clearing blockages and installing appliances to keep the vessels open. But do these miracle treatments do anything of value? Do people live long...

• Getting Better Health Care – How basic economics informs solutions for the health care crisis

  The basic principles of economics explain why our health care system is in distress. Insurance, tax laws, and lack of competition contribute to the problem. In this second part of a 2-part series, we discuss solutions to our health care crisis based on...

• Getting Better Health Care – Basic economics of health care

  The basic principles of economics apply to all sorts of systems and decisions, including those of our health care system. In this first part of a 2-part series, we discuss basic economic principles and how those principles apply to the U.S. health care...

• Getting Better Health Care – Dealing with difficult physician-patient relationships

  Patients don’t go to doctors to be abused by mean-spirited physicians. Physicians didn’t go into medicine because they don’t care about patients. Yet too often patients may have a contentious relationship with a doctor, and vice-versa. Dr. Ste...

• Getting Better Health Care – Is there a better way to improve the health of all Americans?

  There’s near universal agreement that our health care system is in crisis, that it costs too much, and that the quality is not what it could be. Our guest today offers a different perspective on the problem, writing, “From a policy perspective, the...

• Getting Better Health Care – Have we been asking the wrong question?

  There’s near universal agreement that our health care system is in crisis, that it costs too much, and that the quality is not what it could be. Our guest today offers a different perspective on the problem, writing, “From a policy perspective, the...

• Getting Better Health Care – The Physicians’ Declaration of Independence

  The U.S. medical system is characterized by a host of financial arrangements—Medicare, Medicaid, HMO’s and various other forms of insurance—that interlope into the physician-patient relationship. Dr. Richard Amerling— Director of Outpatient ...

• Getting Better Health Care – Socialized medicine may not be the best solution

  Can top-down solutions—like the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)— solve the problems in the U.S. medical care system? Dr. Steve Feldman continues the conversation with Dr. Richard Amerling, Director of the Association of American ...

• Getting Better Health Care – The Heart of the U.S. Medical Care Problem

  Medical care quality is not good enough. Medical care costs are too high. What’s wrong with the system? On this week’s show, we talk with a physician who believes the heart of the problem in the U.S. medical care system is a deteriorating physician...

• Getting Better Health Care – Understanding pay-for-performance systems

  Last week, we discussed how economic forces play a central role in how health care is delivered. We don’t want to pay doctors and hospitals for giving more care; we certainly don’t want to pay them for giving less care, either. Ideally, we need a...

• Getting Better Health Care – The economics of health care

  Economic forces drive behavior in the general economy. These same forces affect how health care is delivered, except in health care, there’s a third party (the insurer) paying for the care. What happens in health care is largely driven by these econo...

• Getting Better Health Care – Patients only take half their prescribed medication!

  Last week, we began a discussion of health services research with John Piette, Ph.D., Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan and Senior Research Associate at the Ann Arbor VA Center for Practice Management and Outcomes Research. O...

• Getting Better Health Care – The study of how health care is delivered

  Researchers are investigating how health care is delivered in order to come up with better ways for patients to be treated. The field, called health services research, began with the finding that in different locations, patients would be treated very d...

• Getting Better Health Care – Doctors are human beings

  The interaction of a doctor and a patient involves two human beings. Doctors are people who have feelings, biases, and varying beliefs. Doctors bring these characteristics to the patient-doctor relationship. On today’s show, Dr. Feldman talks with...

• Getting Better Health Care – Vermont’s single payer plan, a way to solve our health care problems?

  Health care systems vary in who pays for the care and who delivers the care. Right now, the U.S. health care system consists of a patchwork of providers, with bandaids in place to try to fix the resulting problems. Dr. William Hsiao, Professor of Eco...

• Getting Better Health Care – The patchwork U.S. health care system

  Health care systems vary in who pays for the care and who delivers the care. Right now, the U.S. health care system consists of a patchwork of providers, with bandaids in place to try to fix the resulting problems. Dr. William Hsiao, Professor of Econo...

• Getting Better Health Care – The private practice physician’s perspective on quality health care

  This week, we continue our discussion with Dr. Jane Orient, practicing internist and member of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS). Dr. Orient explains the benefits of our fee-for-service, private practice medical system and the ...

• Getting Better Health Care – The private practice physician’s perspective on quality health care

  Dr. Jane Orient, practicing internist and member of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS), describes her experiences in different medical practice settings. She explains the benefits of our fee-for-service, private practice medical...

• Getting Better Health Care – Physician communication and the evolution of physician licensure

  In this second part of our two part interview with Dr. Scott Kirby, Medical Director of the North Carolina Medical Board, we discuss the critical importance of physician communication in an age in which electronic records are taking over. Dr. Kirby dis...

• Getting Better Health Care – State medical boards’ role in assuring good medical care

  Medicine is regulated by states, and state medical boards are charged with licensing and regulating physicians. What’s involved? Learn about how doctors get a medical license and how medical boards respond to patient complaints. We speak with Dr. Sco...

• Getting Better Health Care – How insurers can help achieve higher quality, more affordable health care

  What can insurers do to improve quality while making care more affordable? We continue our conversation with Dr. Anthony Nguyen, Senior Vice President for Care Management at Wellpoint, Inc, one of the Nation’s largest commercial insurers. In this sec...

• Getting Better Health Care – How insurers can help achieve higher quality, more affordable health care

  Our health care system is great in many ways, but it is expensive and could be even better. Insurers pay for the care, but can they help improve quality while making care more affordable? In this two part episode, we talk with Dr. Anthony Nguyen, Senio...

• Getting Better Health Care – The employers’ role in health care change

  For better or worse, much of our health care system is based on employer-provided coverage. Whether this is a good system or not, employers have a central place in the effort to improve health care quality and lower cost. Can they put their usual busin...

• Getting Better Health Care – Law and medicine: Doctor ratings

  Legal issues are common aspects of medicine. To start our exploration of the law and medicine, we discuss legal aspects of Internet rating of doctors on websites like DrScore.com. If you leave a negative rating, are you at risk? Are websites liable for...

• Getting Better Health Care – Where can we find reliable health information?

  When it comes to getting reliable information on consumer goods, Consumer Reports has been the gold standard. There are a number of reliable resources for healthcare information on the web like Medlineplus, but it is great to know that Consumer Reports...

• Getting Better Health Care – Is hospital safety improving?

  A 1999 Institute of Medicine report found big risks in American hospitals resulting in dedicated efforts to reduce those risks. Are things getting better? A recent New England Journal of Medicine article says no. We speak with the author of that study,...

• Getting Better Health Care – Can we make health insurance more rational?

  Our system for financing health care is all screwed up, paying lots for things that add little to no value. Can we change this system so that we get value for our money? It’s already happening. Dr. Mark Fendrick, Co-Director of the University of Mich...

• Getting Better Health Care – Pharmacists can help us get better medical care

  Pharmacists have expert knowledge about medications. They serve in local drug stores and in many other roles. Research is discovering new ways pharmacists can work with physicians to help patients get better medical care. Dr. Barry Carter, Professor of...

• Getting Better Health Care – America’s small town hospitals

  Large academic medical centers may make the news, but much of American medical care is delivered in small, local hospitals. What are they like? Can they deliver good care or are they just stepping-stones to the nearest academic medical center? Bill Jam...

• Getting Better Health Care – Are U.S. military health care costs degrading military effectiveness?

  Auto companies spend more on health care than on steel. Is the same thing happening to the U.S. military? The military’s over $50 billion health care bill threatens to crowd out the spending needed for military readiness. We’ll learn where those co...

• Getting Better Health Care – Reforming the U.S. health system (part 2)

  What’s right and what’s wrong with the U.S. health system? Does it need a major overhaul or a few tweaks? In part 2 of this 2 part episode, we discuss the cost of the U.S. health care system with Dr. Robert Berenson, a health care policy expert who...

• Getting Better Health Care – Reforming the U.S. health system (part 1)

  What’s right and what’s wrong with the U.S. health system? Does it need a major overhaul or a few tweaks? In part 1 of this 2 part episode, we discuss the make up of the system with Dr. Robert Berenson, a health care policy expert who has served as...

• Getting Better Health Care – It’s hard to make well people better, but it’s not hard to make them worse

  Screening for illness promises to help identify disease at a curable stage and to keep us healthy. But is it worth the cost and risks? We discuss the very real downside of health screening and preventive care with Dr. Gilbert Welch, author of Overdiagn...

• Getting Better Health Care - Improving health care by changing payment structures

  Individual health care experiences may all be outstanding, but overall health care may still not be good because of poor coordination of care. Do we really want to live with a system that pays doctors to provide more care instead of better care? We dis...

• Getting Better Health Care – Small town family practice

  TV shows give us a picture of big city hospitals and high intensity care. But what is medical practice like in the trenches of small town America? What kind of medical quality is practiced there? We speak with Dr. John Dykers, who recently retired afte...

• Getting Better Health Care – The Academic Medical Center

  Academic medical centers are charged with training new doctors, expanding health knowledge through research, and providing cutting edge clinical care. To get a better understanding of the academic medical center, we speak with Dr. Steven Block, Senior ...

• Getting Better Health Care – Clinical trial myths

  Do new drugs really cost a billion dollars to develop? We speak with Dr. Lawrence Friedhoff, author of the book New Drugs: An Insider’s Guide to the FDA’s New Drug Approval Process for Scientists, Investors, and Patients.

• Getting Better Health Care – How are new drugs tested (part 2)?

  We are blessed with wonder drugs that would have been considered either magical or miraculous in earlier times. How are drugs tested to assure efficacy and safety? Clinical researcher Bea Abrams, PhD, with over 30 years experience in pharmaceutical dev...

• Getting Better Health Care – How are new drugs tested?

  We are blessed with wonder drugs that would have been considered either magical or miraculous in earlier times. How are drugs tested to assure efficacy and safety? Clinical researcher Bea Abrams, PhD, with over 30 years experience in pharmaceutical dev...

• Getting Better Health Care – Certifying electronic health record systems

  The government is pouring money into encouraging doctors and hospitals to switch to electronic health record systems. A bevy of companies are taking advantage of it. But will these systems work? Will the be secure? Will they be able to communicate with...

• Getting Better Health Care – How you can help your doctor give you great care.

  Your medical condition may be complicated. You can make sure you give your doctor the information the doctor needs to give you great care. Dr. Alan Ettinger, neurologist and author of The Essential Patient Handbook, explains how doctors think so that y...

• Getting Better Health Care – What your doctor won't tell you

  Doctors strive to give their patients great medical care, but Dr. Evan Levine, author of the book, What Your Doctor Won't (or Can't) Tell You, and of the blog, Healthcare - A behind the scenes look, believes there's another side to the story, of docto...

• Getting Better Health Care – Alternative medicine

  Given the limitations of traditional medical care, people have turned to complementary and alternative medical treatment (CAM) to meet their needs. What is complementary medicine and are these treatments safe? Are they effective? We talk with physician...

• Getting Better Health Care – A day in the life of a medical student

  Doctors are the heart and sole of the health care system. Where do they come from? What is their training like and what role do they play in giving patients care? We talk with Wake Forest University School of Medicine student Craig Yarbrough.

• Getting Better Health Care – Patient privacy in the electronic era

  The ability to share information makes electronic health records a fabulous way to improve patients’ care, but that same ability makes it easier to access and abuse patients’ privacy. We discuss medical record privacy rules with Alicia Gilleskie, p...

• Getting Better Health Care – Protecting patients’ health information

  With the growing use of electronic technologies, there is a growing need to protect patients’ health records from abuse. A key law that provides such protections is HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accessibility Act. We discuss the privacy...

• Getting Better Health Care – Controlling health care costs

  Dramatic changes are needed if we are going to bring health care costs under control. The Council for Affordable Health Insurance (CAHI) is working toward development of a health care system that enables all citizens to have affordable, quality health ...

• Getting Better Health Care – The nuts and bolts of improving health care quality

  Modern medical centers can provide glitzy, miraculous services, but quality comes down to doing the little things well every time. Dr. Russell Howerton, Vice Chief Medical Officer of the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center tells us how it is ...

• Getting Better Health Care – The state of health care quality.

  The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has been measuring health care quality in the United States for the past 20 years. NCQA president, Margaret O’Kane brings us up to date on the strengths and weaknesses of health care quality and it...

• Getting Better Health Care – Health care reform beyond the hype.

  We’re inundated with partisan bickering over health care reform. What does the legislation really do? Dr. Jack Resnick followed health care reform for the AMA and the American Academy of Dermatology, has read the whole bill, and tells us the real s...

• Getting Better Health Care – Improving patients’ satisfaction

  Doctors are trained to make the right diagnosis and prescribe the right treatment; satisfying patients sometimes gets lost in the process. Susan Keane Baker, author of “Managing Patient Expectations,” tells us what physicians and patients should ...

• Getting Better Health Care – Winnable disease prevention battles

  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a Federal agency dedicated to protecting health and reducing death and disability. The CDC is focusing resources on winnable battles. Learn what those battles are and how they will be fought from CDC ...

• Getting Better Health Care – A trustworthy source of medical information

  The Internet makes all kinds of information available, but what can we trust? The National Library of Medicine is a source for reliable healthcare information and much, much more. NLM Deputy Director Betsy Humphreys tells us about it.

• Getting Better Health Care – Saving money on hospitalization

  Hospitalization is one of the biggest expenses in health care. Is there any way to reduce the cost of a hospitalization? Our guest this week, Dr. Cynthia Koelker, author of 101 Ways to Save Money on Healthcare, explains how.

• Getting Better Health Care – What do doctors think?

  Our health care system is broken, and legislation to fix it has been passed. What do doctors think? We talk with Dr. Cecil Wilson, President of the American Medical Association, the pre-eminent national association of physicians in the United States.

• Getting Better Health Care – Can we reduce medical errors?

  Serious, preventable medical errors are too common. What is being done about it? What can you do to make sure you don’t become a victim? Find out from Dr. David Nash, Dean of the School of Population Health at the Thomas Jefferson University.

• Getting Better Health Care – Is medical school research tainted by industry?

  Academic medical centers and physicians partner with drug companies for research and education. Does this create conflicts of interest that harm the public health? Find out from Dr. Guy Chisolm, Director of the Innovation Management and Conflict of Int...

• Getting Better Health Care – How will social media change medical care?

  Social media like Facebook and Twitter are rapidly changing the way people in our society interact. Can they be harnessed to improve the care we get? Dr. Jeff Benabio, a pioneer in the use of social media in his practice, explains social media, describ...

• Getting Better Health Care – Using technology to improve healthcare

  The buzz is about improving the health care quality; it isn’t going to happen using the medical record keeping systems of the past. Ann Lefebvre, Director of the Improving Performance in Practice Program for the state of North Carolina, explains bene...

• Getting Better Health Care – Can mobile clinics reach people with the greatest health care needs?

  There are thousands of mobile health clinics across America. Dr. Nancy Oriol, founder of the award winning Family Van program in Boston, tells us about the barriers to accessing our health care system and how reaching out to the community can help red...

• Getting Better Health Care – What’s the best way to save money on health care?

  Don’t get sick, of course. Preventive health care is a great way to reduce health care costs. Our guest this week, Dr. Cynthia Koelker, author of 101 Ways to Save Money on Healthcare, tells us how we can save money on preventive care, including inf...

• Getting Better Health Care – Can we fix our health care system?

  Our health care system is isn’t a coordinated system. Can meaningful reform legislation pass? We speak with Wake Forest University political economist David Coates about the basic problem with U.S. health care, what change is needed and whether we ...

• Getting Better Health Care – Are medications safe?

  Modern drugs can work miracles, but drug safety is a controversial topic that makes the news regularly. The FDA is responsible for making sure that marketed drug products are effective and safe. How do they do it? We speak with Dr. Sandra Kweder, De...

• Getting Better Health Care – How can we better manage complex conditions?

  Complex conditions, like diabetes, require patients to be educated and involved in their disease management. Diabetes educator and researcher Dr. Julienne Kirk, Professor of Family & Community Medicine at Wake Forest University, describes the team ...

• Getting Better Health Care – Pharmaceutical companies: Good or bad?

  Pharmaceutical companies are responsible for the modern day medications that let doctors work miracles. Is there a downside? We talk with Lori Reilly, Vice President for Policy and Research at the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America ...

• Getting Better Health Care – Will the electronic medical record revolutionize health care?

  Electronic medical records (EMR) are touted as promising better healthcare, less error, and lower cost. Is there no downside? Dr. Dan Siegel, a pioneer in the use of electronic medical records, explains both the ups and the downs of EMR and what we c...

• Getting Better Health Care – How can we possibly control the costs of medical care?

  The politicians tell us the system needs to change in order to lower health care costs. But maybe there’s a bottom-up approach. Dr. Cynthia Koelker, author of 101 Ways to Save Money on Healthcare, empowers each of us to lower our healthcare costs.

• Getting Better Health Care – Does board certification mean I’m seeing a good doctor?

  One of the central elements used to assure the quality of our physicians is board certification. What is Board Certification? How do doctors get it? Is it always for real? We discuss board certification with Dr. Kevin Weiss, President and CEO of th...

• Getting Better Health Care – Where’s the leadership for changing our health system?

  For all its good, there’s general agreement the health care system needs to change, but leadership for effective change seems lacking. We explore what can and should be done with Jim Frogue, Vice President of the Center for Healthcare Transformation.

• Getting Better Health Care – A government agency devoted to improving healthcare quality?

  The most controversial aspect of healthcare reform is the possibility of rationing. The Federal government’s Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is already supporting guidelines and studying efficiencies. Is that code for developing w...

• Getting Better Health Care – How do doctors keep up with new developments?

  Doctors have to be devoted to staying abreast of new medical developments. They must document hours and hours of education every year. How does that education work? How is it kept free of inappropriate drug company influences? Dr. Michael Lischke, ...

• Getting Better Health Care – What does it take to be a better patient?

  As good as our health care system is, it isn’t perfect. Doctors are only human. You can get better health care by taking a leadership role. Margo Corbett, creator of The Savvy Patient’s Toolkit, tells us how to become more engaged, eliminate med...

• Getting Better Health Care – Who’s watching over doctors?

  State medical boards across the country are responsible for licensing and disciplining over 700,000 doctors. Dr. Humayun Chaudhry, President & CEO of the Federation of State Medical Boards, explains how doctors are trained and licensed and how the ...

• Getting Better Health Care – Who’s watching over hospitals and other health care organizations?

  When we’re in need of serious medical care, we often don’t have a lot of time to study whether a hospital is up to standards or not. Jerod Loeb, PhD, Executive Vice President of the Joint Commission, explains how hospitals are accredited and how ov...

• Getting Better Health Care – Are insurers part of the problem or part of the solution?

  Some people deride insurers as a deadweight loss in our health care system. How do insurers’ perceive their role? Barbara Morales, Vice President of Health Policy at BCBS, explains how insurers are patient advocates and describes the strengths and ...

• Getting Better Health Care – What does the health care reform legislation do?

  Did Congress just take over the health care system? Will the health care reform legislation end and destroy our health care system? Legal scholar Mark Hall cuts through the partisan hype to tell us what we can really expect from the “monumental” he...

• Getting Better Health Care – Be prepared to save a life.

  Major disasters grab the news, but minor, potentially life-threatening disasters are all too common. Dr. Richard Bradley, Chief of Emergency Medical Services at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston and long time American Red Cross volunte...

• Getting Better Health Care – The limits of our perceptions.

  Some say the new health care reform law is a step forward while others claim it is a government take over that will destroy our medical system. Which is it? It depends on your perception. We speak with psychologist Dr. Alan Gilchrist about how our perc...

• Getting Better Health Care – Dying well.

  Our medical system at times offers miraculous treatments, but those treatments may not always be desirable. Neurosurgeon Dr. Richard Rapport, a humanist physician, describes both the medical miracles and the times when it is best to say enough is enough.

• Getting Better Health Care – The American Red Cross: A disaster safety net

  Our medical system does miraculous things on a daily basis, but it also has to be flexible to address urgent needs in times of disasters. Throughout the United States, the Red Cross helps people and the medical system prepare for and meet emergency ne...

• Getting Better Health Care – Complementary and integrative medicine.

  American medicine gives patients many effective treatments, but is that enough? Patients want safe, natural, holistic care, and there are a growing number of doctors who are trying to meet those needs. We talk with Dr. Kathi Kemper, internationally r...

• Getting Better Health Care – An obscene takeover of US healthcare?

  Peter Ferrara, director of entitlement and budget policy for the Institute for Policy Innovation and general counsel of the American Civil Rights Union, is disgusted with current healthcare legislation, fearing the effects of a government takeover. Sh...

• Getting Better Health Care – Healing a sick healthcare system.

  Award-winning health economist Professor Victor Fuchs of Stanford University describes the numerous problems with our healthcare system and what we will need to do to fix this system. His prescription? A major overhaul.

• Getting Better Health Care – Angels of Mercy.

  Doctors do so much for their patients. For many doctors, that’s just not enough. Some volunteer in their communities. Others answer bigger needs. Listen to Dr. Joel Schlesinger tell his inspiring story of medical volunteerism and making a difference ...

• Getting Better Health Care – Who is this physician assistant?

  Doctors can only do so much for their patients. Other health care professionals are now helping doctors do more. When you go to see the doctor, you may end up seeing a Physician Assistant. Who are Physician Assistants and what do they do? Physician ...

• Getting Better Health Care – Protecting doctors and patients from medical malpractice.

  Dr. Jeff Segal’s business, Medical Justice, protects doctors from frivolous lawsuits. He says this is good for patients, too. Learn how contracts are being used to help make malpractice law fairer, helping to reduce the costs and risks of defensive...

• Getting Better Health Care – Medical malpractice: The plaintiff’s perspective.

  Defensive medicine is cited as a major cause for the high cost of health care. Medical malpractice plaintiff’s attorney Tom Comerford tells us that defensive medicine isn’t the problem people say it is and shares his insights on how to make sure y...

• Getting Better Health Care – The physician’s perspective on health care reform.

  Patients still trust their physicians. Patients want to know what physicians think health care reform will do to the quality of our health care system. Dr. Joel Schlessinger joins us to talk about his impressions of health care reform legislation and t...

• Getting Better Health Care – A comprehensive plan for universal health care.

  William Roth believes health care is a fundamental right. He’s researched health plans around the world to develop a plan that would give all Americans the care they deserve. Has he solved our health care problem? Listen and find out.

• Getting Better Health Care - Irrational medical decisions.

  Economists tell us we are rational, but behavioral economist Dan Ariely says we are far from it. Regularly we make decisions more like Homer Simpson than like Commander Spock. Learn how we can harness our irrationality to get better health care.

• Getting Better Health Care - What are doctors really like?

  Our doctors are our most important medical partners. What are they like? Are they caring professionals or greedy jerks? Medical anthropologist Dr. John-Henry Pfifferling, Director of the Center for Professional Well Being tells us about hardworking, ca...

• Getting Better Health Care - Physician-patient relationships

  Physician-patient relationships are the heart and soul of medicine. Clinical psychologist and dermatologist Dr. Richard Fried discusses the impact of disease on patients’ lives, the complexity of doctor-patient relationships, and how patients c...

• Getting Better Health Care - Clearing the fog around breast cancer screening.

  Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer deaths in women. The United States Preventive Services Task Force cut back their recommendations on screening for this killer. Surgical oncologist Dr. John Stewart tells us a simple message: screening sa...

• Getting Better Health Care - The weak against the strong.

  How can individual patients possibly go up against behemoths like hospitals, insurers or drug companies? Sheila Rittenberg, Senior Director at the National Psoriasis Foundation tells us how patients can band together to get better health care. ...

• Getting Better Health Care - Insurance coverage for medications.

  Are you confused about how insurers decide what drugs are covered? Barry Ginnetti of the GMR Group describes drug benefits in insurance plans. Learn how insurers decide what drugs to put on their formulary and what to do if an insurer denies cove...

• Getting Better Health Care - New but expensive drugs.

  David Beier, Senior Vice President at Amgen and former Chief Policy Officer to the Vice President of the United States tells us about new drug development, health care reform, and how uninsured patients can get access to expensive medications.

• Getting Better Health Care - Managing lupus.

  Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that devastates the lives of young women and other sufferers. Dawn Isherwood, RN, Nurse Educator with the Lupus Foundation of America tells us what lupus is, how to manage it, and how to use patient advocacy groups...

• Getting Better Health Care - Import the Canadian health system?

  People point to Canada as a possible model for U.S. health system reform. Dr. Kevin Smith, a Canadian physician practicing across the border in Niagara Falls tells us where he would go for medical care if he was ill and why.

• Getting Better Health Care - Are patients satisfied with their care?

  Medical care in the United States is expensive. Are we getting our money’s worth? Dr. Roger Anderson, Professor of Public Health at Penn State University and a founder of an online doctor rating website, DrScore.com, tells us things you can do to hav...

• Getting Better Health Care - Taking medication for chronic illness

  Chronic illness is a growing problem in the United States. Our guest, Dr. Rajesh Balkrishnan, Professor of Pharmacy at the University of Michigan, describes how many patients don’t regularly take their medications. He provides specific advice for hea...