Fixing Healthcare Podcast

More Americans over the age of 65 are now selecting Medicare Advantage over traditional Medicare for their health insurance coverage, according to the U.S. Congressional Budget Office (CBO). What’s more, Medicare Advantage is expected to widen its lead in the years to come—projected to cover 60% of the eligible senior population by the year 2030. It’s a major win for the “little brother” that blossomed out of a Congressional effort in the 1990s to improve the quality of Medicare-provided medical care while also lowering costs, says podcast cohost Dr. Robert Pearl. Unlike Original Medicare, which is government-provided health insurance, Medicare Advantage plans are administered by private insurers. Medicare Advantage plans also include extra benefits like out-of-pocket maximums, dental or hearing coverage, and even fitness stipends. While there are many differences between the two options, the most important, according to Dr. Pearl, is how these programs pay hospitals and healthcare professionals to provide care. On this episode of “Medicine: The Truth,” Dr. Pearl explains why “capitation” sets Medicare Advantage apart from traditional Medicare, which is a “fee-for-service” program. Anyone who’s 65+ or nearing that age should tune in for the full conversation. As always, Dr. Pearl and Jeremy Corr eagerly follow the facts, uncover the truth, and help listeners understand the world’s biggest medical stories. Also featured on today’s program: The FDA grants full approval for a new Alzheimer’s drug The safety and cost of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic Over-the-counter birth-control pills are coming The dwindling number of private-practice physicians New data on opioid addiction and overdose A new RSV drug for newborns Avoiding a repeat of the “triple-demic” later this year The medical implications of global warming A Pew Research poll on the cost of healthcare The difference between generics and biosimilars A breakthrough in the global fight against malaria Click here for more info: https://www.fixinghealthcarepodcast.com/ * * * Dr. Robert Pearl is the author of a book about medicine’s invisible yet highly influential physician culture. Check out “Uncaring: How Physician Culture Is Killing Doctors & Patients.” All profits from the book go to Doctors Without Borders. Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn. The post MTT #75: Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

Welcome to the 100th episode of Fixing Healthcare. To kick things off, hosts Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr are taking the opportunity to examine what has improved (and, notably, hasn’t improved) in healthcare since this podcast began five years ago. Leading off, Dr. Pearl shares: Three things that are better now in healthcare, during episode 100, than during episode 1 (which aired in August 2018) Three aspects of healthcare that have become worse Three things that remain the same That discussion is followed by a look at two important healthcare topics. The first is the use of Ozempic, a diabetes drug, for weight loss. Dr. Pearl’s recent op-ed on the topic, called for the U.S. government to fund the development of a new *affordable* class of weight-loss medications to tackle the U.S. obesity epidemic. To close out the show, Pearl then shares five toxic leadership traits in healthcare—each inspired by a character on the hit HBO show Succession. You won’t want to miss his insightful breakdown. HELPFUL LINKS How the government can solve America’s obesity epidemic (op-ed syndicated in 50+ papers) 5 Fatal Flaws Of Healthcare Leaders: Inspired By HBO’s ‘Succession’ (Forbes) 15 Innovative Ideas For Fixing Healthcare From 15 Brilliant Minds (Forbes) Monthly Musings on American Healthcare (Robert Pearl’s free newsletter) * * * Dr. Robert Pearl is the author of a book about medicine’s invisible yet highly influential physician culture. Check out “Uncaring: How Physician Culture Is Killing Doctors & Patients.” All profits from the book go to Doctors Without Borders. Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn. The post FHC #100: Diving deep into weight-loss drugs + toxic leadership appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

This “Unfiltered” episode of Fixing Healthcare welcomes back Dr. Jonathan Fisher, a respected cardiologist and renowned advocate for physician well-being. Alongside cohost Jeremy Corr, Dr. Robert Pearl kicks off the conversation by noting that a growing number of healthcare conferences focus on clinician burnout, including several events hosted by Dr. Fisher, which strive to relievie the pain doctors and nurses experience daily. And, simultaneously, Pearl cites the pain of patients who are, increasingly, unable to afford the cost of health insurance and healthcare. “A potential solution to both problems,” says Dr. Pearl, “is through added productivity in healthcare.” And this leads us to the show’s central question: “Is there a role for doctors and nurses to provide excellence in medical care at lower costs, or is that someone else’s responsibility?” Fisher responds: “The question really triggers physicians and it’s because of the way we define productivity. The traditional definition, if you ask all the productivity experts, is doing more. The question is not ‘how can you do more with less?’ but rather ‘how can you be part of the solution?’” To learn more, press play and check out these helpful links: Presale: ‘Just One Heart’ (Jonathan Fisher’s new book) A Cardiologist on Leading From the Heart (‘Human Leaders’ on LinkedIn) Brain, Heart, Spine: The Anatomy of Healthcare Leadership (Forbes) Value-Based Healthcare Battle (Forbes) * * * Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple Podcasts or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn. The post FHC #99: Why is healthcare so expensive and who will fix it? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

Returning to the Fixing Healthcare podcast for a third time is Dr. Don Berwick, here to talk about the dire need for leadership to address our nation’s many healthcare crises. Returning to the Fixing Healthcare podcast is Dr. Don Berwick. He offers frank words about the dire need for medical leadership to address our nation’s many healthcare crises. Don is the former president and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and led the organization’s 100,000 Lives Campaign. He’s the former administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). In this interview, hosts Jeremy Corr and Dr. Robert Pearl ask Don to discuss what is holding back healthcare leadership from instituting meaningful change and from kicking off what Don describes as a necessary “revolution.” The discussion leads to the incumbents of healthcare—pharma, health insurance, hospital system execs, etc.—and why they do well when healthcare fails to improve. Don opines on private vs. public care, a global movement toward integrated care systems and the ways ChatGPT can support the “frail memory” of individual physicians. Tune in for the full interview and join the conversation on social media. * * * Dr. Robert Pearl is the author of a book about medicine’s invisible yet highly influential physician culture. Check out “Uncaring: How Physician Culture Is Killing Doctors & Patients.” All profits from the book go to Doctors Without Borders. Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn. The post FHC #98: Don Berwick on leadership, greed + a promising youth movement appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

As Americans everywhere gather around their BBQ grills and gaze up at fireworks, Fixing Healthcare hosts Jeremy Corr and Dr. Robert Pearl revisit an important episode from the show’s current season, featuring the brilliant author and observer Malcolm Gladwell. July 4th is a celebration of independence, but it also is a day to recognize the vital role leadership plays. Without courageous and skilled leaders, the Declaration of Independence and the founding of our nation would not have been possible. Medicine would benefit from visionary leaders, as well—the kind capable of translating healthcare opportunities into practice. In this episode, which aired during a season dedicated to improving healthcare leadership in the United States, Gladwell got to talking about his own experiences navigating the nation’s trouble health system. As a relatively new father and the son of a woman in her 90s, Gladwell said, “Observing people at those ends of life, you realize that what you really want from the healthcare system is reassurance as much as anything … You want someone you can call on the phone or email, and who will respond really quickly and tell you it’s going to be okay.” The original episode (#90 if you’re looking for it) is being played in full this week as part of a Fixing Healthcare flashback. The purpose? To quote Dr. Pearl: “My hope in replaying these ideas is to help listeners once again realize how much could be done to transform American healthcare and improve people’s lives. And simultaneously, help them recognize how far we are from delivering the excellence in healthcare Americans want, need and deserve.” Helpful links: Revisionist History (A Malcolm Gladwell podcast) Malcolm Gladwell on breaking the rules of healthcare (FHC #43) Outliers (book) David and Goliath (book) The ordinary greatness of Roger Bannister (The New Yorker) Was Jack Welch the greatest CEO of his day—or the worst? (The New Yorker) * * * Dr. Robert Pearl is the author of a book about medicine’s invisible yet highly influential physician culture. Check out “Uncaring: How Physician Culture Is Killing Doctors & Patients.” All profits from the book go to Doctors Without Borders. Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn. The post FHC #97: Fixing Healthcare flashback with Malcolm Gladwell appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

The FDA moved forward this month with a recommendation to change the composition of Covid-19 boosters in time for fall. Whereas the current vaxx, a cocktail designed to target the original coronavirus and the Omicron strain, will soon give way to a shot aimed at the XBB.1.5 subvariant. The question on the minds of public-health experts (and likely, soon to be on the minds of patients): Will it make any difference? On this episode of “Medicine: The Truth,” cohost Dr. Robert Pearl poses two more pressing questions about the new vaccine: Will insurers cover the costs of the new vaccine or will they charge a copayment? And, regardless of the price, how many folks will roll up their sleeves to receive it (compared to last fall)? In other medication news, another Alzheimer’s drug is expected to receive full FDA approval soon. This one, lecanemab (Leqembi), received conditional approval in January based on its success removing a substance called amyloid-beta from the brains of people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. But this news raises questions, too: How does lecanemab stack up against its controversial predecessor, aducanumab? Will payers like Medicare make it easy or difficult for patients to access and afford the new medication? Does the high price of any Alzheimer’s drug match the health benefits or expected increase in life expectancy? Hosts Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr discuss these questions and several other pressing healthcare topics, including: the upcoming season of Fixing Healthcare’s focus on end-of-life issues, the latest on a new lung-cancer drug, the current threat of long-COVID and whether the threat is great enough to get more Americans vaccinated and boosted. Tune in for the full conversation around Covid-19 and a host of healthcare topics. As always, Dr. Pearl and Jeremy eagerly follow the facts, uncover the truth, and help listeners understand how the world’s biggest healthcare stories affect us all. Click here for more info: https://www.fixinghealthcarepodcast.com/ * * * Dr. Robert Pearl is the author of a book about medicine’s invisible yet highly influential physician culture. Check out “Uncaring: How Physician Culture Is Killing Doctors & Patients.” All profits from the book go to Doctors Without Borders. Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn. The post MTT #74: A change in the Covid-19 booster? A new Alzheimer’s drug? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

U.S. healthcare is in financial crisis. Patients are feeling the pain, acutely. Nearly 90 million Americans are enrolled in Medicaid at a time when medical bills have become the leading cause of bankruptcy. As a whole, the U.S. 18% of its GDP on healthcare, nearly twice as much per citizen as any other country. All this, while achieving the worst health outcomes among its 12 richest peers. As patients grapple with the cost of care, major health systems are fighting their own battles for survival. Last month’s megadeal between Kaiser Permanente (where cohost Robert Pearl spent 18 years as CEO of the medical group) and Geisinger Health is yet another example of healthcare consolidation—one that has industry observers scratching their heads. In this episode of ‘Diving Deep,’ Dr. Robert Pearl discusses these trends with cohost Jeremy Corr as the two dive into the implications of medicine’s rising prices and the acquisition of yet another major hospital system. Click play to learn more or check out the various links below for additional information. HELPFUL LINKS The healthcare cost crisis: How zigzagging is hurting America (Forbes) What Kaiser’s acquisition of Geisinger means for all of us (Forbes) Monthly Musings on American Healthcare (Robert Pearl’s newsletter) How does Kaiser benefit from the Geisinger deal? (The Health Care Blog) * * * Dr. Robert Pearl is the author of a book about medicine’s invisible yet highly influential physician culture. Check out “Uncaring: How Physician Culture Is Killing Doctors & Patients.” All profits from the book go to Doctors Without Borders. Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn. The post FHC #96: Diving deep into the financial crisis of U.S. healthcare appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

This Unfiltered episode of Fixing Healthcare welcomes back Dr. Jonathan Fisher, a respected cardiologist and renowned advocate for physician well-being. He joins cohosts Jeremy Corr and Dr. Robert Pearl to discuss hard-earned lessons from his upcoming book “Just One Heart: A Cardiologist’s Guide to Healing, Health, and Happiness.” In this interview, Fisher explains the “Seven Timeless Traits of the Heart”: steadiness, wisdom, openness, wholeness, courage, lightness and warmth. Each comprises a chapter in his book, giving readers a set of real-world strategies, exercises and tips for strengthening these qualities of the heart. Fisher says, “As you strengthen the seven traits of your heart, you will find more health, joy, meaning, and connection in your own life and have the tools to help others do the same.” To discover more, press play and check out these helpful links: Presale: ‘Just One Heart’ (Jonathan Fisher’s new book) A Cardiologist on Leading From the Heart (‘Human Leaders’ on LinkedIn) Meet ‘the mindful heart doctor’ (NHF) Brain, Heart, Spine: The Anatomy of Healthcare Leadership (Forbes) * * * Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple Podcasts or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn. The post FHC #95: This cardiologist took care of 20,000 hearts before taking care of his own appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

Abraham Verghese is an American physician and Professor of the Theory and Practice of Medicine and Vice Chair of Education at Stanford University Medical School. He is also the author of four best-selling books, two memoirs and two novels. In his first Fixing Healthcare interview, Verghese talks about his newest work of fiction, “The Covenant of Water,” which sits at No. 4 on the New York Times list and is an Oprah book-club selection. The discussion takes listeners on a journey into the mind of an exceptional physician and writer. Verghese compares his approach to writing vs. medicine and concludes, “the gaze is the same.” And because he sees the world similarly, whether he’s sitting in front of keyboard or a sick patient, he shares a fascinating perspective on  physician leadership, end-of-life care and myriad issues that transcend healthcare. For more on this interview and Abraham Verghese, check out the full interview transcript and peruse the helpful links below. Helpful links: Oprah’s Book Club Pick: The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese A biography of Abraham Verghese (Abraham’s website) Verghese interviews Dr. Pearl on ‘Medicine And The Machine’ (podcast) * * * Dr. Robert Pearl is the author of a new book about medicine’s invisible yet highly influential physician culture. Check out “Uncaring: How Physician Culture Is Killing Doctors & Patients.” Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn. The post FHC #94: Abraham Verghese on ‘The Covenant of Water’ and the practice of medicine appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

Dr. Zeev Neuwirth, Clinical Chief of Care Transformation for Atrium Health, returns to the Fixing Healthcare podcast for a tell-all talk about leadership in healthcare: the good, the bad and the nonexistent. Neuwirth is the author of “Reframing Healthcare” and host of the podcast “Creating A New Healthcare.” His upcoming book “Beyond The Walls: Megatrends, Movements And Market Disruptors Transforming American Healthcare” will hit bookshelves this fall. It is, in many ways, a collection of insights from the foremost leaders in American medicine. He joins Dr. Robert Pearl, a longtime healthcare executive and physician leader, and Jeremy Corr, CEO of Executive Podcast Solutions, to share what he has learned about effective leadership and what it will take to lift our nation’s healthcare system “over the wall” of traditional, inefficient, inconvenient and overly in-person medical care. Helpful links: Beyond the Walls: MegaTrends, Movements and Market Disruptors Transforming American Healthcare (Amazon pre-order) Creating A New Healthcare (Zeev’s podcast) Can A Consumer Approach Transform American Medicine? (Psychiatric News) It’s 2040: How Did U.S. Medicine Become Best In The World? (Forbes) * * * Dr. Robert Pearl is the author of a new book about medicine’s invisible yet highly influential physician culture. Check out “Uncaring: How Physician Culture Is Killing Doctors & Patients.” Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn. The post FHC #93: Zeev Neuwirth on the future of healthcare appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.