Clinician's Roundtable

Host: Michael Greenberg, MD Guest: Donna Jarmusz, MA The healthcare village is a new setting for outpatient care that's similar to an upscale shopping mall. These villages may include cardiologists, primary care physicians, and ambulatory surgery centers, alongside pharmacies, restaurants, spas and health clubs. What are the advantages to this type of business model? Is the healthcare village mode...

Host: Shira Johnson, MD Guest: Brendan Carr, MD Time is critical in a medical crisis, but according to new research, the nearest facility may not always be the best place for the patient. Dr. Brendan Carr, lead author of the study and assistant professor of emergency medicine and epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania, discusses his research with host Dr. Shira Johnson. They also look at f...

Host: Shira Johnson, MD Guest: Shan Liu, MD Patients that come into an emergency room sometimes have to wait hours even days before they are moved to a hospital floor. A new study says more than a quarter of patients who are "boarded" in the ER after being admitted to the hospital often suffer undesirable events like missing necessary treatments or medications. Dr. Shan Liu, an attending physician...

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: David Himmelstein, MD The single payer form of health insurance for all Americans: could this be the year that the long-debated model for medical care coverage becomes a reality? Dr. David Himmelstein, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a long-time advocate of single payer coverage, tells the Chicago Tribune 's Bruce Japsen about the best chance...

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: William Hersh, MD The stimulus package approved by Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama promises unprecedented money for health IT and electronic medical records. But if the money is enough, are there enough health informatics specialists to pull it off? Dr. Bill Hersh, chair of the Department of Medical Informatics & Clinical Epidemiology in the Sch...

Host: Larry Kaskel, MD Guest: Kelly Brownell, PhD It has been billed as the biggest boon to public health since tobacco taxes. And a one-cent per ounce tax on sodas could bring in as much as $400 million of annual revenue for the state of New York alone. How would a tax on sugared beverages impact our health and health care budget? Would the general public throw enough support behind this policy s...

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Guest: Robert Brzyski, MD, PhD When a mother was granted legal permission to collect her 21 year old deceased son's sperm in April 2009, questions were raised about posthumous reproductive rights. Although the mother declared that her son always wanted to have children, does this meet the criteria of informed consent, or is it an example of substituted judgment? Can this...

Host: Mark Nolan Hill, MD Guest: Anthony Miniaci, MD Early arthritis of the knee is a frustrating and painful condition, especially for our more active patients. Some will begrudgingly accept the end of their adult sports league careers, others will be less inclined to hang up their sneakers. In this case, depending on the severity of the condition, there could be several procedural options, inclu...

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: Eric Elliott What if prescription costs were tied to outcomes and how patients do on their prescriptions? It's already happening. Eric Elliott, president of CignaPharmacy Management, tells the Chicago Tribune 's Bruce Japsen about new ways health benefits companies are working to provide more effective treatments.

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: Michael King The burgeoning number of emergency patients who do not speak English because our nation has become so diverse is creating a greater imperative to bridge the language gap in the hospital. Live video interpretation and translation could be the answer, says Michael King, director of business development for the Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council, in an inte...

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: Ed Lopez What's it like to be a hospitalist? Many PAs are turning to this growing field. Ed Lopez, founder and president of La Palma Medicine and Surgical Associates in Tacoma, Washington, talks with host Lisa D'Andrea Lenell about the ins and outs of working in a hospital. They cover a typical day, and the type of personality best suited for this...

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: Ed Lopez With the growing shortage of healthcare professionals, the need is growing for PAs to become part of a hospitalist team. Ed Lopez founder and president of La Palma Medicine and Surgical Associates in Tacoma, Washington, joins host Lisa D'Andrea Lenell to discuss this growing field, including how to get a job in a hospital setting and the c...

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: Andrew Faucett How does a PA handle a patient who comes in following genetic testing, and how do they counsel that patient on their results? PA educators are realizing this scenario is becoming commonplace. Since 2008, genetics is now a required course for all PA students. Andrew Faucett, an assistant professor in the department of human genetics a...

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: Ann Davis Guest: Beth Grivett Each state has its own laws and regulations on what physician assistants may and may not do within their practice. Host Lisa D'Andrea Lenell is joined by two guests for her discussion on state law. PA Ann Davis, director of state government advocacy and outreach with the American Academy of Physician Assistants discuss...

Host: Larry Kaskel, MD Guest: Owen J. Dahl, MBA Thinking about adding an ancillary service to your practice? It's a move that certainly has the potential to be an additional source of revenue, but in order to make that happen, you'll need to do your due diligence research to ensure that it makes sense for your patients and your practice. Host Dr. Larry Kaskel gets some helpful guidance from Owen D...

Host: Larry Kaskel, MD Guest: William Hutton, MD Decisions on practice philosophy, finances, marketing, and much more are yours to make when starting your own medical practice. That's the good news. But it can also make the prospect of setting up your own shop seem extremely daunting. From picking a location, to creating a business plan, to seeking expert advice on accounting, credentialing and le...

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: Dave Mittman, PA Does the title Physician Assistant truly capture the core of the PA's role in the 21st century? Does the title hinder efforts to advance the role of the PA profession? Is the word "assistant" confusing to patients, doctors and other healthcare professionals? Those are just a few of the questions explored by host Lisa D'Andrea Lenel...

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: Scott Gottlieb, MD The highly publicized decision by President Obama to add more federal dollars toward embryonic stem cell research may be fueling misconceptions about how drugs and medical products are created. But it's a part of the debate on stem cells that some in medicine think needs to be heard. Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former Food and Drug Administration deputy commiss...

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Guest: Abraham Morgentaler, MD Testosterone therapy for men is controversial, but some new research suggests physicians might want to re-evaluate increasing the levels of testosterone in men with lower levels. Sexual dysfunction is one of the more apparent symptoms of low testosterone, but what are the other non-sexual symptoms of low "T" physicians should be aware of? Wh...

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: Alan Sager, PhD Hospitals are closing nationwide, but is it really a case of here-we-go-again because of reductions in reimbursement? This time, we are in the most serious recession in decades. Dr. Alan Sager, professor of health policy and management at Boston University School of Public Health, tells the Chicago Tribune 's Bruce Japsen about what lies ahead for physicia...

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Guest: Stuart Finder, PhD The face transplant is a relatively new, experimental procedure still in its early stages. This operation is comparable to a hand transplant, in that the patient’s quality of life may be improved with the procedure, but the condition is not immediately life-threatening. How can physicians discuss the risk-benefit ratio of this procedure with pote...

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Guest: Daniel Remick, MD While many patients with asthma are allergic to pollen or pet dander, new evidence suggests inner city asthma patients may be most allergic to cockroach remains found in household dust. Dr. Daniel Remick, chair and professor of pathology at Boston University School of Medicine, discusses his new research demonstrating the relationship between hous...

Host: Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP Guest: Rahul Parikh, MD Physicians often collaborate with other doctors when caring for patients with various medical problems. Yet disagreements with our colleagues may occur more frequently than we would like to admit, and there can be consequences to these disagreements among physicians. How can we best deal with these differences in medical opinion, while keeping i...

Host: Larry Kaskel, MD Guest: Judy Capko Inventory management is a fine balance. You want to have what you need when you need it, but you can run the risk of overstocking certain items. We hear a lot about the wasteful spending of our government, but we may look no further than our own medical practices to find the pork. How can you pare down wasteful spending on supplies, and how can your supplie...

Host: Larry Kaskel, MD Guest: Judy Capko Focus on customer service. Participate in community activities to raise local visibility. Reward patients who bring referrals to your practice. These are just a few simple ways to market your practice, even on a limited budget. What is it about these strategies that will give you the biggest bang for your buck, and what else can you to keep your patient vol...