Clinician's Roundtable

Host: Shira Johnson, MD Guest: Alex Rosenau, MD Doctors and nurses in the emergency department work under constant stress. So, what happens when a case is so stressful and horrific that it affects medical personnel emotionally? Dr. Alex Rosenau, vice chair of the department of emergency medicine at Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network in Lehigh, Pennsylvania, joins host Dr. Shira Johnson to d...

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: David Troxel, Dr. The use of online communication and consultation between doctors and patients is becoming so common in everyday physician practice that there is now buzz about "eRisk Guidelines." Dr. David Troxel, medical director of The Doctors Company, tells the Chicago Tribune's Bruce Japsen about the dangers of using e-mail and other electronic communications with p...

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: David Troxel, Dr. Telemedicine continues to increase in popularity, but doctors need to understand the risks when communicating by e-mail or phone. Dr. David Troxel, medical director of the Doctors Company, tells the Chicago Tribune 's Bruce Japsen about potential risks and liability physicians can open themselves up to if they are not careful about how they use telemedic...

Host: Larry Kaskel, MD Guest: Nicholas Galantino, JD Many of our practices could be more efficient at checking in patients, or perhaps more precise in our record keeping. Insurance claims denials and the process of fighting them can be one source of time-consuming, money-draining aggravation for any practice. But we may be seeing a trend toward technologies that could ease these clerical and finan...

Host: Larry Kaskel, MD Guest: Brian Morton, MBA Should you be asking your patients for more than just their co-pay at the time of their visit? With an assist from computer software, a patient's share of their health care costs can be estimated at or prior to the visit. Some experts believe this appraisal, known as real-time claims adjudication, will become much more common in the years ahead. Bria...

Host: Michael Greenberg, MD Guest: James Speta, JD For years, people have turned to online review websites before deciding which restaurants or hotels most deserved their hard-earned dollars. Now, a new category of online reviews is growing, as more patients are posting their own editorials about their physicians. This trend towards patients reviewing their physicians online can be helpful at best...

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: Marc Hedrick, MD Stem cells are often seen as potential agents in the field of regenerative medicine. What are the realities and what should doctors expect? Dr. Marc Hedrick, president of San Diego-based Cytori Therapeutics, tells the Chicago Tribune 's Bruce Japsen about commercialized treatments already being used, and even more on the horizon.

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: Robert Harman Although President Obama has favored funding for embryonic stem cell research, the moral debate continues. But that discussion may overshadow the fact that biotech companies have actually made the most early progress, not in embryonic stem cells, but in adult stem cells. Dr. Robert Harman, chief executive officer and founder of Vet-Stem, joins the Chicago Tr...

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: Robert Harman Human stem cell treatments are only just emerging in clinical trials. but man's 'best friend' is already benefitting from pain relief and important treatments that are commercialized. And this work in dogs and cats could one day benefit human patients. Dr. Robert Harman, CEO and founder of Vet-Stem, tells the Chicago Tribune 's Bruce Japsen about the latest...

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: Helen Darling The stimulus bill passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama has employers excited about the potential for saving healthcare dollars from comparative effectiveness, technology assessment and cost control. Helen Darling, president of the National Business Group on Health, a nonprofit coalition representing some of the nation's largest employers...

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: Helen Darling Employers are finding it tougher and tougher to provide increasingly expensive health benefits. So when President Barack Obama makes healthcare reform a priority this year, what would employers like to see in this proposal? Helen Darling, president of the National Business Group on Health, discusses with the Chicago Tribune 's Bruce Japsen what employers are...

Host: Lisa Mazzullo, MD Guest: Tarun Jain, MD The issue of embryo management has come to the forefront recently with the birth of octuplets in California. More than 400 thousand embryos are currently in storage across the United States. Many couples decide to use their embryos at a later date. But what about the embryos that are not used by fertility patients? Dr. Tarun Jain, in vitro fertilizatio...

Host: Lisa Mazzullo, MD Guest: Lisa Ishii, MD Hair loss can be a troubling situation for women. More than 30 percent of women of all ages suffer from some type of hair loss, either due to medication or medical issues. Dr. Lisa Ishii, an assistant professor of facial plastic and reconstructive surgery in the department of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, tal...

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: Greg Brown For breast cancer patients, there is often an untold story after mastectomy and treatment. Greg Brown, chief executive officer of ImpediMed, tells host Bruce Japsen about how women can suffer a debilitating complication known as lymphedema and how test makers are moving to help diagnose the problem early.

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: Amy Hendel, R-PA The obesity epidemic causes numerous health problems but it's hard for one person to change their ways when the rest of the family continues old patterns. Amy Hendel joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to discuss how to help the group change their eating habits and take on a healthy lifestyle. The two discuss how families can work toget...

Host: Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP Guest: Caroline Hall, MD Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a well-known cause of hospitalization in infants, but new research suggests the burden of illness may be more substantial than previously recognized in healthy, older children as well. Investigators estimate over two million children under the age of five require medical treatment for RSV each year. Because...

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: Jian Han, MD The 'superbug' methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, is a top concern for hospitals and doctors nationwide. So what are we doing to combat this? Dr. Gian Han, director of Diatherix Laboratories, tells host Bruce Japsen about molecular diagnostic technologies being developed for doctors to detect MRSA and prevent infection in patients.

Host: Mary Leuchars, MD Guest: Alex Haynes, MD The annual number of surgeries performed worldwide outnumbers even childbirth. What do the latest studies examining surgical checklists tell us about their impact on reducing global morbidity and mortality? Sharing insights on this subject is Dr. Alex Haynes, surgical research fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health and Massachusetts General Hos...

Host: Larry Kaskel, MD Guest: Steven I. Kern, JD Will openness and honesty about medical errors help you avoid medical litigation? By quickly disclosing errors, offering apologies and, when necessary, providing fair compensation, some medical centers around the country are trying to get out in front of their medical mistakes. Yet, this may not be the best approach for all practitioners. Host Dr. L...

Host: Michael Greenberg, MD Guest: Anne Louise Oaklander, MD, PhD How is complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) distinguished from chronic or phantom limb pain? Can something as simple as a fracture or blood drawing trigger this condition? Dr. Anne-Louise Oaklander, associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, joins host Dr. Michael Greenberg to discuss the intricacies of neuropathic...

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: Patrick Killeen, PA-C Where do physician assistants fit into the organizational chart within hospitals? How are PAs categorized within the organization? Are they considered allied health staff with no vote on hospital issues, or are they medical staff with a voice? Host Lisa Dandrea Lenell and Patrick Killeen, director at large on the American Acad...

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Guest: Eric D. Levens, MD Dr. Eric Levens, Lieutenant Commander in the United States Public Health Services, discusses ethical issues that arise when research involves human oocyte donation. Among the topics discussed by Dr. Levens and host Dr. Maurice Pickard are issues surrounding donor protection. There are tensions around the potential greater risks than benefits to t...

Host: Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP Guest: Sten Vermund, MD, PhD Past research tells us that many young lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender patients are at higher risk for health problems, such as depression, substance abuse, and sexually transmitted diseases. We're also learning that the response of the young person's family can trigger or worsen these conditions. Dr. Sten Vermund, professor of pedia...

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: Ken Harbert, PhD More than 8000 military corpsmen will head back to civilian life this year after being released from the military. How do they go about furthering their education to become a physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or even pursue a medical degree, after serving their country? Dr. Ken Harbert, president of Health Watch, Ltd., talks...

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: Charlene Morris, MPAS, PA-C As part of a profession whose role is not always clearly understood, physician assistants rely on the voice of their Associations. Host Lisa D'Andrea Lenell talks to Charlene Morris, past-president of the Association of Family Practice Physician Assistants, about practical ways PAs can get involved and lead.