Faisel and Friends: A Primary Care Podcast

This week on Faisel and Friends, we are discussing Fostering a Sustainable Workforce. Faisel and Dan are talking with Bergen Morehouse and Mahima Sangtani from HOSA—Future Healthcare Professionals. Our conversation explores the value of introducing clinical knowledge to young people, the importance of teaching leadership and communication skills in medicine, and the advantage from early involvemen...

Having just attended an energizing event hosted by Primary Care for America, Faisel and Dan are discussing Doubling Down on the Triple Double: Fresh Thoughts on Primary Care! Our conversation revolves around the impact of the Triple Double national campaign to transform healthcare, the value of primary care as the most influential specialty to improve outcomes, and the challenges of our present ca...

We’re discussing Family Medicine Revolution: Physician Leadership in Action! Faisel and Dan are joined by Dr. Jay Lee, co-founder of #FMRevolution. Our conversation revolves around starting an ongoing movement to inspire the family medicine workforce, defining success in leadership and advocacy, and fulfilling your values through current technology and alternative care models.

This week on Faisel and Friends, we are discussing Sharing Care: Expanding Primary Care Delivery. Faisel and Dan are talking with Dr. Yasir Abdul-Rahman, Physician and Innovator. Our conversation explores scaling primary care accessibility through virtual group visits, improving patient outcomes while reducing physician burnout, and building community within shared medical care.

We’re discussing More than Just Mom: the Role of Family and Community in Maternal Health! Faisel and Dan are joined by Dr. Esa Davis from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Our conversation revolves around providing value through continuity during and beyond perinatal care, partnering with community health professionals for holistic patient care, and considering how to utilize AI witho...

This week on Faisel and Friends, we are discussing The Doctor Abides: Simple Rules of Family Medicine. Faisel and Dan are talking with Dr. Kurt Stange, Director of the Center for Community Health Integration. Our conversation explores the differences between generalists and specialists, the utmost relevance of primary care in the current healthcare system, and the lasting impact family physicians...

Medical students are eagerly awaiting Match Day 2026, and we’re discussing Optimizing the Match: the Residency Selection Improvement Initiative! Faisel and Dan are joined by Dr. Karen Mitchell, Vice President at the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). Our conversation revolves around improving the efficiency of the resident application process, visualizing a future where residency applic...

This week on Faisel and Friends, we are discussing A Call to Action: the Primary Care Triple Double. Faisel and Dan are talking with Dr. Asaf Bitton, executive director of Ariadne Labs. Our conversation explores envisioning the next four years of advancement in primary care, breaking down the factors to achieve that vision, and identifying the outcomes of our efforts. Stay informed and learn more...

We’re discussing Rural Collective Care: Primary Care That Shows Up! Faisel and Dan are joined by Dr. Jim Lancaster, from Main Street Health. Our conversation revolves around measuring value in both quality as well as outcomes, providing patient care that goes above and beyond the clinic walls, responding to natural disasters as a team to support the community, and making the bright future of rural...

This week on Faisel and Friends, we are discussing Physician as Patient: Navigating the Healthcare System in an Emergency. Faisel and Dan are talking with Dr. Lauren Hughes: Family Physician Executive and Health Policy Leader improving Primary Care and Rural Health. Our conversation explores how Dr. Hughes managed her patient experience after a car accident: the work required to navigate insurance...

We’re discussing The Compass of Connection: Using Moral Insight to Guide Patient-Centered Care! Faisel and Dan are joined by Dr. Peter Murphy, from Mountain View Direct Care. Our conversation revolves around defining what sets Direct Primary Care apart from other models, considering the moral injury of financial harm as part of patients’ health, and forging a new path based in quality relationship...

We’re discussing A Year in Review: Looking Forward to 2026! Faisel and Dan are reflecting on all we learned through our conversations in 2025, and projecting what’s on the horizon this year. Our conversation revolves around improving the healthcare system for all patients, expanding access to Direct Primary Care through health savings accounts, and personalizing the way we coordinate care for bett...

This week on Faisel and Friends, we are discussing Following the Information Blueprint: Restoring Joy in Primary Care. Faisel and Dan are talking with Karen Johnson, PhD: Vice President of Practice Advancement at the American Academy of Family Physicians. Our conversation explores reducing the burdens of practice by utilizing AI, improving information-sharing and data flow to guide impactful actio...

We’re discussing Smarter Tech, Stronger Connections! Faisel and Dan are joined by Dr. Paulius Mui & Dr. Gina Engel Our conversation revolves around preserving human connection and clinical judgement in a digital landscape, enhancing care with responsible AI use, and treating technology as support rather than replacement. This episode was recorded live at FMX, the AAFP's premier Family Medicine...

This week on Faisel and Friends, we are discussing Reclaiming the Human Interaction in The Age of AI. Faisel and Dan are talking with Dr. Steven Waldren & Dr. Jay Lee. Our conversation explores empowering clinicians with technology, optimizing team collaboration with AI, and reclaiming the narrative around primary care physicians as trusted voices of wellness. This episode was recorded live at...

We’re discussing Empowering Patients to Make the Best Decisions! Faisel and Dan are joined by Dr. Alex McDonald: Family and Sports Medicine Physician, AAFP Vaccine Science Fellow, and Immediate Past President of the California Academy of Family Physicians. Our conversation revolves around exploring vaccination options with patients, building a movement from an online immunization community, and pr...

We’re discussing Raising the Bar in Value Based Primary Care Payment! Faisel and Dan are joined by Purva Rawal, PhD, Former Chief Strategy Officer, CMS Innovation Center at Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Our conversation revolves around navigating changing healthcare policies, unlearning fee for service as the default, and leveraging community relationships within alternative care m...

This week on Faisel and Friends, we are discussing Growth, Equity, and Alignment in Primary Care Systems. Faisel and Dan are talking with Dr. Doug Jacobs: Executive Director of the Maryland Health Care Commission (MHCC). Our conversation explores caring about what’s happening in fee-for-service even if you are in a value-based model, communicating with patients about accountable care, and understa...

We’re discussing Teaching Tomorrow’s Family Doctors: Residency, Resilience, and New Models of Care! Faisel and Dan are joined by Dr. Makandall Saint Eloi, Dr. Christian Widder and Dr. Farah Shaukat. Our conversation revolves around training the next generation of doctors, implementing new models of care, and identifying practical applications of AI in family medicine. This episode was recorded liv...

This week on Faisel and Friends, we are discussing From Inspiration to Impact: Family Medicine at the Crossroads of Change. Faisel and Dan are talking with Shawn Martin, Executive Vice President and CEO of the American Academy of Family Physicians, and Dr. Tina Sharma, Chief Resident of Family Medicine at The University of Texas at Tyler. Our conversation explores the growing direct primary care m...

We’re discussing Direct Primary Care: a Rising Tide for American Healthcare! Faisel and Dan are joined by Dr. Jeffrey Davenport, from One Focus Medical and Direct Primary Care Alliance. Our conversation revolves around recent policy changes in favor of DPC, timely momentum in the alternative care model movement, and finding physician satisfaction after burnout. This episode was recorded live at FU...

This week on Faisel and Friends, we are discussing Beyond the Copay: DPC, HSAs, and the Politics of Change. Faisel and Dan are talking with Jay Keese: CEO of Capitol Advocates and Executive Director of the Direct Primary Care Coalition (DPCC). Our conversation explores meaningful changes to healthcare delivery, groundbreaking achievements in IRS policy, and advice for leveraging law to provide mor...

We’re discussing Taking Care: of Ourselves, Each Other, and Our System! Faisel and Dan are joined by Dr. Asaf Bitton, executive director of Ariadne Labs and Associate Professor of Medicine and Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Our conversation revolves around innovating payment models beyond units, taking responsibility for patient needs be...

This week on Faisel and Friends, we are discussing Advanced Primary Care: Investing in Happier and Healthier Patients. Faisel and Dan are talking with Dr. Jon Leizman, Chief Medical Officer at Premise Health. Our conversation explores navigating access to primary care, shifting the focus within a model of onsite employer-based healthcare, and addressing the role of policy in the future of the heal...

We’re discussing Relationships and Community: the Fabric of Rural Health! Faisel and Dan are joined by Dr. Sonya Bruton: CEO and President of CCI Health Services, Clinical Psychologist, and Author. Our conversation revolves around the inherent link between physical and behavioral health, the necessity of physicians staying engaged with their passion for care, and the hesitancy of patients around A...