Fixing Healthcare Podcast

On today’s episode of “Medicine: The Truth” (formerly “Coronavirus: The Truth”), hosts Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr tackle healthcare’s hottest issues and biggest problems. The show begins with a question: Why, according to the Commonwealth Fund, is American healthcare once again in last place, lagging its global peers? For the answer, Dr. Pearl borrows from the world of sports. Whether it’s “...

In any industry, too much market consolidation limits competition, choice and access to goods and services, all of which drives up prices. But there’s another—often overlooked—consequence. Market leaders that grow too powerful become complacent. And, when that happens, innovation dies. Healthcare is a prime example. Welcome to Diving Deep . Each month, this show probes some of healthcare’s most co...

Valentine’s Day is here—a time to celebrate the heart. In this episode, Drs. Robert Pearl and Zubin Damania (aka ZDoggMD) discuss a series of studies confirming that interpersonal relationships (with friends, family, etc.) have the biggest impact on life expectancy and overall wellness. This raises the question: Is there a role for medicine in addressing this most vital component of health?...

Dr. Eric Topol , now a three-time returning guest on the Fixing Healthcare podcast, discusses 21st-century lessons in leadership. Topol is the director of the Scripps Research Institute and a professor of molecular medicine. He has published more than 1,200 peer-reviewed articles and serves as the editor-in-chief of Medscape. He has authored three bestselling books including his most recent, “Deep...

For three years, all eyes (and ears) were turned toward the Covid-19 pandemic. And since early 2020, Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr have hosted the popular podcast “Coronavirus: The Truth.” That show has cut through the fearmongering and misinformation circulated on social media to bring listeners the truth about the coronavirus—with informed commentary, helpful context and reporting from only t...

Without looking it up, how many Americans do you think are enrolled in Medicaid , the government-funded program that provides health coverage to low-income adults, children and families? The answer is one of three shocking healthcare statistics you’ll hear about on today’s program. Welcome back to Diving Deep , the first new episode of the new year. Each month, this show probes some of healthcare’...

The internet (and nearly every American industry) is abuzz with a new phenomenon called ChatGPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer), a remarkable artificial intelligence chatbot launched in November 2022 that has an uncanny ability to generate human-like text. Recent headlines tell of the potential havoc this AI can inflict: “ChatGPT writes medical research abstracts that can fool scientists” and...

This episode kicks off season eight of the Fixing Healthcare podcast. The guest: Dr. David Feinberg, currently chairman of Oracle Healthcare, former CEO of Cerner (acquired by Oracle in 2022), and previous head of both Google Health and Geisinger. This is Dr. Feinberg’s third appearance on the show. He joined hosts Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr in season one (episode 3) and season six (episode...

This week, Fixing Healthcare hosts Jeremy Corr and Dr. Robert Pearl conclude their holiday tribute to episodes past with this 2018 interview of Dr. Don Berwick . 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) and has s...

This holiday season, Fixing Healthcare hosts Jeremy Corr and Dr. Robert Pearl are mixing things up with a look back in time—way back, in fact, to the season-one finale with healthcare futurist Ian Morrison . During this 2019 interview, Morrison earned the distinction of becoming the first (and still the only) guest to propose “Medicare Advantage for All” as a solution for fixing healthcare. He exp...

In this episode of Coronavirus: The Truth , Jeremy Corr and Dr. Robert Pearl discuss the long list of viral enemies attacking Americans this winter. Chief among them: Covid-19, RSV and seasonal influenza, the latter of which has tallied 8.7 million cases and 78,000 hospitalizations so far (40 times higher than at this point last year). How seriously should American take these viral threats as we a...

This Fixing Healthcare podcast series “Diving Deep” probes some of healthcare’s most complex topics and deep-seated problems. On today’s episode, hosts Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr discuss two imperatives for healthcare leadership in the 21st century: changing the way docs use technology and changing the way we pay for medical care. For more information on healthcare leadership, check out Dr....

As a college freshman, Fixing Healthcare  cohost Dr. Robert Pearl decided that rather than becoming a university professor as he had planned, he’d go into a field without politics: medicine . He laughs about how naïve he was as a 17-year-old. “Healthcare is about life and death,” said Pearl, recalling his decision, “How could there be politics entwined inside that esteemed world?” Of course, Pearl...

Dr. Jonathan Fisher was practically born into medicine. All six of his siblings became doctors, following in their father’s professional footsteps. Jonathan, himself, became a Harvard-trained cardiologist, working in some of the nation’s leading medical institutions. But, in the process of making his family proud, he was becoming anxious, depressed and burned out. He was losing an important part o...

This holiday season, Fixing Healthcare hosts Jeremy Corr and Dr. Robert Pearl are mixing things up with a look back in time—way back, in fact, to the first episode of the first season with Dr. Zubin Damania (aka ZDoggMD). Since this interview in 2018, Dr. Z has become one of this show’s most popular returning guests. Zubin Damania is a UCSF- and Stanford-trained internist and founder of Turntable...

In this episode of Coronavirus: The Truth , Jeremy Corr and Dr. Robert Pearl discuss the latest buzzword of the Covid-19 era: Triple-demic . Earlier this month, the CDC alerted physicians about the triple threat of Covid, seasonal influenza and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), warning that the threat of multiple infections (and resulting respiratory disease) was greatest among young children and...

This Fixing Healthcare podcast series, “Diving Deep,” probes into some of healthcare’s most complex topics and deep-seated problems. On today’s episode, hosts Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr discuss the “ Anatomy of Healthcare Leadership ,” a new way of looking at the skills and qualities needed to transform American medicine. According to Dr. Pearl, leaders must apply logic and creativity (a fun...

Dr. Devi Shetty returns to the Fixing Healthcare podcast this week—making his first appearance on the show since 2019. At that time, listeners wrote in and posted messages on social media, expressing astonishment at Dr. Shetty’s accomplishments and outlook on healthcare. Shetty is a heart surgeon, trained in both London and the United States. Today, he owns and operates 11 hospitals in India and a...

In world where it’s almost impossible to tell if someone is lying or delusional, where is line between an unintentional error in perception and intentional misrepresentation? This question is proving to have profound consequences in medical practice. In healthcare, where the difference between facts and opinion continue to blur, tribalism and factionalism are a growing concern. In this episode of...

In this episode of Coronavirus: The Truth , Jeremy Corr and Dr. Robert Pearl discuss new research out of Scotland that finds as many as 40% of people experience lingering Covid-19 symptoms months after infection. Is this data reliable and, if so, what does it mean for the long-term treatment of this disease? You’ll find that and all the other [time stamped] topics discussed during this show here:...

This Fixing Healthcare podcast series, “Diving Deep,” probes into some of healthcare’s most complex topics and deep-seated problems. On today’s episode, hosts Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr explore how the middleman mentality is killing American medicine, and then contrast it with how some of the nation’s largest retail companies (including CVS, Walmart and Amazon) are planning to expel the midd...

Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel has spent a lifetime challenging the establishment. He says that tendency is very much a part of his family’s heritage. “My mother, not infrequently, would have to be in school because her sons were opposing rules and speaking out when everyone else was silent.” Those other sons happen to be Rahm Emanuel, the former Chicago Mayor and current U.S. Ambassador to Japan, as well as...

Galileo, Darwin and Einstein: three historical figures who changed the way we view the world. Galileo broke the myth that we’re the center of the universe. Darwin proved that humans evolved slowly, not through sudden divine action. Einstein’s theories of relativity led to new ways of looking at time, space, matter, energy and gravity. Each of these critical thinkers helped humanity take massive le...

This Fixing Healthcare podcast series, “Diving Deep,” probes some of healthcare’s most complex topics and deep-seated problems. On today’s episode, Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr talk about two of the world’s biggest tech companies and their potential impact on American healthcare. Later in the episode, the hosts revisit the three biggest threats facing healthcare and discuss solutions that can...

In this episode of Coronavirus: The Truth , Jeremy Corr and Dr. Robert Pearl discuss the battle between the current Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers, the next generation of mRNA vaccines, and the latest on America’s monkey pox fears. You’ll find these topics and others discussed during this show here: Each show begins with the most recent and relevant facts concerning the Covid-19 pandemic and its i...