2 Docs Talk: The podcast about healthcare, the science of medicine and everything in between.

Latest Episodes:

Episode 136: Indpendent vs. Employed Physicians Mar 03, 2020

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Over the last several decades a shift from independent physicians to corporate-employed physicians has changed the healthcare landscape. It would make sense to consolidate and take advantage of economies of scaled to make healthcare for efficient.

Today 2 Docs Talk about whether this supposition plays out. Who is happier - independent or employed physicians? And whose patients fare better.

Episode 135: Sleeping with Bedbugs Feb 25, 2020

Show notes

With stronger regulations on pesticides (for good reason), bedbug infestations have been on the rise in recent years. These little parasites live in the nooks and crannies of places where humans like to rest and recharge.

Today, 2 Docs Talk about bedbugs, what they are, what they do, and why they are on the rise.

Episode 134: A Look Back at HIV Feb 18, 2020

Show notes

When Kendall and Amy began medical training, the HIV/AIDS crisis was at its peak. The number of infections were blowing up, and people were dying in frightening numbers. But looking back at the story of HIV, it's a lesson in how public health systems work and why fear should not guide our decisions. Today 2 Docs Talk about the history of HIV and the current status of HIV-related disease.

Episode 133: The End of the Paper Chart Feb 11, 2020

Show notes

When EMRs or EHRS first started popping up, it was an exciting time to be alive. The promise of no longer having to dig through fat charts to locate a lab report or trying to decipher some all but illegible note from a consultant left many physicians downright hopeful.

But, as with most changes in medicine over the past few decades, the real reason for shifting to electronic was financial. This means that many EMRs are not designed to better patient care, but to better the billing process.

Today, 2 Docs Talk about the role of EMRs, where they have failed us, and how we can still make them work for us with a little effort.

Episode 132: Melanoma Medicine Feb 04, 2020

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A lot has changed over the past 50 years. We've gone from a society that used baby oil and reflective tanning mats in the 70s to one that will spend $50 and up on a rashguard with UV protection. These changes were prompted by the growing number of melanoma diagnoses.

In this episode, 2 Docs Talk about what melanoma is and how it's demographics have shifted over time. We also take a look at prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of melanoma.

Episode 131: The Anti-Vax Movement and the Dunning-Kruger Effect Dec 10, 2019

Show notes

With the continued persistence of the modern anti-vaccination movement, even with the studies that originated it debunked, we have to ask some difficult questions about what we know and how we reach people with accurate medical evidence.

The Dunning-Kruger effect is the wrench in the works when we ask those questions. How does it, and our modern love of celebrity, stand in our way?

Today, 2 Docs Talk about those questions and ponder some solutions.

Episode 130: Changing Thoughts on Colon Cancer Screening Dec 03, 2019

Show notes

For so long, colorectal cancer screening beginning at age 50 has been gospel in preventative medicine. But recently, trends in the incidence of colorectal cancer suggest we may be doing to much screening in the wrong people, and not enough screening in the right people. This means missed diagnoses and unnecessary interventions. But recent research offers an alternative that we hope will target screening for the right people, while the rest of us get to avoid the "scope."

Does this approach provide what we need to keep the most people the healthiest for the longest time? Resources: USPSTF recommendations for colorectal cancer screening (note -a new draft update is in progress now, so these could potentially change in the near future). BMJ recommendations on colorectal cancer screening

QCancer risk calculator for 15 year risk of colorectal cancer

Episode 129: Is There a Physician Shortage Nov 26, 2019

Show notes

For those who pay attention to the state of healthcare in the U.S., the idea that we face a looming physician shortage is nothing new. Today, 2 Docs Talk about where the idea of a potential shortfall comes from, what is being done to try to remedy the problem, and some numbers that suggest maybe a shortage isn't on the horizon anyway.

Resources:

AAMC predictions of physician shortage

Ezekiel Emanuel's response to AAMC prediction

Episode 128: Tracking Maternal Mortality Nov 19, 2019

Show notes

There has been a lot of commentary in the news and in medical journals about the problem of maternal mortality - specifically how we are really crappy at tracking it, which makes it really difficult to know if interventions are working or making things worse. In a country with healthcare as advanced as it is in the U.S., this is just stupid. I mean, we could use fancier words, but the bottom line is stupid. Today, 2 Docs Talk about maternal mortality, the problems with tracking it, and one place that's done a pretty good job of both tracking and improving the numbers. Resources: That Propublica article we kept referring to.

Obstetrics and Gynecology article about trends and tracking

Identifying Maternal Deaths in Texas

CMQCC Toolkits WHO's Trends in Maternal Mortality

Episode 127: Is There Really an Advantage to Medicare Part C? Nov 12, 2019

Show notes

Medicare can be confusing for a lot of folks. Part A, Part B, Part C, Part D – some are automatic, some require enrollment; some have premiums, some don't; some have eligibility requirements besides age, some don't. It can get confusing. To try to take some of the mystery out of Medicare, today 2 Docs Talk about Medicare Part C, also known as Medicare Advantage Plans. Take a listen and decide for yourself if these plans really offer any advantage.

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