Patients at Risk

Latest Episodes:

The High Cost of Health Care with Marion Mass: Part 1 Aug 15, 2021

Show notes

We all know that the health care system in the United States is expensive, with the U.S. spending more than any other developed nation. Although it’s convenient to scapegoat doctors as the reason for high medical costs, the truth is that physician compensation makes up just 20% of total health spending. So, who is really responsible for the astronomical cost of health care today? To get some answers, we are joined by Dr. Marion Mass, a pediatrician and the co-founder of Practicing Physicians of America.
In part 1 of this series, Dr. Mass explains how Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) have benefited from safe harbor from anti-kickback statues, allowing them to reap millions of dollars and increasing drug costs for Americans.
Practicing Physicians of America: https://practicingphysician.org/
Get the book: https://www.amazon.com/Patients-Risk-Practitioner-Physician-Healthcare/dp/1627343164/

PhysiciansForPatientProtection.org

Physician Advocacy Part 2: Lessons from the nursing profession Aug 08, 2021

Show notes

On our last podcast, advocacy experts Dr. Purvi Parikh and Linda Lambert discussed steps that physicians can take to advocate for their patients and for the profession of medicine. In part 2, we learn from the legislative successes of the nursing profession. We discuss how to write a resolution for your medical society to help influence policy, and how advocacy can be a solution to burnout.
Get the book: https://www.amazon.com/Patients-Risk-Practitioner-Physician-Healthcare/dp/1627343164/

PhysiciansForPatientProtection.org

Physician Advocacy Part 1: Making a difference for patients and the profession Aug 01, 2021

Show notes

Physicians are usually so busy taking care of patients that we sometimes ignore the political aspects of healthcare, leaving the decisions to legislators and policymakers, many of whom do not truly understand what it is like to deliver medical trenches in the trenches. Unfortunately, the old adage, “if you’re not at the table, you’re on the table,” is nowhere truer than in the healthcare legislative process.

Today, I am joined by two experts to help us understand how physicians can be effectively involved in advocacy for our patients and for our profession.

Dr. Purvi Parikh is an allergist and immunologist practicing in New York who has been involved in political advocacy since she was a medical student. She is also a fellow board member of Physicians for Patient Protection.

Linda Lambert served as the executive director for the New York chapter of the American College of Physicians for over 20 years and has spent the last several years of her pseudo-retirement helping Physicians for Patient Protection build our organization.

PhysiciansForPatientProtection.org

Physician assistant and former-PA-turned-physician discuss the state of the profession Jul 25, 2021

Show notes

When it comes to discussing the differences between physician assistants (PAs) and physicians, there is no one better to address the issues than someone who has trained and worked in both professions. Christin Giordano MD was a PA before deciding to return to medical school to become a physician. She has since completed residency training and a fellowship to become a nephrologist. We are also joined by Elizabeth Ennis, PA-C, a former classmate of Dr. Giordano, who is currently practicing in California. Together, we discuss the state of the PA profession, including the proposed name change from 'physician assistant' to 'physician associate' and independent practice for PAs.
Read Dr Giordano's KevinMD post: From PA to MD: An appreciation for physician education
Get the book Patients at Risk!

PhysiciansForPatientProtection.org

The impact of corporate medicine on physician moral injury Jul 18, 2021

Show notes

One of the biggest issues in medicine today is physician burnout, with almost 50% of all physicians reporting making active plans to leave the practice of medicine. We are joined by an expert on the subject of physician wellness, psychiatrist Wendy Dean. Dr. Dean and her co-author have singlehandedly changed the dialogue away from ‘burnout’ and towards the concept of ‘moral injury.’ We asked Dr. Dean for her perspective on the impact of corporatization and the replacement of physicians by nonphysician practitioners on physician morale and burnout.
Dr. Dean's landmark article: https://www.statnews.com/2018/07/26/physicians-not-burning-out-they-are-suffering-moral-injury/
And Dr. Dean's article on her experience with the healthcare system:
https://www.wbur.org/commonhealth/2020/01/24/moral-injury-american-medicine
Dr Dean's website and podcast:
https://fixmoralinjury.org/
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/moral-matters/id1529907905

Get the book: https://www.amazon.com/Patients-Risk-Practitioner-Physician-Healthcare/dp/1627343164/

PhysiciansForPatientProtection.org

Investigative journalist Eric Starkman discusses the dangers of 'MD Lites' Jul 12, 2021

Show notes

We are joined by Eric Starkman, an investigative journalist who works to shed light on dangerous corporate practices in healthcare. Mr. Starkman is relentless in exposing the work of bad actors in the medical-industrial complex and discusses how the replacement of physicians by nonphysician practitioners is contributing to the decline of the U.S. healthcare system.
Read Eric Starkman's article about the book 'Patients at Risk' here.
An excerpt: "The deceit are the studies purportedly showing that NP and PA patient outcomes are statistically the same as medical doctors. According to Niran Al-Agba and Rebekah Bernard, the MD authors of “Patients at Risk,” all of the studies involved NPs and PAs who worked under the supervision of doctors. The authors insist there are no credible studies evaluating patient outcomes involving NPs and PAs working without medical supervision, which they are doing with increasing frequency.

The corruption is that hospitals and other healthcare facilities are increasingly foisting NPs and PAs on patients without patients knowing it. The trend in healthcare today is to refer to everyone who interacts with patients as “healthcare providers” and they all wear white coats. At some hospitals, even the orderlies and housekeeping staff wear white coats, so it’s impossible to distinguish the real doctors among the white coat brigades.

Nurse practitioners and physician assistants aren’t real doctors. They can’t, don’t, and never will provide comparable medical care. They’re MD Lites – Less training. Less knowledge. Less skills."
Get the book!

PhysiciansForPatientProtection.org

Psychiatry tips for physician wellness: preventing and treating burnout and addiction Jul 04, 2021

Show notes

About 42% of physicians report feeling burned out, and about half of all doctors are making active plans to leave the practice of medicine. Unfortunately, some doctors turn to drugs and alcohol to cope with the stressors of medicine, which may result in the loss of their professional licenses. Today, we are talking with Dr. Daniel Hochman, a psychiatrist, and an online professional recovery program creator to discuss physician well-being.
Get the book! https://www.amazon.com/Patients-Risk-Practitioner-Physician-Healthcare/dp/1627343164/
Dr. Daniel Hochman's online recovery program: https://www.selfrecovery.org/about-dr-hochman/
Physician support line: 1 (888) 409-0141
https://www.physiciansupportline.com/

"Psychiatrists helping our US physician colleagues and medical students navigate the many intersections of our personal and professional lives" - free and confidential

PhysiciansForPatientProtection.org

JAMA Neurology's solution to neurologist shortage: Just substitute NPs/ PAs Jun 27, 2021

Show notes

On May 24, 2021, JAMA, or the Journal of the American Medical Association, published a viewpoint entitled: “Advanced Practice Clinicians—Neurology’s Underused Resource.” The article was authored by nurse practitioner Calli Cook and Dr Heidi Schwarz, a neurologist with the University of Rochester and argued that due to a shortage of neurologists across the country, non-physician practitioners should be used more widely to provide neurology care to patients.
Physicians for Patient Protection submitted a letter to the editor expressing concerns about these viewpoints, however, JAMA Neurology declined to print our letter, citing space concerns and "your letter did not receive a high enough priority rating for publication."

Neurologist/ psychiatrist Dr. Alyson Maloy and neurologist Dr. Carol Nelson join me to discuss the replacement of neurologists by nonphysician practitioners.
Link to JAMA Neurology article: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/article-abstract/2780419
Get the book! https://www.amazon.com/Patients-Risk-Practitioner-Physician-Healthcare/dp/1627343164/
Join physiciansforpatientprotection.org

PhysiciansForPatientProtection.org

Health system hijacking of 'Doctors' Day' another step towards false equivalence among clinicians Jun 20, 2021

Show notes

One of the ways that corporations have been successful in replacing physicians with lesser-trained medical practitioners is by creating a sense of equivalence so that patients think that the care they will receive is “the same.” For example, both physicians and nurse practitioners and physician assistants wear white coats, have similar-appearing badges, and may be referred to as “doctor” even if that doctorate is not a medical degree.

Not only do these corporations elevate the role of nonphysicians, they also work to bring down the level of physicians. On many health system websites, physicians are listed as mere “providers.” The once-named “doctor’s lounge” is now the provider’s lounge. And now, some institutions have even taken aim at “Doctor’s Day,” hijacking the one day devoted to showing appreciation for physicians and turning the focus instead on the healthcare ‘team’.

Today, Dr. Marsha Haley, a radiation oncologist, joins us to discuss an article that she wrote for the Buck’s County Courier Times about the appropriation of ‘Doctor’s Day’.
Get the book! https://www.amazon.com/Patients-Risk-Practitioner-Physician-Healthcare/dp/1627343164/
Dr. Haley's article: https://www.goerie.com/story/opinion/2021/04/18/op-ed-doctors-shouldnt-have-share-their-day-especially-year/7219700002/
Vanity Fair article discussing group purchasing organizations (GPOs) and their contribution to a shortage of PPE - includes details that Kevin W. Sowers, RN, MSN, the president of Johns Hopkins Health System, was a board member of a GPO that began servicing the hospital system after Sowers became the system's leader.
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/05/corporate-deals-making-hospitals-ppe-shortages-worse May 2020

PhysiciansForPatientProtection.org

Board of Nursing vs Board of Medicine: A case study of nurse practitioner 'Rock Doc' Jeffrey Young Jun 13, 2021

Show notes

One of the differences between physicians and nurse practitioners is that physicians are regulated by a state Board of Medicine, while in most states, nurse practitioners are regulated by a state Board of Nursing. This distinction is important, because while nurse practitioners are functioning in the same capacity as physicians—ordering and interpreting tests, making medical diagnoses, and writing prescriptions for medications—they are overseen by a regulatory body that includes nurses without experience in this type of practice, which can result in a lack of appropriate action when a nurse practitioner is practicing improperly.

Today we are going to discuss the case of nurse practitioner Jeffrey Young, the so-called, “Rock Doc,” who was indicted in 2019 for prescribing controlled substances to his patients “to obtain money, notoriety, and sexual favors.” Despite multiple reports to the Tennessee board of nursing, outside agencies took five years and action before Young finally lost his prescribing privileges. Emergency medicine physician Dr. Teresa Camp-Rogers joins us to discuss the details of this case.
Atlantic article: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2021/01/rock-doc-opioids/617405/
Get the book! https://www.amazon.com/Patients-Risk-Practitioner-Physician-Healthcare/dp/1627343164/

PhysiciansForPatientProtection.org

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