Fixing Healthcare Podcast

Some of medicine’s greatest breakthroughs began as seemingly crazy ideas. In the 1950s, for example, Dr. Emil Freireich hypothesized that the only way to cure childhood leukemia was to take young patients to the brink of death with combination chemotherapy. At first, Freireich’s colleagues called him a madman, a monster and possibly a Nazi doctor. Decades later, he is remembered as a trailblazing oncologist: the “father of modern leukemia therapy.” When great ideas start out looking reckless or even insane, it’s difficult to separate the brilliant rule-breakers from the fools and sociopaths. The story of Elizabeth Holmes, the disgraced inventor and former billionaire, reminds us just how blurred the lines can become. To help us sort out the iconoclasts from the quacks is an expert on rule breaking. Malcolm Gladwell is the author of five New York Times bestsellers, including “David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants,” and he is the first guest on season seven of the Fixing Healthcare podcast. He joins hosts Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr to discuss the rules of rule breaking—and how they apply to American healthcare today. _______ Malcolm Gladwell Interview Highlights  ________  On the personality of medicine’s rule breakers   “In David and Goliath, I wrote about a man named Emil Freireich who was maybe the most important pioneer in combination chemotherapy and he’s a classic example of a rule breaker … People thought (treating childhood leukemia with this regimen) was heretical and nuts … I mean, he was denounced, ostracized … And my conclusion was he was able to do what he did in large part because of his personality. He was simply someone who just didn’t care if everyone else thought he was a monster. And you need to be that way if you’re a rule breaker, right?” On what it takes to break the rules “You can’t be someone who’s too concerned about what your peers think and it’s really, really hard to find people who both have the imagination to break a rule and figure out a better way of doing things and also the strength of character to not care about the naysayers. It’s easy to find one of those traits and not the other. Very difficult to find both those traits in combination.” On rule breakers vs. crooks or kooks “The thing we have to keep in mind, I think, is when we make judgements of rule breakers, we may be right. There’s going to be some sociopaths mixed in there. I mean, there’s going to be the Elizabeth Holmes. She’s actually interesting … because that’s the kind of territory that she’s operating in, right? She’s selling her idea to a group of people who are aware of the fact that sometimes great ideas look crazy in the beginning … She goes to all these wise Silicon Valley people who have seen a version of this play out many times in the past and are aware of the fact that some percentage of truly brilliant, transformative, incredibly lucrative ideas look completely impossible and nuts out of the gate.” On Elizabeth Holmes “I don’t think that those who invested with Elizabeth Holmes are irrational. I think it’s rational for someone with a lot of money in Silicon Valley to make bets on crazy ideas because there are a lot of other crazy ideas that did pay off, right? Had she been right, that company would be worth, I mean, untold billions of dollars, right? Would I have given Elizabeth Holmes $10,000 in 2005 … had she approached me? I don’t know, probably if I had $10,000 lying around. Now as it turns out, she falls into either the sociopath or the fool category … but we don’t know in the beginning, that’s the thing.” On the importance of having a vision “[Rule breakers] tend to be people who have a vision, right? They are powered by something that’s really consequential and that motivates them. And I think there’s a version of that—that every one of these rule breakers has, which is they’re powered by a vision of whether they can make their world better.” On defining a successful rule breaker “I don’t think you can find a rule breaker who follows any path to success other than outworking the status quo or everyone else, right? What the rule breaker is, is someone who’s willing to commit themselves to an unpopular idea at a level that exceeds that of their peers. That’s my definition of a rule breaker. It’s not holding an unpopular position, that’s just a beginning. It’s are you then willing to bet a huge chunk of your own time, energy, career, what have you, on that idea? And it is the magnitude of the bet that makes you a rule breaker.” READ: Full transcript with Malcolm Gladwell * * * Dr. Robert Pearl is the author of a book about medicine’s invisible yet highly influential physician culture. Check out “Uncaring: How Physician Culture Is Killing Doctors & Patients.” All profits from the book go to Doctors Without Borders. Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn. The post FHC #43: Malcolm Gladwell on breaking the rules of healthcare appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

When it comes to healthcare, the digital hands of Google reach far and wide. Medical school students and residents use Google Search to find obscure case reports and make difficult diagnoses. Before surgery, many physicians now go to YouTube, the Google-owned video platform, to watch world-leading surgeons perform and narrate complex operations. Meanwhile, applications like Google Maps, along with products like HealthAI and Care Studio, are primed to play a meaningful role in the future healthcare. Here to talk about the tools of tomorrow: Dr. Karen DeSalvo, Google’s Chief Health Officer, a role she has held since 2019. After medical school at Tulane, DeSalvo practiced as an internist (primary care) in New Orleans. Following hurricane Katrina, she served as New Orleans Health Commissioner and then as the city’s Senior Health Policy Advisor. At the federal level, DeSalvo served as National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and as an acting Assistant Health Secretary for U.S. Health and Human Services. Karen DeSalvo Interview Highlights   On her professional journey to Google   “When they asked me to serve as the National Coordinator for Health IT, I declined. Because I just didn’t think I had the background and it wasn’t really how I wanted to go deep in the next part of my journey. But (former HHS secretary) Kathleen Sebelius convinced me and helped me see that technology is not the endgame but a tool to health, and also gave me the opportunity to go there at HHS and co-lead the delivery system reform strategy … I love my government service. I carry the stories of my patients, my experiences in local public service. But also, I saw it as an opportunity to apply the tools of technology in other ways to value-based care, and then eventually to public health.” On her role as Chief Health Officer at Google “It’s a new job. I was recruited here principally to stand up a clinical team that could work across the Google Enterprise to build up authoritative health information on our ecosystems that are things like Search and Maps and YouTube, where literally billions of people are looking for health information. And we needed to have a way that we could create a framework that would provide clinically great information where we could and then address misinformation.” On curbing Covid-19 misinformation “We have leaned on consensus bodies wherever we can. For example, the FDA or the World Health Organization, depending on the geography, and we often start with global consensus if it’s a new issue, and then localized as much as possible, yeah, in the various countries or even all the way down to the county level for recommendations on things like masking, because we think that our role is amplification of information, not creation of the content, especially on surfaces like Search. Now, there are some things though, that are clearly harmful, and is not the information that you would want to put out in the public domain. For the most part, those things have somewhat clearer to be able to define in COVID.” On whether Google can disrupt healthcare “I didn’t come to Google to disrupt the healthcare system, or to show the healthcare system how it should be done. I came here because I believe that there’s a couple of key things that are missing in the work we’ve been doing. One, is consumers are not empowered. They don’t have a seat at the table in the way that need to. Two, we’re not taking advantage of tools that can reduce cognitive load and improve the efficiency of care to pull cost out of the system. We’ve instead only, largely, in tech been trying to find ways to add new things to the system.” On how AI can help doctors, patients “Computers and AI are really good at reading pixels, better than humans, and they don’t get fatigued. Yes, all of those images and the pathology slides have to be put into context. I do understand that. It’s to me, again, not supplantation, but significant augmentation. Getting to a place where we expect that your prostate tissue slide is going to be read by AI and a human is so necessary. Getting there, though, is the barrier, isn’t only about the AI model. We’ve done a lot of good work in that space and have advanced imaging reads in that area.” On the most exciting developments in health technology “Home-based diagnostic testing. I am fascinated by how hungry people are to have convenient, in-home diagnostic tests for COVID and beyond. The part that’s interesting to me about it is laboratory is something that often does require a biologic specimen. It’s not something that can be done completely virtually. There has to be some an interface with the diagnostic tool. The diagnostics in the COVID time have gotten much more sophisticated. The work of the RADx team at the NIH, this billion dollars they received to advance technology for COVID testing, they’re seeing that it’s applicable in other areas of diagnostic testing for convenient at-home tools…” READ: Full transcript with Karen DeSalvo * * * Dr. Robert Pearl is the author of a book about medicine’s invisible yet highly influential physician culture. Check out “Uncaring: How Physician Culture Is Killing Doctors & Patients.” All profits from the book go to Doctors Without Borders. Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn. The post FHC #42: Google’s chief doctor previews the health tools of tomorrow appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

Drug makers Pfizer and Moderna are testing a new vaccine specific to the Omicron variant—with an ETA around summer 2022 or even later. The timing is important as scientists recognize the variant should be far less prevalent by then. So, why would Pfizer and Modern even bother? Hear the answer to that question at the 22:41 mark on this episode of Coronavirus: The Truth with Jeremy Corr and Dr. Robert Pearl. The duo will discuss all things Omicron, along with the following [time stamped] questions: [00:56] Each show begins with the most recent and relevant facts concerning the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on American life. What’s happening and what does it mean? [07:35] Being “fully vaccinated” vs. “up to date”: what’s the difference when it comes to the threat of Omicron? [09:40] How prevalent is Omicron infection where Dr. Pearl and Jeremy Corr live? [11:43] What do we know about Chinese-manufactured vaccine, Sinovac? [14:55] Are monoclonal antibodies effective against Omicron? [16:46] What’s the latest science on “long Covid”? [18:44] What’s going on with vaccine mandates? [22:41] Is an Omicron-specific vaccine on the way? [24:38] What’s good this week? [26:10] What does it mean to “break the rules of healthcare”? [31:37] How can patients safely break the rules of healthcare? This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify and other podcast platforms. If you have coronavirus questions for the hosts, please visit the contact page or send us a message on Twitter or LinkedIn. *To ensure the credibility of this program, Coronavirus: The Truth refuses to accept sponsorship, outside funding sources or guests with any financial or personal conflicts of interest. The post CTT #56: Is an Omicron vaccine coming soon? Will it help? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

These days, it seems just about every decision comes with risk: Should I invite friends or family over? Should I dine out? Can I safely return to work or school? To help people make safer, smarter decisions about their health, the federal government is now offering every American home four free at-home Covid-19 testing kits. It’s a step in the right direction, but many questions remain: Are these tests reliable? What are the chances of a false-negative result? What else can I do to protect my family? In this episode of Coronavirus: The Truth, Jeremy Corr and Dr. Robert Pearl discuss the accuracy and intended uses of various Covid-19 tests, the importance of testing in the face of Omicron, along with the following [time stamped] questions: [00:58] Each show begins with the most recent and relevant facts concerning the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on American life. What’s happening and what does it mean? [06:00] Why did the CDC shorten its quarantine recommendations from 10 days to 5 days for Omicron infection? [12:05] How are political officials handling Omicron information transparency? [14:10] What’s wrong with rapid at-home (antigen-based) testing kits? [18:13] What’s the latest on vaccine mandates for workers? [20:28] How strong is Covid-19 immunity after recovering from Omicron? [21:50] Is a fourth vaccine shot coming soon? [24:11] Are some nurses and other healthcare workers allowed to work after testing positive for Covid-19? [25:40] What’s good this week? [29:29] What is the idea behind Pearl’s new article series “Breaking The Rules Of Healthcare”? [31:55] What’s the big news concerning out-of-network (surprise) billing? [33:44] How important is technological savvy among doctors? This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify and other podcast platforms. If you have coronavirus questions for the hosts, please visit the contact page or send us a message on Twitter or LinkedIn. *To ensure the credibility of this program, Coronavirus: The Truth refuses to accept sponsorship, outside funding sources or guests with any financial or personal conflicts of interest. The post CTT #55: Can I trust the results of at-home Covid-19 tests? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

Greetings and happy-ish New Year. If you’re here for the latest information on Omicron, check out episode #53 or tune in for episode #55 on January 18, 2022. For now, this (shortly after) New Year’s episode of Coronavirus: The Truth features something slightly different. Jeremy Corr and Dr. Robert Pearl are zooming out for a more comprehensive look back at the year that was along with a look ahead at what might transpire in the year that is. Take a deep breath and tune in for answers to the following [time stamped] questions: [0:56] How can listeners put the past 12 months in perspective? [02:28] What can we make of the divide in Covid-19 research based on political affiliation? [07:27] What were the most significant Covid-19 moments of 2021? [08:49] What can we predict will happen with Covid-19 in 2022? [13:19] How are parents reacting to the highly transmissible Omicron variant? [14:17] Will the new oral pills make a meaningful difference in the Covid-19 fight? [15:21] What about the next set of vaccines? [18:40] Predictions for how courts will rule on vaccine mandates? [20:13] What will the next big wave of infections teach us? [22:51] How is America’s heartland responding to Covid-19 now? [24:30] Who is to blame for our continued Covid-19 difficulties? [28:09] What are Dr. Pearl’s big Covid-19 predictions for 2022? This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify and other podcast platforms. If you have coronavirus questions for the hosts, please visit the contact page or send us a message on Twitter or LinkedIn. *To ensure the credibility of this program, Coronavirus: The Truth refuses to accept sponsorship, outside funding sources or guests with any financial or personal conflicts of interest. The post CTT #54: What can we expect from Covid-19 in 2022? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

This week’s guest is Fixing Healthcare alum David Feinberg. In August 2021, Dr. Feinberg was named CEO of Cerner, a leading provider of “electronic health records” or EHRs. Just four months after Feinberg became CEO, and a little more than 24 hours ago, Cerner was acquired by database giant Oracle for an estimated $28.3 billion. In this interview (which took place before the Cerner-Oracle news broke), Dr. Feinberg offers insights into following: what makes Cerner so valuable, the company’s longstanding competition with Epic, the immense potential for EHRs as a healthcare solution, and the challenges that remain for doctors who want to spend more time with patients and less time on their computers. David Feinberg Interview Highlights On Epic vs. Cerner “Well, first of all, I said this really clearly to the [Cerner] board when they called me, my competition isn’t Epic. My competition is heart disease and suicide and opiates being misused and preventable illnesses and COVID. And I’ll do whatever’s possible to beat that competition. I have tremendous respect for Epic. Look, I’ve been a customer of Cerner and Epic. I’ve used the systems. I’ve used Meditech, I’ve used Athena. And I would say none of us, including Cerner, have built a tool that was really designed for the end user … If my family gets admitted to a hospital and they’re on a different system than Cerner, I want it to work. So I want all these systems to work. And if we really care about our communities, they need to work together.” On the troubled history of EHRs “When we think of electronic health records, the bill of goods we were all sold was this was going to solve a lot of problems. Now I think it’s been a heroic lift to get everything digitized, but in doing so we created some new problems around usability and we certainly haven’t realized the promise of what this was supposed to be. [EHRs] are not intuitive and easy to use, they’re not adding a lot … they haven’t really fixed underlying problems of making it easier to care for patients.” On Cerner 10 years from now “A decade from now I hope Cerner is seen as the foundation of data that is allowing doctors, nurses and families to be able to access data to better care for themselves. And I hope that that leads to a healthcare system that is much more equitable, much more cost effective, much easier, and convenient and more dignified.” On big-tech companies in healthcare “I think it’s going to be some of the big tech companies and some of the incumbents in healthcare realizing they got to [fix healthcare] together because for us, for example, we have the data, we have the trusted relationships. If you combined us with, and you can go through the list of Amazon or Microsoft, Oracle, Google, whoever, they have other expertise that when you bring it together could really get to that promise of what I think we all thought the electronic health record was supposed to do.” On how EHRs can lower healthcare costs Well, the [dollar] figure has to lower because if we don’t, we can’t build roads and schools and people won’t get wage increases and we’ll see a further gap between those that have, and those who don’t. I think it’s been the biggest crime in healthcare that we’ve allowed us, those of us in healthcare, that we’ve allowed this to happen … Using data to make better decisions around care is the way [Cerner] can help the most. So, hey, we’re expensive to put in. We got to prove that not only are we easy to use, which we’re not yet, but not only are we easy to use by using our tools, you’re able to care for more people, you’re able to drop the cost of your care, you’re able to make sure that nurses that are so expensive and so hard to get right now are just doing nursing and not worrying about working in an EHR as a data clerk. So that’s how I think we can join this solution and we’re totally committed to it.” On progress notes “The progress notes in the United States for patients are twice as long as the progress notes that they are in the rest of the world, even in the developed world, right? And so it’s not like our patients are sicker, although a lot of doctors always like to say that, it just means that we’ve added documentation that I’m certain isn’t adding value to care. It actually becomes so dense you can’t even find what you’re looking for if you’re a consultant or a doc taking over a case. So we’re really looking at how we can decrease it.” READ: Full transcript with David Feinberg  * * * Dr. Robert Pearl is the author of a new book about medicine’s invisible yet highly influential physician culture. Check out “Uncaring: How Physician Culture Is Killing Doctors & Patients.” Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn. The post FHC #41: New Cerner CEO says Epic isn’t his biggest competitor appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

CTT #53: How dangerous is Omicron, based on the latest data? Omicron, the mysterious new variant accounting for nearly 3 of every 4 new cases in the United States, is top of mind for Americans as 2021 draws to an end. The answers scientists seek about Omicron are slowly coming into clearer view. In this episode of Coronavirus: The Truth, hosts Jeremy Corr and Dr. Robert Pearl look at the most recent data and discuss: the known risks of Omicron compared to Delta, the effectiveness of vaccines and boosters against Omcrion, the effect of the new variant on vaccine rates and the latest on vaccine mandates. Tune in now for the latest, science-based answers to the following [time stamped] questions: [01:00] Each show begins with the most recent and relevant facts concerning the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on American life. What’s happening and what does it mean? [05:23] What do scientists now know about Omicron risks? [07:10] What are the current vaccine and booster rates? [09:00] What’s the latest in public opinion on vaccine mandates? [13:04] Listener question. Several listeners wrote to ask for an update on the effectiveness of the current vaccines against Omicron. What do we know? [17:28] Discussion. Why aren’t people in nursing homes getting the attention or protection they need? What can be done? [19:21] How will year three of Covid-19 affect people’s mental health? [25:16] Where do vaccine mandates stand in the courts? [28:35] What’s good this week? [30:16] What’s the big non-Covid story this week? [33:09] Discussion. Which of the following poses the biggest U.S. threat: inflation, Covid-19, business challenges and educational difficulties? [35:28] Is Omicron both more transmissible and less lethal? This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify and other podcast platforms. If you have coronavirus questions for the hosts, please visit the contact page or send us a message on Twitter or LinkedIn. *To ensure the credibility of this program, Coronavirus: The Truth refuses to accept sponsorship, outside funding sources or guests with any financial or personal conflicts of interest. The post CTT #53: How dangerous is Omicron, based on the latest data? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

Medical professionals and budding entrepreneurs love to talk about the technologies that will someday revolutionize patient care. Our guest on Fixing Healthcare is already funding and fashioning those technologies to meet the needs of today’s patients. Our guest, Vinod Khosla, is an entrepreneur, investor, technologist and founder of Khosla Ventures, a firm with investments in hundreds of startups across more than a dozen industries. In healthcare, Khosla has provided venture assistance to fast risers like Forward, OSCAR, ZocDoc and many others. He was also the founding CEO of Sun Microsystems. This show features case-studies galore: From AI-driven mental health and physical therapy services to a Covid-testing product that can also screen you for the top 20 different respiratory illnesses. You’ll hear about diagnostic tools that are delivering results five-times faster and 10-times cheaper. And you’ll learn about a $28 million primary-care startup that Khosla says could be the next big thing in rural and safety-net care. In this episode, Khosla gives advice to aspiring entrepreneurs and gets specific about the future of medicine, detailing which technologies he believes have a chance at achieving the most difficult of missions: fixing healthcare. Vinod Khosla Interview Highlights On tech improving global healthcare and U.S. healthcare “I’ll try and constrain it to the US healthcare system in terms of my answers, but I think it’s globally applicable and the solutions are the same, but with a different tilt and different cultural context. In the US, we have relatively better care, but it’s expensive. My personal view, the most expensive part of the system is expertise, and expertise can relatively be tamed with technology and AI. So, not everybody in the world can get an oncologist. We can capture some of that expertise, so each oncologist can do 10 times more patient care than they would on their own without that help. That applies broadly.” On reducing healthcare costs with technology “I am pretty optimistic that the most expensive conditions, take diabetes, cardiology, musculoskeletal, will be done in verticals outside of the healthcare system. Can you use a Livongo or a Hello Heart to reduce blood pressure by 20 millimeters without drugs? Could you do weight reduction by 8% with a digital first offering? I think that’s starting to happen … That will start to reduce the cost, and then specialists will only be needed when the condition is severe or exceptional.” On improving rural healthcare with technology “Wherever healthcare depends on deep expertise, which is generally expensive, think oncologists or a brain surgeon, and you can do it remotely, care quality will improve and care costs will decline and accessibility will improve because a patient won’t have to go from that small town in Iowa to a major medical center and travel for three days for an appointment. So, I do think that will happen and will be very, very beneficial.” The business implications of healthcare disruption “It’ll be newer players who adapt these technologies, disrupt the price points in economics and will slowly eat into traditional systems, (which) will go bankrupt. This is the model that happened with bookstores and Amazon. The bookstores ignored Amazon for a long, long time as it slowly ate into sales with its new model. Later, they adapted this model, but mostly too late.” On the role of venture capital in healthcare “Look, the venture business always over invests in hard categories. The characteristic of venture startups is most will lose money, but more money will be made than lost, which says a small percentage of these will win, but the winners will make more money than the losers lose. So, net-net, broadly, if somebody’s broadly invested, they’ll do well and make money on their investment. So, imagine after 89 billion, 80 billion gets lost. That money gets lost as investments, but the 9 billion turns into 900 billion, creates another Apple or Google. That’s the model of venture capital.” READ: Full transcript with Vinod Khosla * * * Dr. Robert Pearl is the author of a new book about medicine’s invisible yet highly influential physician culture. Check out “Uncaring: How Physician Culture Is Killing Doctors & Patients.” Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn. The post FHC #40: How venture-backed tech is transforming U.S. healthcare appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

This week, America has Omicron on the mind. Listeners flooded the CTT inbox with questions about the new variant. Among them: Is Omicron more transmissible or lethal than Delta? Are current vaccines effective against it? What is President Biden doing to control the new variant and what kinds of social restrictions should we expect in the months ahead? In this episode of Coronavirus: The Truth, Jeremy Corr and Dr. Robert Pearl discuss all things Omicron. Tune in now for the latest, science-based answers to the following [time stamped] questions: [01:00] Each show begins with the most recent and relevant facts concerning the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on American life. What’s happening and what does it mean? [04:13] What do scientists know about the Omicron variant so far? [12:37] Are current vaccines/boosters effective against Omicron? [17:48] What do researchers know about the economic impact of Covid-19 on minority communities? [19:16] How can politicians and scientists contingency plan for Omicron? [20:13] What’s new with the Merck pill that patients start soon after becoming symptomatic with Covid-19? [23:35] How does Omicron affect the “endemic” scenario? [27:15] Any good news this week? [30:34] What is President Biden’s plan to control Omicron? [33:28] Are patient privacy fears warranted? [35:15] What’s the latest with international border closures due to Covid-19? This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify and other podcast platforms. If you have coronavirus questions for the hosts, please visit the contact page or send us a message on Twitter or LinkedIn. *To ensure the credibility of this program, Coronavirus: The Truth refuses to accept sponsorship, outside funding sources or guests with any financial or personal conflicts of interest. The post CTT #52: What do scientists know about Omicron? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

Americans who’ve received two shots of Pfizer or Moderna, or the single-dose J&J vaccine, are considered “fully vaccinated” … for now. That could change, depending on the data, according to White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci. Already, some U.S. governors are pushing to update the definition to include boosters. Last week, CDC officials urged all adults to get a vaccine booster six months after completing their original vaccine regimen. In this episode of Coronavirus: The Truth, Jeremy Corr and Dr. Robert Pearl discuss vaccine booster rates in the United States, the possible definition change for “fully vaccinated,” and what the future may hold.  Tune in now for the latest, science-based answers to the following [time stamped] questions: [01:00] Each show begins with the most recent and relevant facts concerning the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on American life. What’s happening and what does it mean? [05:54] What can Puerto Rico teach the rest of America about vaccinations? [08:23] Why are cases in Europe spiking despite high vaccination rates? [11:26] Why is Moderna battling the NIH over vaccine patent rights? [14:20] Where do labor union stand on vaccine mandates? [16:02] What’s the status of President Biden’s vaccine plan for large employers? [17:18] What’s the mental-health impact social distancing and isolation? [18:53] Will booster shots change our nation’s definition of “fully vaccinated”? [19:57] What’s good this week? [21:48] What’s this episode’s big non-Covid story? [28:15] How do patients feel about telehealth? [29:30] How is Singapore’s government punishing unvaccinated citizens? This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify and other podcast platforms. If you have coronavirus questions for the hosts, please visit the contact page or send us a message on Twitter or LinkedIn. *To ensure the credibility of this program, Coronavirus: The Truth refuses to accept sponsorship, outside funding sources or guests with any financial or personal conflicts of interest. The post CTT #51: Will the definition of ‘fully vaccinated’ change with boosters? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.