Fixing Healthcare Podcast

John Sculley, the former CEO of PepsiCo and Apple, now has his “head in the cloud” as chairman of the Boston-based health-tech company RxAdvance. In this, the fourth season of Fixing Healthcare, Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr are focused on spotlighting big ideas and the people behind them. Sculley, who grew Apple’s sales from $800 million to $8 billion, believes the legacy players in today’s healthcare system will be disrupted by new entrants who will focus on empowering consumers to make better health decisions. In this episode, Sculley answers the following questions about his career, his passion for healthcare and the future of American medicine: How did Steve Jobs convince Sculley to take over as Apple’s CEO? How is Apple different today from the company they built in the ‘80s and ‘90s? Why haven’t any healthcare technologies been able to lower healthcare costs and improve patient health on a national level? What makes the culture special at companies like Apple? Which technology will have the single biggest impact on healthcare in the next five to 10 years? Why are prescription drugs so expensive and what’s the solution? What’s going to motivate Americans to lose weight and lower the risk of diabetes? What will become of Haven, the healthcare startup that combines Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase? Is it possible to get doctors to view the people they care for as consumers rather than patients? What’s holding back disruptive innovation in U.S. healthcare? How do consumers go about separating the hype from the reality of new healthcare technologies? Are tech companies scared by the major legal risks that exist in healthcare? READ: Full transcript of our discussion with John Sculley * * * Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple Podcasts or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn. The post Episode 21: Ex-Apple CEO talks tech and the rise of the healthcare consumer appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

“I find this study to be one of the most encouraging since this pandemic began,” says Dr. Robert Pearl, referring to research out of Yale that confirms new saliva-based testing for COVID-19 is not only less painful and less intrusive than the widely used nasal swab, but also more consistently accurate in detecting the coronavirus. What’s more, these oral tests can be self-administered whereas nasal testing requires a clinical professional to insert six-inch swab deep into the nasal passage. At present, both must be completed at an approved, public testing site. However, scientists are determining whether saliva testing could be approved for in-home use. As politicians and health experts push for more testing in hopes of containing the pandemic, could a more convenient testing alternative prove to be a game-changer in the fight against coronavirus? In episode 8 of ‘Coronavirus: The Truth, Dr. Pearl and Jeremy Corr discuss this and other recent developments: [00:50] What are the most important COVID-19 updates of the past week? [02:22] Are we reopening the country too quickly or not quickly enough? [03:34] What do the latest corporate-earnings reports say about the impact of COVID-19? [04:54] Remdesivir: boom or bust as an effective coronavirus medication? [06:48] A national thinktank predicts the pandemic will last another 12 to 24 months. True? [08:59] What should people make of the latest unemployment and GDP numbers? [11:25] Which COVID-19 symptoms just got added the CDC’s list? Are more to come? [12:53] Will saliva testing be a game-changer in our fight against the pandemic? [16:20] Why has Germany been so successful in containing the virus? [18:11] How will we protect seniors and people with chronic diseases going forward? [19:30] When and how can in-person church services safely resume? [23:54] Why aren’t businesses willing to bail out hospitals and health insurers? [26:52] Will healthcare undergo a much-needed technological overhaul after the pandemic? [29:00] Which parts of the country are reopening the right way? [30:48] Approximately 3 million people have read this coronavirus article. What’s the appeal? This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify and other podcast platforms. To submit a question or comment to the hosts, visit the contact page or send 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 #8: Testing, testing: Which COVID-19 test is best? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

Dr. Robert Pearl, co-host of this show, struck a chord this week with his most recent Forbes column, “3 Coronavirus Facts Americans Must Know Before Returning To Work,” which quickly shot to No. 1 on the site’s “most popular” list, garnering more than 1 million views. His article offers a full-throated plea for politicians, business owners and workers to embrace the facts surrounding COVID-19 so that we can understand what will happen when our nation eases social-distancing restrictions. This episode examines the latest plans to reopen the country and the health implications of getting Americans back to work. In episode 7 of ‘Coronavirus: The Truth,’ Dr. Pearl and Jeremy Corr discuss these pressing questions: [00:53] What are the most important COVID-19 updates? [01:52] Why are nursing homes so disproportionately affected by the virus? [04:04] In what way is U.S. healthcare still vulnerable in the fight against COVID-19? [05:53] Has anyone pitched a viable strategy available to end the pandemic? [09:06] Does Congress have plan to revive the economy and keep us safe? [11:26] VP Pence said the U.S. is prepared for a second wave. Are we? [12:21] What should Americans know and do before returning to work? [16:44] Who was the first COVID-19 fatality in the U.S. and what can she teach us? [18:52] With 43% of small businesses closed, how long can owners stay afloat? [21:28] Can public surveillance keep Americans safe from another outbreak? [23:39] What painful economic truths await us in the months ahead? [26:36] What healthcare improvements can we expect, post-pandemic? [28:15] Are people immune from future infection once recovered from COVID-19? [30:42] What has surprised physicians about the coronavirus? This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify and other podcast platforms. To submit a question or comment to the hosts, visit the contact page or send 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 #7: Is it time to get back to work? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

It was a big week for science in our nation’s ongoing quest to better understand and combat the coronavirus pandemic. Researchers from Stanford University released findings from a study indicating that far more Americans may have already developed antibodies for COVID-19 than previous thought. What might this research reveal about the death rate of the virus and the potential to reopen our economy quickly? Also this past week, a mysterious video from the University of Chicago surfaced in which doctors discussed some promising (but not-yet-published) results from an anti-viral drug called remdesivir. It’s maker, Gilead, saw its stock price soar, but scientists are quick to call out the study’s red flags. What are Americans supposed to make of these scientific findings? In episode 6 of ‘Coronavirus: The Truth, hosts Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr discuss these pressing questions and the following: [00:54] What are the most important COVID-19 updates from the past week? [02:12] What do scientists know now about the coronavirus that they didn’t a month ago? [05:45] The anti-viral drug remdesivir is getting a lot of attention. What’s the catch? [08:51] How would Trump’s plan for reopening the country work? What about local/regional plans? [12:22] Why do some people test positive for COVID-19 even after they’ve recovered? [13:49] Why aren’t grocery shelves fully restocked yet? What’s happening with the U.S. supply chain? [15:14] Is the media’s coverage of the virus scientifically accurate? [16:25] People have begun protesting coronavirus restrictions. Do they have a valid point? [20:03] How safely and swiftly can we reopen the country? [25:40] What has been most surprising about this pandemic? This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify and other podcast platforms. To submit a question or comment to the hosts, visit the contact page or send 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 #6: What did scientists learn this week? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

Over the past two weeks, high-profile leaders in the worlds of business, politics and health have put forth plans to reopen the country, mitigate further damage from the coronavirus and “crush the curve” rather than just flatten it. Will any of these recommendations work? “To be very blunt, I think they are a bit of fantasy and unlikely to be successful,” says Dr. Robert Pearl, who points to the major logistical flaws of any plan that relies too heavily on COVID-19 testing as a solution. Added Pearl: “People are trying to find a way forward that is relatively painless. And the truth, when it comes to coronavirus, is that there are no fully painless solutions.” Episode 5 of Coronavirus: The Truth offers answers to the following questions: [01:03] How did Dr. Pearl and others predict the current number of deaths so accurately? [04:45] Will it be safe to ease social distancing measures in the coming months? [05:48] A new projection of 60,000 total U.S. deaths is going around. What’s the catch? [07:29] Will there be a second wave of the virus in New York or elsewhere? [08:47] Is it possible to crush the curve rather than just flatten it? [11:49] What should we make of Siddartha Mukherjee’s intriguing research on “dose exposure”? [14:51] What can the U.S. learn from China, Singapore, Italy and Germany? [16:49] Are Americans becoming more or less optimistic about the future? [21:08] Do we know for sure that scientists can produce an effective vaccine for COVID-19? [23:24] Is Sweden’s “low-scale lockdown” something the U.S. can mimic? [26:55] What’s wrong with the COVID-19 recommendations of Joe Biden and Bill Gates? [32:23] What are the biggest unknowns that remain about the coronavirus? This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify and other podcast platforms. To submit a question or comment to the hosts, visit the contact page or send 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 #5: Can we ‘crush the curve’ of this pandemic? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

Welcome to the first episode of season 4. This season of the Fixing Healthcare podcast focuses on finding big ideas and the people behind them. The journey begins with Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee. He is a physician, virologist, oncologist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer. In 2016, he published the New York Times bestseller, The Gene: An Intimate History. And this month, PBS released a Ken Burns two-part documentary based on Mukherjee’s work. In this interview, Dr. Mukherjee discusses the ethics of gene therapy, his hopes for an effective coronavirus medication, why doctors are struggling, and how he’d grade Trump’s response to COVID-19. Dr. Mukherjee’s highlights from episode 20 On the role of physicians during the COVID-19 pandemic Our job as doctors is to tip the equilibrium towards the host, towards the human, and tip the equilibrium away from the virus. And there are various ways one can do this. Vaccination is essentially one way that we tip the equilibrium towards the host, right? … Another strategy is to limit the amount, the dose, or the exposure to the virus, which is by wearing protective equipment. On the real purpose of social distancing The most important thing to do—and the reason that we’re saying that we should be distancing during this time—is to buy us time. And I’m going to repeat that again and again: We need to buy time. We need to buy time so that the hospitals are not overwhelmed and the healthcare workers can be adequately protected and adequately supplied with the equipment that they need to deal with the sickest patients. On hopes for an effective COVID-19 medication I’m confident that there are going to be antibodies that will decrease the effects of this severe disease in patients, they will just take time to make. Chloroquine is a completely different story. Chloroquine is a repurposed drug, it has probably some mild effect against the entry of the virus and the evidence that it changes the course of disease is pretty mild. On the U.S. government’s response to the pandemic I would give the administration a D- grade in the preparation for this pandemic. We knew about this in December, in a globalized world, it is a travesty that medical workers in the frontline, in the wealthiest nation of the world, don’t have the equipment that they need to handle patients. It is a travesty. On the ethics of gene therapy Gene therapy is alive again. There were mistakes made, ethical mistakes, medical mistakes made in the 1990s and 2000s, when we tried to use gene therapy in humans, replacing genes, altering genes in cells, such as blood cells, a little too quickly. And that froze the field for about 10 years, 15 years, but it is alive again. And for diseases such as sickle cell anemia, such as hemophilia, these gene therapies have turned out to be transformational. On the mission-driven spirit of doctors during a pandemic I’m moved to tears every time I hear of a doctor or a nurse on the front lines without protective equipment, who has been infected and is dying because they put the lives of others in front of their lives. A society which does that is fundamentally wrong. There’s something wrong with us. And there will be an autopsy, there will be a dissection, a biopsy, of what has gone wrong, what went wrong with us as human beings, as a society, once the storm blows over. And I hope that one of the elements of that autopsy reminds us that medicine is an occupation that demands a level of sacrifice. And these men and women perform that sacrifice for you, for us, for our parents, for our children, for our loved ones. They did it during the HIV pandemic, they’ve done it during this pandemic. We need to restore their spirits. We need to respect them. On learning from our nation’s failed COVID-19 response Every system that was supposed to work broke in the early days of the pandemic. We need to figure out, as we recover, how to fix those. And only if we fix those, can we become the superpower and the global leader of economy that we once were, and we hope to be again? All I can say is that, this pandemic has been an X-ray or an MRI that we performed on the American medical system. And all the silent aneurysms and the hidden malignancies that were hidden for some people have become apparent. READ: Full transcript of our discussion with Siddhartha Mukherjee * * * Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple Podcasts or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn. The post Episode 20: Siddhartha Mukherjee on COVID-19, genes and physician sacrifice appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

Physician and bestselling author Dr. Robert Pearl fears the nation is in denial about the trajectory of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic: “Many people I speak with and nearly all of the news outlets describe this as a back and forth battle with an implication that we will turn the tide, that we’ll win the war, that we’ll defeat COVID-19. These phrases may make sense in a traditional war with a human enemy, but they are non sequiturs when your enemy is a virus.” In this episode of Coronavirus: The Truth, hosts Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr compare the nation’s hopes and expectations against the biological and mathematical realities of the pandemic. Here are the questions covered in episode 4 of Coronavirus: The Truth … [01:03] Is this the week we peak in the United States? [01:47] What three solutions could end the COVID-19 pandemic? [04:19] What will social distancing actually accomplish? [06:50] Will the United States experience a “second wave”? [07:49] Are current mortality (death) estimates accurate? [11:12] Have we already made “the cure worse than the disease”? [15:24] If this is a war, what’s our long-term strategy? *read Dr. Pearl’s COVID-19 plan* [21:22] Should we be wearing masks? What kind? Why? [28:04] What is the C.A.R.E.S. bill? What are its four key parts? [32:14] What parts of the country will see the coronavirus peak sooner vs. later? [37:17] How long is too long before we reopen the U.S. economy? This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify and other podcast platforms. To submit a question or comment to the hosts, visit the contact page or send 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 #4: Is this the week the pandemic peaks? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

In this episode of Coronavirus: The Truth, hosts Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr delve into a “surprising” topic. That is, why do the news media and public seem so surprised by Dr. Anthony Fauci’s projection that 100,000 to 200,000 Americans will die from the coronavirus? Why are we so surprised by the rising slope of confirmed cases, which recently eclipsed 140,000 in the United States? Or by President Trump’s decision to extend the social-distancing guidelines through April 30? As Dr. Pearl explains, public health experts were telling us this information with great accuracy least two weeks ago. And yet, very few people seem eager to listen to the scientific, biological and mathematical facts concerning this pandemic. So, which coronavirus “surprises” aren’t surprises at all? Are any real surprises in store and, if so, which unpleasant surprises can we get ahead of now? Get the answers on this week’s episode, which focuses on the “surprising” facts surrounding the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Here are the questions covered in episode 3 of Coronavirus: The Truth … [01:34] How did health experts know two weeks ago what the U.S. death rate would be today? [02:45] Why isn’t Dr. Anthony Fauci’s prediction of 100,000 to 200,000 deaths not surprising at all? [04:31] Why does New Orleans now have one of the highest coronavirus death rates in the world? [06:03] Is it likely that President Trump will lift social-distancing measures on April 30? [09:10] What will happen when we reopen schools, workplaces and restaurants too soon? [10:59] In 30 days, where will our country stand in terms of slowing or stopping the coronavirus? [15:12] What are the likeliest social and economic consequences we’re not yet talking about? [19:11] How do we predict the next phases of this pandemic? What should we be preparing for? [21:34] Why isn’t the $2.2 trillion emergency relief bill an “economic stimulus package”? [24:54] Will this pandemic have a long-term impact on the mental health of Americans? [29:45] Which would be worse: A serious, short-term pandemic or a devastating long-term recession? [30:12] Should we be doing antibody (serologic) testing on people who recover from coronavirus? [34:20] Why is there so much disagreement about how many respirators and ventilators we actually need? This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify and other podcast platforms. To submit a question or comment to the hosts, visit the contact page or send 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 #3: Why can’t we accept the painful truth about COVID-19? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

In the second episode of Coronavirus: The Truth, hosts Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr examine several difficult but important questions surrounding the future of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States. For listeners who are new to the show, this podcast offers science-based updates on the COVID-19, insights from public health officials and clinicians, along with an unbiased look at how the day’s news and opinion are impacting American life. Here are the questions covered in episode 2 of Coronavirus: The Truth … [01:03] What are the most recent updates on the virus? What are the most significant changes over the past week? [04:38] What’s important to understand about the latest mortality figures? Why are U.S. deaths still doubling every two to three days? [06:20] Can we prevent more coronavirus deaths in the near future? [10:20] What advice would Dr. Pearl offer people who may be panicking? [13:40] How realistic is it that Americans will return to work, school and life as normal within a month? [16:20] What are the three pieces of information needed to understand the pandemic’s future? [21:02] What does exponential growth of a viral disease look like? [22:23] Why are politicians more optimistic about the COVID-19 timeline than public health officials? [24:04] What should we make of this recent tweet from President Donald Trump? WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF. AT THE END OF THE 15 DAY PERIOD, WE WILL MAKE A DECISION AS TO WHICH WAY WE WANT TO GO! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 23, 2020 [26:57] What about the possibility of medications to treat coronavirus? Why are scientists skeptical? [29:06] Beyond our current reality, are there any “rays of hope” coming from this crisis? [32:19] Is the coronavirus a “Black Swan” (unpredictable/unforeseen) event? [33:11] What’s the mood in middle America over the coronavirus? [34:32] Listener questions: Is food delivery safe? Is grocery-store shopping safe? Should we be wearing masks? This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify and other podcast platforms. To submit a question or comment to the hosts, visit the contact page or send 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 #2: When will the coronavirus pandemic end? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

From the hosts of the Fixing Healthcare podcast comes a new and necessary show that focuses on the facts surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19). This podcast offers science-based updates on the coronavirus, insights from public health officials and clinicians, along with an unbiased look at how the day’s news and opinion are impacting American life. Here are the questions Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr tackled in episode 1 of Coronavirus: The Truth … [02:01] What qualifies these hosts to educate listeners about the coronavirus? [04:18] What is coronavirus? How does it spread? Who’s at greatest risk? [07:34] Are all these event cancellations and restaurant closures appropriate or overkill? Will these actions make a difference? [11:58] How dangerous is COVID-19 compared to seasonal influenza (the flu)? [13:47] How does this pandemic compare to other outbreaks like Spanish Flu, MERS, SARS and Ebola? [16:27] What do we know about immunity, recovery and seasonality with respect to coronavirus in the United States? [19:08] Should we be scared when scientists say, “We don’t know…”? [20:15] Viral spread, economic strain, public panic and an overwhelmed healthcare system: Which are legit threats at this time? [25:07] What should people with COVID-19 symptoms do? What immediate steps should they take? [28:26] What are the psychological factors at play? Why are we so afraid? Why are people engaged in hoarding behaviors? [34:16] When can we expect a return to normalcy in American life? This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify and other podcast platforms. To submit a question or comment to the hosts, visit the contact page or send 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. Check in regularly for the latest episodes of this show.  The post #1: Why are we afraid of the coronavirus? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.