Patients at Risk

More than ever, healthcare and politics are intertwined. Decisions made by politicians and have a major impact on not only healthcare policy, but on the day-to-day practice of medicine by physicians. Today we are excited to be talking about healthcare politics with Dr. Kermit Jones, a California internal medicine physician, attorney, and military veteran who is working to bring his medical expertise into the political arena. Learn more about Dr. Jones at his website - https://kermitjonesmdjd.com/Donate to Dr. Jones' political campaign here - https://secure.actblue.com/donate/kermitjonesforcongress2 Get the book! https://www.amazon.com/Patients-Risk-Practitioner-Physician-Healthcare/dp/1627343164/Physicians: Join Physicians for Patient Protection - https://physiciansforpatientprotection.orgPhysiciansForPatientProtection.org

In part 2 of this discussion with Dr. Marion Mass, a pediatrician and the co-founder of Practicing Physicians of America, we learn about the impact of group purchasing organizations (GPOs) on the high cost of healthcare.  In 1987, the federal legislature granted GPOs safe harbor from anti-kickback statutes, allowing them to reap millions of dollars. Dr Mass also explains how these GPOs have created artificial shortages in essential medical supplies, leading to patient and clinician harm.Practicing Physicians of America: https://practicingphysician.org/Get the book: https://www.amazon.com/Patients-Risk-Practitioner-Physician-Healthcare/dp/1627343164/PhysiciansForPatientProtection.org

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

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

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

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 educationGet the book Patients at Risk!PhysiciansForPatientProtection.org

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/id1529907905Get the book: https://www.amazon.com/Patients-Risk-Practitioner-Physician-Healthcare/dp/1627343164/PhysiciansForPatientProtection.org

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

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 confidentialPhysiciansForPatientProtection.org

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/2780419Get the book! https://www.amazon.com/Patients-Risk-Practitioner-Physician-Healthcare/dp/1627343164/Join physiciansforpatientprotection.orgPhysiciansForPatientProtection.org