Clinician's Roundtable

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: Reginald Carter, PhD, PA-C Where is the beginning of the physician assistant profession? Is it in the 1960's, in response to a growing a shortage of physicians? Or does it go back even earlier than that? Dr. Reginald Carter, founder of the PA History Center in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to talk about the pioneers at the roots of the profession and why it's critical to preserve this history.

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: Reginald Carter, PhD, PA-C Guest: Leila Ledbetter The physician assistant profession is rich in history. The PA History Center at the Duke University Medical Center in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, houses everything from oral histories of early PAs to photographs, personal papers and artifacts at the museum. Dr. Reggie Carter, founder of the PA History Center, and Leila Ledbetter, director and archivist at the Center, joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to discuss the importance of the museum to the PA profession and how you can experience it, even if you can't visit in person.

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: Vergil Slee, MD From the noise on talk shows about death panels that don't exist to acronyms like HMOs or PPOs, the healthcare industry often does not speak to consumers in plain language. How can doctors and other health professionals help the consumer, and should this be a part of health reform? Dr. Vergil Slee, emeritus fellow of the Estes Park Institute, founder of the Commission on Professional and Hospital Activities, and author of Slee's Health Care Terms, now in its fifth edition, tells host Bruce Japsen about the need for medical professionals to speak in plain language for the betterment of patient care.

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: Linda Blumberg An integral part of covering the nation's more than 46 million uninsured that has been discussed by President Barack Obama and key members of Congress in Washington is the so-called insurance exchange. So what is an insurance exchange, and exactly how would it work? Linda Blumberg, an economist and senior fellow in the Urban Institute's Health Policy Center, tells host Bruce Japsen about movements in states and the federal government to use insurance exchanges as a way to cover more Americans with health benefits.

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: Tom Dilenge There appears to be movement in the US to bring less expensive versions of biotech drugs to market. But the brand name drug industry wants these so-called biosimilars to adhere to rigorous safety and efficacy standards currently not built into US laws. Tom DiLenge, vice president and general counsel for the Biotechnology Industry Organization, tells host Bruce Japsen about a palatable pathway biotech companies would like to see approved by Congress to bring cheaper biotech drugs to the US market.

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: Sunil Hattangady, MBA, PhD The wireless movement is a part of more and more consumers' daily lives, from smart phones to laptops. Will this kind of technology soon be ubiquitous in the healthcare field as well? Sunil Hattangady, president of Emblaze Consulting, tells host Bruce Japsen about the coming wireless trends and applications in the healthcare.

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: Sumant Ramachandra, MD While drug makers and consumer groups lobby Congress and the Obama administration on the best way to bring cheaper versions of biotech drugs to market, a U.S. company is already doing so overseas. How does this work and what are the prospects for biogenerics in the U.S. Dr. Sumant Ramachandra, Chief Scientific Officer at Hospira Inc. tells host Bruce Japsen about the company's work bringing cheaper biotech drugs to market.

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: Laurie Benton, PhD, PA-C, RN Guest: Charles Foulks, MD Sometimes two heads are better than one. That's the case when it comes to the PA/Physician team of Dr. Laurie Benton PA-C and her supervisor Dr. Charles Foulks. The two working together over the years have been able to slow the progression of kidney disease and keep their patients off dialysis. Dr. Foulks, medical officer at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Dr. Benton an orthopedic hospitalist joins host, Lisa D'Andrea Lenell to talk about the keys to a successful PA/Doctor team.

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: Stephen Hanson, PA-C The debate over healthcare reform is on the minds of all medical professsionals these days. What could be different for PAs if new legislation is enacted? How is the American Academy of Physician Assistants assuring that PAs are an essential part of the debate? How can you get involved to make sure your representatives in Congress hear your voice? Steven Hanson, president of the AAPA, joins host Lisa D'Andrea Lenell to sort out what the AAPA is doing to keep PAs in the healthcare reform process.

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: Gail Curtis, PA-C The research is yet to be written on the number of physician assistants that face substance abuse issues. Gail Curtis, an assistant professor of PA studies at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, joins host Lisa D'Andrea Lenell to discuss the reasons PAs may abuse controlled substances, how to get proper treatment and the programs that are available for medical professionals.