Clinician's Roundtable

Guest: Rahul Parikh, MD Host: Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP Physicians often collaborate with other doctors when caring for patients with various medical problems. Yet disagreements with our colleagues may occur more frequently than we would like to admit, and there can be consequences to these disagreements among physicians. How can we best deal with these differences in medical opinion, while keeping in mind our common goal of providing the best care possible for our patients? Host Dr. Jennifer Shu covers this question and a range of related issues with Dr. Rahul Parikh, a pediatrician at Kaiser Permanente in Walnut Creek, California, and a regular contributor to the Vital Signs medical column on Salon.com. Dr. Parikh recently wrote an article for the Los Angeles Times on disagreements between doctors: Does a patient's input often play a role in generating or exacerbating a disagreement? Do we tend to gravitate away from others with whom we have a difference of philosophy or medical opinion?

Guest: Judy Capko Host: Larry Kaskel, MD Inventory management is a fine balance. You want to have what you need when you need it, but you can run the risk of overstocking certain items. We hear a lot about the wasteful spending of our government, but we may look no further than our own medical practices to find the pork. How can you pare down wasteful spending on supplies, and how can your suppliers help you do this? Judy Capko, founder of the practice management and marketing firm, Capko & Company, provides you with some sound advice on inventory management, saving valuable dollars for your practice. Dr. Larry Kaskel hosts.

Guest: Judy Capko Host: Larry Kaskel, MD Focus on customer service. Participate in community activities to raise local visibility. Reward patients who bring referrals to your practice. These are just a few simple ways to market your practice, even on a limited budget. What is it about these strategies that will give you the biggest bang for your buck, and what else can you to keep your patient volume up during these leaner times? Judy Capko, founder of the practice management and marketing firm, Capko & Company, joins host Dr. Larry Kaskel to give you a range of helpful tips on marketing tactics that will give your practice the biggest bang for your buck.

Guest: Donato Tramuto Host: Bruce Japsen E-sampling is a new way of marketing drugs to physicians that's gaining momentum via the Internet. It's an approach that may reach more doctors and may prove to be more convenient to those who either don't like or don't want the traditional pharmaceutical industry pitches. Donato Tramuto, CEO and vice chairman of Physicians Interactive Holdings, tells the Chicago Tribune's Bruce Japsen about the trend emerging of marketing and applying business practices to doctors in a digital world online.

Guest: Cynthia Lord, MHS, PA-C Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Is the clinical doctorate appropriate for the physician assistant as an entry-level degree, as a post-graduate degree, or not at all? Those are just a few of the questions discussed recently at the PA Clinical Doctorate Summit held in Atlanta. Cynthia Lord, president of the American Academy of Physician Assistants and the program director of the Physician Assistant Program at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut, joins host Lisa D'Andrea Lenell to discuss the recommendations made by an independent panel of health professionals. The two also talk about a possible bridge program for PAs to go to medical school as well as future summits and advanced training for PAs in the future.

Guest: Cynthia Lord, MHS, PA-C Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Despite the current economic recession in the United States, the PA profession is growing at a rapid pace. Currently there are 73,000 PAs nationwide and 5000 new PAs are graduating every year. Cynthia Lord, president of the American Academy of Physician Assistants and the program director of the Physician Assistant Program at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut, talks with host Lisa D'Andrea Lenell about why the PA profession remains solid and whether a PA career is immune to troubled financial times. The two also look at the growing pains of a thriving field and how the profession is dealing with current growth.

Guest: Gloria Kuhn, MD Host: Shira Johnson, MD When should ER doctors become concerned about burnout? Many physicians show signs of career fatigue but continue to practice year after year. Dr. Gloria Kuhn, vice chair for academic affairs for the department of emergency medicine at Wayne State University, discusses her latest research with host Dr. Shira Johnson. Dr. Kuhn surveyed ER doctors to see what causes physicians to become unhappy in their jobs and the warning signs ER doctors and other physicians should look for to combat burnout.

Guest: John Kreger Host: Bruce Japsen News of mega-mergers involving the likes of Pfizer and Wyeth or Merck and Schering Plough have turned the pharmaceutical industry on its ear. But what does this mean for you and your patients? John Kreger, a principal with the health care investment bank William Blair & Company, tells the Chicago Tribune's Bruce Japsen about how consolidation among drug companies could impact doctors and their patients.

Guest: Leslie Ramirez, MD Host: Larry Kaskel, MD With tens of millions of people in the United States living without health insurance, lower prices for medicine and tests can mean the difference between seeking care and going without it. Even for those with insurance, lower prices can significantly ease out-of-pocket costs. How can we help patients find these lower prices, and might we also use price comparisons in our own practice? One physician has taken these issues into her own hands, creating a website that offers comparative pricing for tests and medications in the Chicagoland area. Host Dr. Larry Kaskel learns more about this website, leslieslist.org, from its founder, Dr. Leslie Ramirez, who also works full-time as a general internist. How has her work on the website changed her prescribing habits, and could they change yours too? Dr. Ramirez also shares a few tips for you to help your patients with bargaining on prices, and other ways to drive down costs.

Guest: Elizabeth Pector, MD Host: Larry Kaskel, MD Though healthcare is seemingly one of the more stable sectors of our turbulent economy, many practitioners are still struggling to subdue rising costs. For patients who may be unable to pay up front, can you employ effective payment plans that won't sidetrack your financial outlook? What else can we do to maintain our practice while dealing with the burdens of these tough times? Host Dr. Larry Kaskel welcomes Dr. Elizabeth Pector, a family physician practicing in Naperville, Illinois, just west of Chicago, and a member of the editorial board for Medical Economics magazine. Dr. Pector also delves into an assortment of other issues in medicine today: reimbursement increases, chronic illness management and wellness services merged into one office visit, and maintaining an office staff that can effectively balance good business acumen with respectful patient relations.