Clinician's Roundtable

Guest: Angela Gardner, MD Host: Shira Johnson, MD Emergency medical care makes up only three percent of the 1.5 trillion dollars the nation spends on healthcare. There are currently two bills before Congress that propose an increase in dollars spent on emergeny medical services. Host Dr. Shira Johnson is joined by Dr. Angela Gardner, president-elect of the American College of Emergency Physicians, to discuss how this legislation will improve the care in the nation's crowded emergency rooms, what part of the population will be impacted most by this legislation, and how the Obama plan will affect practicing physicians.

Guest: Angela Gardner, MD Host: Shira Johnson, MD The practice of emergency room diversion began back in the late 1980s to help prevent overcrowding in busy hospitals. But does it still work? Hospitals across the country are so crowded today that ambulances are turned away regularly. Dr. Angela Gardner, president-elect of the American College of Emergency Physicians and assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of Texas at Galveston, explores the issue of overcrowding and the policies designed to combat the problem, with host Dr. Shira Johnson.

Guest: Allan Platt, PA-C, MMSc Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Busy PAs don't have time to stop and look up answers in a reference book or even online from a PC. Answers to new medical treatments, diagnostic tests, medical journals, rapid references are now available on PDA platforms. Allan Platt, clinical instructor at Emory University in Atlanta and author of Evidence Based Medicine for PDAs: A Guide for Practice, joins host Lisa D'Andrea Lenell to talk about the latest advances in medical applications on PDAs. They also discuss the best software for medical professionals and where this software is headed in the future.

Guest: John Chuey, MD Host: Larry Kaskel, MD In the city that never sleeps, there's a new physician-staffed medical clinic that, well, doesn't sleep either. We all have a few night owls, night-shifters or insomniacs in our practice; we also have patients who may be bothered by pain or illness in the middle of the night, but will avoid a visit to the emergency at all costs. In New York City, at least, these patients have another option for late-night care. For more on this interesting new option for patient care, host Dr. Larry Kaskel welcomes Dr. John Chuey, senior physician at the 23rd Street Office of the Beth Israel Medical Group in New York City, a 24-hour medical clinic staffed round-the-clock by physicians.

Guest: Les Paul, MD Host: Bruce Japsen Evidence-based medicine has been gaining momentum among the medical community, but there are things happening in our nation's capital that could impact this coming trend. Dr. Les Paul, vice president of clinical and scientific affairs for the National Pharmaceutical Council, tells host Bruce Japsen about the economic stimulus, bills in Congress and other initiatives that could move evidenced-based medicine further into the physician's office. But he also warns of potential pitfalls from the pharmaceutical industry's perspective.

Guest: Les Paul, MD Host: Bruce Japsen Comparative effectiveness is gaining momentum as a way to decide what drugs and devices should be used by doctors. But why was it part of the economic stimulus approved by Congress and pushed by President Obama? Dr. Les Paul, vice president of clinical and scientific affairs at the National Pharmaceutical Council, tells the Chicago Tribune's Bruce Japsen about how policymakers are looking at comparative effectiveness and how medical care providers and the healthcare industry should be involved.

Guest: Janet Lathrop Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Every six years, physician assistants are required to take a re-certification exam on primary care medicine. Many PAs question if this test is still relevant, given that more than 70 percent of physician assistants work in more than 60 different specialites. Host Lisa D'Andrea Lenell is joined by Janet Lathrop, president and CEO of the National Commission on Certification for Physician Assistants, to talk about the pros and cons of PA specialty certification and how the PA's role is evolving into specialized areas of expertise.

Guest: Janet Lathrop Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Certification for the physician assistant field has come a long way since 1965, when four ex-navy corpsmen were enrolled in the first physician assistant program. Now more than 40 years later, PAs are the most tested profession in medicine. Janet Lathrop, president and CEO of the National Commission on Certification of Physicians Assistants, talks with host Lisa D'Andrea Lenell about how the certification process has changed and where it's headed.

Guest: Michelle Heinan Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Primary care is as short of physician assistants as it is doctors. More than half of all graduating PAs go into specialty medicine. But the goal of the newest physician assistant training program at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee, is to keep PAs in primary care. They also hope graduates will stay in rural Cumberland Gap, where the University is located, identified by the federal government as medically under-served. Dr. Michelle Heinan, director of Lincoln Memorial University's PA program, joins host Lisa D'Andrea Lenell to discusses the need for PAs in primary care and the need for them to stay in rural medicine. In the second half of this interview, Dr. Heinan talks about the challenges the University took on in establishing a PA training program, and what distinguishes this program from others around the country.

Guest: Robert Lamberts, MD Host: Larry Kaskel, MD We've heard a lot about the economic stimulus funding for electronic medical records (EMR), but the central question for you is whether your practice or institution is ready to take on the effort to install it, maintain it and flourish with it. Stimulus money aside, it's a major investment of time, energy and other resources. When considering the purchase of an EMR, how can your practice ensure that you are buying the right product for the right reasons? Dr. Robert Lamberts, board-certified internist and pediatrician and an experienced lecturer on the subject of electronic medical records, shares a few tips to help you make sure it doesn't become an unnecessary hassle for your practice. Dr. Larry Kaskel hosts.