Clinician's Roundtable

Guest: William Hanson, MD Host: Lee Freedman, MD Robotic appendages assisting in surgery that allow procedures to be performed on a patient by a physician on the opposite end of the globe, and machines that kill cancer cells on a molecular level--these are just two of the medical advances that are already beginning to revolutionize medicine. Dr. William Hanson, director of the surgical intensive care unit at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center and author of the book The Edge of Medicine, surveys the technologies that will soon change the physician's landscape. Dr. Lee Freedman hosts. What ethical concerns will some of these new developments present?

Guest: Jun Ye, PhD Host: Larry Kaskel, MD Diagnosing life threatening diseases and other medical conditions could soon be as easy as breathing. June Ye, a physics professor at the University of Colorado-Boulder and his graduate student, Michael Thorpe, discuss their research on a technique that uses lasers to detect specific chemical compounds in the breath of patients. They explain to host Dr. Larry Kaskel the underlying mechanisms of this technology, which is known as optical frequency comb, and how that it is able to derive health information from the patient's breath. Tune in to hear how this technology, once perfected, will improve the efficiency of diagnosing and monitoring diseases, as well as save patients thousands of dollars on diagnostic testing.

Guest: Sandy Praeger Host: Larry Kaskel, MD Sandy Praeger, past-president of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), joins host Dr. Larry Kaskel to discuss the NAIC's July 2008 survey that analyzed how consumers handle healthcare expenditures.

Guest: Barbara Rutt, MDiv, BCC, Host: Susan Dolan, RN, JD Chaplains are increasingly being recognized as a critical resource on a hospital medical team. Our guest today, Chaplain Barbara Rutt, manager of Pastoral Care at the Lehigh Valley Health Network talks with host Susan Dolan, RN about her role as a member of the of trauma team, the open heart team and as a collaborator for the medical rounds of the palliative team. Join us to learn about the day in the life of a hospital Chaplain and how you might incorporate their services into your medical team.

Guest: Susan Weisberg, MD Host: Michael Greenberg, MD What advantages are there for physicians who see patients at their homes, and what are the limitations of a home practice? Dr. Susan Weisberg, a pediatrician who sees patients in her home during clinic after-hours, explains her reasons for practicing at home. What's involved in setting up a home practice? Dr. Michael Greenberg hosts.

Guest: Jay Parkinson, MD, MPH Host: Michael Greenberg, MD A relatively new primary care practice based in Brooklyn, New York, is using new ways to serve the un- and under-insured communities in its own neighborhood. The practice, Hello Health, is based on membership and pay-per-visit office fees from patients instead of insurance, and encourages patients to communicate with their physician via instant message, email and video chat. But critics of this model say internet communication is often misinterpreted and cannot be relied upon to build a solid physician-patient relationship. Dr. Jay Parkinson, co-founder of Hello Health, describes his new model for healthcare and his plans for expanding the internet-based primary care practice model. Is this model really the way of the future? Dr. Michael Greenberg hosts. You can visit Hello Health here.

Guest: James C. Turner, MD Host: Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP Most of us have fond memories of our college years. As we now see in our families and in our practices, and perhaps retrospectively in ourselves, the behavior of college students is often influenced by what is perceived to be normal among their peers. Looking more specifically at social norms research, college students tend to overestimate negative behavior, while underestimating positive behavior, relating to a range of health issues, from smoking and binge drinking to risky sexual practices and wearing seat belts. Dr. James Turner, president-elect of the American College Health Association, and executive director of the National Social Norms Institute, explains how social norms campaigns can highlight differences between the perceptions and realities that influence young people, to improve their actions and ultimately their health. Dr. Jennifer Shu hosts.

Guest: Cliff O'Callahan, MD, PhD Host: Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP As physicians, we are often asked to give our time and money to charitable medical organizations. With so many groups working on health issues across the world, how can we best decide where to focus our energy and our donations? Is it more important to focus on how much we give, what we give, or how we give? Dr. Cliff O’Callahan, pediatrician and chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Section on International Child Health, details a series of items we should consider when we make our contributions to charity with host Dr. Jennifer Shu.

Guest: Alan Astrow, MD Host: Leslie P. Lundt, MD Breaking difficult news to patients is something that, as doctors, we have to do. Are there approaches that make it easier and clearer for the patient? In this segment, Dr. Alan Astrow, director of the division of hematology and medical oncology at Maimonides Cancer Center in New York City, joins host Dr. Leslie Lundt to discuss specific case examples of how to break difficult and often complicated news to patients. Dr. Astrow has a special interest in the treatment of breast cancer, gynecological cancers and Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. He has conducted research on how to help physicians understand a patient's wishes, values and needs as well as how to improve communication between doctor and patient.

Guest: David Spiegel, MD Host: Leslie P. Lundt, MD Several studies have found that over half of all physicians have used placebos in their practice. Is there scientific validity to the prescribing of placebos? Dr. David Speigel, associate chairman of the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine, joins host Dr. Leslie Lundt to review the science behind placebos. Dr. Spiegel has extensively studied how psychological factors affect the brain's response to pain and illness.