Clinician's Roundtable

Host: Michael Greenberg, MD Guest: Susan Weisberg, 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.

Host: Michael Greenberg, MD Guest: Jay Parkinson, MD, MPH 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.

Host: Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP Guest: James C. Turner, MD 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.

Host: Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP Guest: Cliff O'Callahan, MD, PhD 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.

Host: Leslie P. Lundt, MD Guest: Alan Astrow, 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.

Host: Leslie P. Lundt, MD Guest: David Spiegel, 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.

Host: Larry Kaskel, MD Guest: John Sweet, MBA Medical office buildings are a safe and stable bet for some real estate investors. John Sweet, a managing director at the Ziegler Healthcare Real Estate Fund, discusses the ins and outs of medical real estate. Mr. Sweet highlights the impact of the current economic climate on the healthcare industry, and the benefits of medical properties. Tune in to hear host Dr. Larry Kaskel, as he explores the real estate opportunities within the medical market, and the current opportunities for physicians.

Host: Shira Johnson, MD Guest: Marianne Gaushe-Hill, MD EMS care has advanced since the first ambulances scooped a patient up and ran to the hospital. But is it time to go back to BLS? Dr Marianne Gauche-Hill, Director of EMS at UCLA Harbor and Professor of Medicine at UCLA, discusses research from Canada and the US showing that for certain diagnosis, EMS should not continue ACLS at the scene. Join Dr Shira Johnson as she discusses this controversal topic which may impact the EMS budget at your facility.

Host: Shira Johnson, MD Guest: Marianne Gaushe-Hill, MD When should your emergency medical services unit be transporting instead of treating? Dr. Marianne Gauche-Hill, professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and director of EMS at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, reveals recent studies in the literature showing that less treatment may be more efficacious. Join Dr. Shira Johnson as she interviews Dr. Gauche-Hill to discuss scenerios when the diagnosis in the field may have a better outcome if ACLS care is delivered at the receiving facility.

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: Philip Newbold Innovation. It's important to change healthcare. But is there an innovator in everyone? Philip Newbold, president and chief executive of Memorial Hospital and Health System in South Bend, Indiana, tells host Bruce Japsen how we can find the innovator in each of us and how this could lead to improvements in medicine and the patient's healthcare experience.