Clinician's Roundtable

Guest: Patrick O'Doherty Host: Larry Kaskel, MD Patrick O'Doherty, vice president of the ProAssurance Insurance Company and a leading expert on insurance coverage and potential liability exposure, explains the new federal rule of civil procedures, regarding the discovery of electronic records, to which medical practices are now being exposed. Mr. O'Doherty talks with host Dr. Larry Kaskel about the new requirements for electronic document management, which include employee e-mails, and the limitations of professional liability coverage with respect to this risk. Mr.O'Doherty also outlines the scope of this supplemental coverage and the value in terms of litigation management, given the relatively low cost of coverage.

Guest: John Kennedy, MD Host: Jordan Metzl, MD Several studies looking at efficacy for custom and off-the-shelf orthotics indicate that the vast majority of patients don't need a custom device. How do we decide who is an appropriate candidate for each product? How does this debate about specialized product lines project to running shoes and other items that help us work toward better foot health for our patients? Host Dr. Jordan Metzl welcomes Dr. John Kennedy, assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery at Weill Medical College of Cornell University and an orthopaedic surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.

Host: Jordan Metzl, MD Guest: John Kennedy, MD Commonly perceived as a minor injury, ankle sprains are dismissed by many athletes, in particular, who are encouraged to shake it off, play through pain, and pursue some simple rehab as their game and practice schedule allows. Yet there is more to simple ankle sprains than we may realize, including diminished proprioception and balance that may leave our patients more vulnerable to chronic injury. Why is this loss of proprioception specific to the ankle? Are we approaching our treatment of these injuries in the proper manner? Dr. John Kennedy, assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery at Weill Medical College of Cornell University and an orthopaedic surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, details effective diagnostic and treatment strategies with host Dr. Jordan Metzl. Dr. Kennedy urges us not to underestimate what may be perceived as a simple ankle sprain.

Guest: Ted Love, MD Host: Bruce Japsen Anticoagulants like heparin have been around for decades, but the drugs have drawbacks for many patients. Dr. Ted Love, Chief Executive of biotech company Nuvelo, tells host Bruce Japsen about targeted anticoagulant therapies that are being developed to be safer and more effective than the old standby heparin therapy and other blood treatments.

Guest: Ted Love, MD Host: Bruce Japsen With ongoing questions about the manufacturing of heparin in China and concerns about a potential shortage of the anticoagulant, some are wondering whether there is a need for new heparin alternatives. Dr. Ted Love, chief executive officer of the San Francisco biotech company Nuvelo, tells host Bruce Japsen about the biotech industry's pursuit of synthetic variations of the popular blood thinner.

Guest: Tim Walbert Host: Bruce Japsen The climate for innovation in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries is fraught with risk, but also holds great potential for reward. Tim Walbert, the chief executive of Horizon Therapeutics, tells host Bruce Japsen about the prospects for growth in life sciences and the biopharmaceutical industry outside of Big Pharma and what that means for physicians.

Guest: Tim Walbert Host: Bruce Japsen Why take two pills when you can just take one? Welcome to the latest phenomenon in healthcare: combination pills. Tim Walbert, president and chief executive officer of Horizon Therapeutics, tells host Bruce Japsen about the drug industry's push toward combining two or more treatments into one pill, and the potential benefits for us and for our patients.

Guest: Roy Steigbigel, MD Host: Mark Nolan Hill, MD We are getting our first in-depth look at some of the research behind raltegravir, a powerful therapy for multi-drug resistant HIV infection already approved by the FDA. How is this raltegravir data impacting current clinical strategies for attacking the virus in multi-drug resistant patients? Host Dr. Mark Nolan Hill probes this question and much more with Dr. Roy Steigbigel, professor of medicine and pathology, molecular genetics and microbiology, and pharmacological sciences, and founding director of the Comprehensive AIDS Center at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Guest: Roy Steigbigel, MD Host: Mark Nolan Hill, MD In the quest to find therapies for multi-drug resistant HIV, researchers have zeroed in on raltegravir. The latest data indicates this potent agent provides the highest reported virologic suppression rate among multi-drug resistant patients. Is raltegravir proving more effective than antiretrovirals? Does it carry any prominent side effects? Dr. Roy Steigbigel, professor of medicine and pathology, molecular genetics and microbiology, and pharmacological sciences, and founding director of the Comprehensive AIDS Center at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, details his New England Journal of Medicine research on raltegravir therapy for multi-drug resistant HIV with host Dr. Mark Nolan Hill.

Guest: Robert M. Blumm, PA-C Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Surgical physician assistants are becoming an important part of the workflow of hospitals. Guest Robert Blumm, a practicing physician assistant since 1970 and president of the Association of Plastic Surgery Physician Assistants, outlines with host Lisa D'Andrea the capabilities and contributions of the surgical physician assistant in the hospital setting.