Clinician's Roundtable

Host: Bruce Japsen Guest: Toni Mills By adopting even one change to a health care business practice, some experts believe lives can be saved. How about 5 million of them? Toni Mills, executive director of the Office of Clinical Affairs for the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, tells host Bruce Japsen about the group's effort to get pledges from hospitals to follow several safety guidelines that could lead to saving 5 million lives.

Host: Stuart Gitlow, MD, MPH, MBA Guest: Kevin Kunz, MD, MPH Addiction Medicine may be on track to become a board certified specialty in the future, differentiating itself from the current ABMS-approved subspecialty of Addiction Psychiatry. How has the advancing field reached this stage, and what does it mean for us and our patients? Additionally, what will an Addiction Specialist be able to do that an Addiction Psychiatrist cannot, and vice-versa? Dr. Kevin Kunz, Interim President of the American Board of Addiction Medicine, remarks on this developmental trend from the field. Hosted by Dr. Stu Gitlow.

Host: Larry Kaskel, MD Guest: Marc Halley, MBA Using philosophies borrowed from the property management field, Marc Halley, president of Halley Consulting Group, shares with host Dr. Larry Kaskel the key to efficient utilization of the support staff within a medical practice. Mr. Halley highlights the importance of delegation within a well managed practice, which means that the physician should delegate all paperwork to support staff. Mr. Halley also discusses the concept of "closing the visit", and how to analyze a practice to determine those responsibilities that should be shared. Lastly, Mr. Halley outlines the role of management within a medical practice and the key role it plays in the success of a practice.

Host: Larry Kaskel, MD Guest: Marc Halley, MBA As hospitals get back into the game of owning and running medical practices what must they do to succeed? Our guest Marc Halley, president of Halley Consulting Group, a firm specializing in services to hospital-owned primary care networks shares with host Dr. Larry Kaskel his 8 initiatives for success including improving worker productivity and maximizing receivables management to name just a few. Tune in to learn all 8.

Host: Mark Nolan Hill, MD Guest: Randi Hagerman, MD Diagnosis of the genetic disorder Fragile X syndrome can be devastating for our young patients and their families, knowing that both the patient and their elders can be affected by this condition. Should we expand current screening measures for Fragile X? As clinicians, how do we guide patients and their families through this process of understanding their diagnosis? Dr. Randi Hagerman, professor and endowed chair of Fragile X research, and medical director of the Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (MIND) Institute at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine, joins host Dr. Mark Nolan Hill to talk about the nuances of this genetic condition.

Host: Mark Nolan Hill, MD Guest: Randi Hagerman, MD We are rapidly learning more about the genetic disorder Fragile X syndrome, and a series of conditions related to Fragile X. We're also seeing great progress in promising therapies under investigation. How will these therapies, along with other treatment strategies, improve the lives of children and families affected by Fragile X and related conditions? Who should supervise care, and should treatment for children be coordinated with care of potentially affected relatives? Dr. Randi Hagerman, professor and endowed chair of Fragile X research, and medical director of the Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (MIND) Institute at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine, shares her expansive expertise on Fragile X syndrome and associated conditions with host Dr. Mark Nolan Hill. If a child is diagnosed with Fragile X, is genetic screening inevitably warranted for parents and grandparents?

Host: Mark Nolan Hill, MD Guest: Randi Hagerman, MD It's responsible for more than five percent of all cases of autism, and it's the most common cause of inherited mental retardation. But are we as familiar as we need to be with Fragile X syndrome, and a series of genetic conditions related to Fragile X? Host Dr. Mark Nolan Hill welcomes Dr. Randi Hagerman, professor and endowed chair of Fragile X research, and medical director of the Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (MIND) Institute at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine, for a stimulating conversation about our rapidly expanding knowledge of these genetic conditions. How do the signs and symptoms manifest in children, and how does Fragile X impact our elder generations?

Host: Mark Nolan Hill, MD Guest: Jamie Hutchison, MD A young patient is brought into the emergency department having suffered a traumatic brain injury. Hypothermia may be considered as part of the treatment regimen. If so, how soon after the injury should treatment begin, and how long should treatment last? Dr. Jamie Hutchison, associate professor of critical care medicine and pediatrics at the University of Toronto, and research director of critical care medicine at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, explains the mechanism used for cooling and examines potential links between data on hypothermia treatment for adults and similar therapy for children. Dr. Mark Nolan Hill hosts.

Host: Mark Nolan Hill, MD Guest: Jamie Hutchison, MD Traumatic brain injuries can present a lifetime of consequences. Previous studies indicate that hypothermia may be a viable treatment option, but little data has demonstrated efficacy for our youngest patients. Is hypothermia effective in treating pediatric brain trauma patients in a more rigorous research setting? What are the key mechanisms behind this query? Dr. Jamie Hutchison, associate professor of critical care medicine and pediatrics at the University of Toronto, and research director of critical care medicine at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, evaluates the utility of hypothermia treatment for pediatric traumatic brain injuries with host Dr. Mark Nolan Hill.

Host: Mark Nolan Hill, MD Guest: Jim Hu, MD, MPH We are still working to minimize the major risks of complications involved in minimally invasive prostatectomy. This becomes even more important as more patients undergo these procedures. How has the training and certification process impacted our success? What improvements can we expect in this minimally invasive technique to treat prostate cancer in the years to come? For answers to these questions and many more, host Dr. Mark Nolan Hill welcomes Dr. Jim Hu, assistant professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School, and director of minimally invasive urologic oncology at Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.