Clinician's Roundtable

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Guest: Robert Klitzman, MD Dr. Robert Klitzman, associate professor of clinical psychology at Columbia University, discusses how to prepare patients and their families to deal with the complex issues that arise in families that have inherited Huntington's disease. Join host Dr. Maurice Pickard for this important discussion.

Host: Larry Kaskel, MD Guest: Marcy Zwelling, MD In 2004 Dr. Zwelling-Aamot dramatically reduced the size of her practice, adopting the concierge model in order to provide a higher level of access and attention to a smaller number of patients. Host Dr. Larry Kaskel speaks with Dr. Aamot about the failings of the current healthcare system in the United States and the decision to convert her practice into a concierge model.

Host: Larry Kaskel, MD Guest: Steven Knope, MD One of the leading pioneers and innovators in concierge medicine, Dr. Steven Knope discusses how the concierge medicine practice model is a solution to the failing health care system in the United States. Dr. Knope opened one of the nation's first concierge medical practices and discusses why the arrangement is the perfect resource for practitioners and patients alike. Dr. Knope also discusses some of the key steps necessary for converting a practice to a concierge model, outlined in his book, Concierge Medicine A New System to Get the Best Healthcare.

Host: Larry Kaskel, MD Guest: Renu Virmani, MD Drug-eluting stents or bare metal stents: can pathology research give us a clearer picture? An internationally recognized cardiopathologist, Dr. Renu Virmani, sorts through what we know and what don’t know about drug-eluting stents with host Dr. Larry Kaskel. According to Dr. Virmani, the long-term outlook for stents is quite good, with key improvements in polymers and advances that afford us better quantitative control over the drugs administered via stents.

Host: Larry Kaskel, MD Guest: Renu Virmani, MD What does pathological data tell us about vulnerable plaque and how can we detect it before it’s too late? Join internationally recognized cardio pathologist, Dr. Renu Virmani talking about what she has discovered in the path lab about patients who have died from plaque rupture. She discusses with Dr. Kaskel the variations in soft and hard plaque, the role of the vaso vasorum in disease and whether or not non-invasive techniques can lead to a diagnosis about plaque.

Host: Larry Kaskel, MD Guest: Mark Willenbring, MD What is the one screening question you can ask your patient to identify if they have a drinking problem? What solutions can you offer as a general physician, outside of counseling programs to help your patient stop drinking? What pharmalogical options are on the market to help patients stop drinking? Do they work? Dr. Mark Willenbring, director of the Treatment and Recovery Research Division of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism talks with Dr. Larry Kaskel about the role a general physician can take in screening and treating patients who drink too much.

Host: Larry Kaskel, MD Guest: Mark Willenbring, MD Given the pervasiveness of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) in the United States, Dr. Mark Willenbring says, “we need to be intervening at a much earlier stage and providing treatment to a much broader range of people then we currently do.” Dr. Willenbring, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's Division of Treatment and Recovery Research, joins host Dr. Larry Kaskel to talk about new information from epidemiologic research on the prevalence and progression of heavy drinking and alcohol use disorders. In addition, Dr. Willenbring discusses the subtypes of alcohol dependence, and the nature of AUDs, in the context of DSM revisions.

Understanding the unique stressors of growing up in today’s world is an important part of treating children and adolescents. One of the most challenging events that our children endure is the college application process. Competition for spots at top colleges is at an all-time high. How does this affect our children and their families? Author of Fat Envelope Frenzy, Former Assistant Director of Admissions at Dartmouth College, Joie Jager-Hyman joins host Dr. Leslie Lundt.

Host: Leslie P. Lundt, MD Guest: James Welker, DO The time to first antibiotic dose in patients with community-acquired pneumonia is a core quality measure by which hospitals and physicians are evaluated. Might this time pressure have a negative effect on the accuracy of diagnosis of pneumonia? Dr. James Welker, the Director of the Franklin Square Clinical Research Center, joins host Dr. Leslie Lundt to discuss his research in this area.

Host: Leslie P. Lundt, MD Guest: Leon Sloman, MD Dr. Leon Sloman has developed a new comprehensive evolutionary model of depression and anxiety which may prompt a radically new approach to psychotherapy. He joins host Dr. Leslie Lundt to discuss IDS – the involuntary defeat strategy.