March 25th, 2020
Podcast 259: A first-year resident tells us what he sees in the Covid-19 pandemic
Dr. Matt Young is a first-year resident in obstetrics and gynecology in suburban Delaware. Between the day I invited him to be interviewed and the interview itself (a 36-hour span) things had changed a lot for him. Anxiety levels are up among his colleagues, and everyone in his hospital must wear a mask all the time. […]
June 3rd, 2015
Podcast 175: “Understanding Value-Based Healthcare” — A Discussion with the Authors of an Important New Book
Running time: 26 minutes “Understanding Value-Based Healthcare,” published in April by McGraw-Hill is today’s focus. Drs. Christopher Moriates, of the University of California, San Francisco; Vineet Arora, of the University of Chicago; and Neel Shah of Harvard Medical — the book’s authors — discuss its straightforward approach to valuing patient outcomes foremost. The discussion ranges over their reasons […]
July 30th, 2014
Podcast 172: Listening for the Diagnosis, a Conversation with Danielle Ofri
Running time: 15 minutes Dr. Danielle Ofri, author and internist (as well as an aspiring cellist), is writing a book about how patients and clinicians hear each other. Our discussion centers on that, and on her request that you contact her if you can put her in touch with great diagnosticians (and maybe even their patients). If […]
February 27th, 2010
Podcast 76: On saying “No” to patients’ requests.
A conversation with the authors of an Archives of Internal Medicine study that examines the best tactics for saying “No” to inappropriate requests. Contact me at 1-617-440-4374 or at jelia@jwatch.org. Interview-related links: Archives of Internal Medicine abstract Atul Gawande’s New Yorker article News-related links: The rosiglitazone (Avandia) controversy Advisory on thiazolidinediones Physicians’ work hours 13-valent pneumococcal vaccine Influenza-vaccination expansion […]
February 8th, 2009
Podcast 29: Dr. Brian Jack of Boston University sees RED (Re-Engineered Discharge) as a way to lower hospital readmissions.
Millions of people are discharged each year from U.S. hospitals. How many find themselves on the street with no clear idea of what they’ve been treated for, what drugs they should take and when, and how to get in touch with a clinician if something goes wrong? No surprise, many are readmitted — either directly […]