Freakonomics, M.D.

By Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

What's Freakonomics, M.D. about?

Each week, physician, economist, and author of "Random Acts of Medicine" Dr. Bapu Jena will dig into a fascinating study at the intersection of economics and healthcare. He takes on questions like: Why do kids with summer birthdays get the flu more often? Can surviving a hurricane help you live longer? What do heart surgery and grocery-store pricing have in common?

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Freakonomics, M.D. episodes:

07.21.2023
The Economics of Everyday Things: Animal Urine
In the newest show from the Freakonomics Radio Network, host Zachary Crockett explores the hidden side of the things around us. This week: One creature’s trash is another’s cash. (Or, how one man found profit in pee.)
07.11.2023
Tom Brady, A.D.H.D., and a Really Bad Headache (Bonus)
A sneak peek at Bapu's new book, "Random Acts of Medicine," available now from Doubleday, and an announcement about the show.
03.31.2023
78. Do Kids Cause Divorce?
Couples get divorced for all kinds of reasons. Is having kids one of them? Bapu talks about research that investigates what happens to parents who unexpectedly have twins. Plus, an announcement about the future of the show.
03.24.2023
77. They Make Minimum Wage. They Could Save Your Life.
Doctors and nurses get most of the attention — but a new study suggests we can improve health care by raising wages for a group of workers who are often overlooked.
03.17.2023
76. Is a Spoonful of Sunlight the Best Medicine?
In hospitals, a softer pillow or a nicer room might be more than just amenities — they could improve outcomes for patients.
03.10.2023
75. What Is Sugar Really Doing to You?
Americans eat a lot of sugar — and it’s hard to determine how it affects our health. Bapu explains how a new study uses data from the 1950s to help solve the mystery.
03.03.2023
74. How Does Playing Football Affect Your Health?
It’s not a new question, but it’s a tricky one to study. Bapu explains why, and talks about how an N.F.L. labor dispute helped him get some answers.
02.17.2023
73. Who Pays for Multimillion-Dollar Miracle Cures?
The most expensive drugs in the world are treatments for genetic diseases. And more of these cures are on the horizon. How will anyone be able to afford them?
02.10.2023
72. What’s Stopping Us From Curing Rare Diseases?
Breakthroughs in biotech that seem like science fiction are becoming reality. Why aren’t more patients benefiting from them?
02.03.2023
71. What Do COVID-19 and Cancer Have in Common?
mRNA vaccines helped bring the pandemic under control. Could they also train the immune system to fight cancer?
01.27.2023
70. Why Are There Still So Few Female Surgeons?
Success and failure are hard to measure in medicine. Bapu looks at how surgeons are judged after a bad outcome — and whether men and women are treated the same.
01.20.2023
69. Home Sweet … Hospital?
We take it for granted that, when people are acutely ill, they should be in the hospital. Is there a better way?
01.13.2023
68. The E.R. Doctor’s Dilemma
Figuring out which patients to hospitalize and which to safely send home can be tricky. Is there a way to make this decision easier for doctors — and get better outcomes, too?
01.06.2023
What Can We Do About the Hardest Patients? (Ep. 51 Replay)
A small number of patients with multiple chronic conditions use a lot of resources. Dr. Jeffrey Brenner found a way to identify and treat them. Could it reduce health-care spending too?
12.30.2022
67. Why Did This 60-Year-Old Man Collapse at the Supermarket?
Bapu tries to stump master clinician Dr. Gurpreet Dhaliwal with a medical mystery.
12.23.2022
66. Does Health Insurance Make You Healthier?
It’s a surprisingly hard question to answer. Bapu talks with a health economist about a natural experiment that led to some unexpected findings.
12.16.2022
65. How Do Pandemics Change Health Care?
At the start of the 20th century, there weren’t many hospitals in the U.S. That changed in 1918, thanks to the Great Influenza pandemic. Its effects on health care are still being felt today. Which makes us wonder: will the...
12.09.2022
64. Is Facebook Bad for Your Mental Health?
Half the world's population uses social media — and a new study suggests that it causes anxiety and depression. Can anything be done, or is it too late?
12.02.2022
63. What Medicine Gets Wrong About Race
Some diagnostic tests give distorted results for Black patients. How are doctors trying to change that?
11.25.2022
Why Don’t We Have a Cure for Alzheimer’s? (Ep. 49 Update)
Promising drugs keep failing in trials. Allegations of fraud have cast a shadow over the field. An expert explains why Alzheimer’s treatments have been so hard to find — and why one clue may lie in the Andes Mountains.
11.18.2022
62. Dr. Ashish Jha Anticipated a Pandemic. He Didn’t Think It Would Look Like This.
Bapu talks to White House Covid Czar Dr. Ashish Jha about becoming a household name, studying pandemics, and the frustrations of politics. Also, when will he be out of a job?
11.11.2022
61. Should You Bother Getting a Colonoscopy?
Colonoscopy is strongly recommended for Americans over 45. But a new study suggests its benefits have been overstated. Should we change how we screen for colorectal cancer?
11.04.2022
60. The Doctor Is Out. The Physician Assistant Is In.
Chances are, at some point you’ll be treated by a nurse practitioner or a physician assistant instead of a doctor. Will your care suffer?
10.28.2022
59. The Most Valuable Resource in Medicine
Time is precious. How can doctors and patients make the best use of it — especially when there isn’t much left?
10.21.2022
58. How Important Is Breastfeeding, Really?
Can a clever new study shed light on one of parenting’s most elusive and contentious questions?
10.14.2022
57. Doctors Know They Prescribe Too Many Antibiotics. Why Don’t They Stop?
Antibiotics save lives. But what happens when we use them too much? Bapu looks at how changing physician behavior could help prevent a major public health disaster.
10.07.2022
56. Could Prison Be Good for Your Health?
Incarceration has been linked to infectious diseases, mental illness, cancer, and violence. But new research suggests it can extend some people’s lifespans. Bapu investigates the paradox of prison time.
09.30.2022
55. This Vaccine Lottery Seemed Like a Great Idea. Why Didn’t it Work?
Behavioral economists say “regret lotteries” are powerful motivational tools. When Philadelphia tried one in 2021, the results were disappointing. Bapu looks at how incentives can backfire — and what we can learn from failures.
09.23.2022
54. Will You Ever Go Back to Your Doctor’s Office?
When COVID hit, telemedicine use in the U.S. exploded. But how are we using it now? Bapu Jena explores the consequences of this evolving technology.
09.16.2022
53. Why Do Doctors Have to Play Defense?
After the Supreme Court’s abortion decision, doctors in some states are concerned that delivering treatment could put them in legal jeopardy. Bapu Jena looks at how the practice of “defensive medicine” can compromise patient care.
09.09.2022
52. Who Gets a Heart Disease Test?
Medical tests can save lives. So how do doctors decide who gets tested, and when?
09.02.2022
Why Fridays May Be Dangerous for Your Health (Ep. 9 Replay)
When researchers analyzed which day of the week most F.D.A. drug-safety alerts are released — and what it means for public health — they were stunned. So, what can we do about the “Friday Effect?”
08.26.2022
51. What Can We Do About the Hardest Patients?
A small number of patients with multiple, chronic conditions use a lot of resources. Dr. Jeffrey Brenner found a way to identify and treat them. Could it reduce health care spending too?
08.19.2022
50. What Happens When a Hospital Closes?
When a hospital closes in a rural area, it’s a big deal. But are all patients affected equally? We look at new research on the unexpected outcomes of traveling farther for care.
08.12.2022
49. Why Don’t We Have a Cure for Alzheimer’s?
Promising drugs keep failing in trials. Allegations of fraud have cast a shadow over the field. An expert explains why Alzheimer’s treatments have been so hard to find — and why one clue may lie in the Andes Mountains.
08.05.2022
48. The Hidden Consequences of School Shootings
Beyond the immediate casualties, school shootings have costs — for survivors, and for the rest of us.
07.29.2022
47. Should We Trust Hospital Rankings?
Hospitals compete for prime spots on the "U.S. News" rankings — but could those lists be doing more harm than good?
07.22.2022
How Does Retirement Affect Your Brain? (Ep. 17 Replay)
Our cognitive health can change as we get older. So, does leaving the workforce make problems like memory loss and difficulty focusing worse? We investigate the research, and Bapu asks: is it time for his dad to retire?
07.15.2022
46. Could Long Covid Help Treat Other Chronic Illnesses?
Chronic fatigue syndrome looks remarkably similar to Long Covid, but has been ignored by the medical community. Could patients finally get some answers to their debilitating illness?
07.08.2022
45. Why Is July a Bad Month to Visit the Hospital?
Learning requires practice — and if you visit a teaching hospital in July, there’s a good chance your doctor hasn’t had much of it. So, will your care suffer? The dean of a medical school, an economist, and a hospital...
07.01.2022
44. Office Hours with Bapu
Can you diagnose cancer too early? Do in-flight medical emergencies vary by location? We asked you to send Bapu your questions, and this week he tries to answer them. We’d love to get to the bottom of even more topics....
06.24.2022
43. The Comedian-Ophthalmologist Will See You Now
Dr. Will Flanary, a.k.a Dr. Glaucomflecken, has always been a comedy fan. During the pandemic, he found an audience. But should doctors be funny with their patients? Bapu Jena asks when laughter is — and isn’t — the best medicine.
06.17.2022
42. Your Doctor Has to Go Home. Now What?
When a doctor’s shift ends, or a physician retires, are patients left in the lurch? Bapu Jena looks at the challenge of managing medical transitions.
06.10.2022
41. Is Rainy Day Joint Pain All in Your Head?
You’ve heard that the weather can make your joints hurt. Maybe you’ve even felt it yourself. But, is it true? Bapu Jena looks at why we think we know certain things in medicine, even when the data don’t agree.
06.03.2022
40. How Will We Handle the Heat?
The world is warmer than ever, and getting hotter. Bapu Jena looks at how heat affects our bodies and our behavior — and how we might adapt to rising temperatures.
05.27.2022
A Shave, a Haircut, and a Blood Pressure Test (Ep. 6 Update)
For Black men, the barbershop is a neighborhood hub. It could also be a place for them to get medical care. Plus: What happens to patients when affirmative action ends?
05.20.2022
38. Pfizer’s CEO on the Big Gamble That Brought Us the COVID Vaccine
Bapu Jena talks with Albert Bourla about his unusual path to the top, developing a life-saving vaccine in record time, and the second-hardest decision he made along the way.
05.13.2022
37. Can Fear Be Good Medicine?
Fear is a popular tool in public health campaigns. But is it an effective one? Bapu Jena discusses new research on whether we can — and should — scare people into being healthier.
05.06.2022
36. Bad News — It’s Your Surgeon’s Birthday
Distractions are everywhere — including in the operating room. So, what happens if a surgeon loses focus? A tap dancer, a health researcher, and a surgeon help Bapu Jena find out.
04.29.2022
35. Are More Expensive Hospitals Better?
For lots of things, price is an indicator of quality. But what about in health care? Bapu Jena gets some clues from Steve Levitt’s wine tasting experiment, and looks at why shopping for health care is so hard.

What's Freakonomics, M.D. about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Freakonomics, M.D. episodes:

The Economics of Everyday Things: Animal Urine

Tom Brady, A.D.H.D., and a Really Bad Headache (Bonus)

78. Do Kids Cause Divorce?

77. They Make Minimum Wage. They Could Save Your Life.

76. Is a Spoonful of Sunlight the Best Medicine?

75. What Is Sugar Really Doing to You?

74. How Does Playing Football Affect Your Health?

73. Who Pays for Multimillion-Dollar Miracle Cures?

72. What’s Stopping Us From Curing Rare Diseases?

71. What Do COVID-19 and Cancer Have in Common?

70. Why Are There Still So Few Female Surgeons?

69. Home Sweet … Hospital?

68. The E.R. Doctor’s Dilemma

What Can We Do About the Hardest Patients? (Ep. 51 Replay)

67. Why Did This 60-Year-Old Man Collapse at the Supermarket?

66. Does Health Insurance Make You Healthier?

65. How Do Pandemics Change Health Care?

64. Is Facebook Bad for Your Mental Health?

63. What Medicine Gets Wrong About Race

Why Don’t We Have a Cure for Alzheimer’s? (Ep. 49 Update)

62. Dr. Ashish Jha Anticipated a Pandemic. He Didn’t Think It Would Look Like This.

61. Should You Bother Getting a Colonoscopy?

60. The Doctor Is Out. The Physician Assistant Is In.

59. The Most Valuable Resource in Medicine

58. How Important Is Breastfeeding, Really?

57. Doctors Know They Prescribe Too Many Antibiotics. Why Don’t They Stop?

56. Could Prison Be Good for Your Health?

55. This Vaccine Lottery Seemed Like a Great Idea. Why Didn’t it Work?

54. Will You Ever Go Back to Your Doctor’s Office?

53. Why Do Doctors Have to Play Defense?

52. Who Gets a Heart Disease Test?

Why Fridays May Be Dangerous for Your Health (Ep. 9 Replay)

51. What Can We Do About the Hardest Patients?

50. What Happens When a Hospital Closes?

49. Why Don’t We Have a Cure for Alzheimer’s?

48. The Hidden Consequences of School Shootings

47. Should We Trust Hospital Rankings?

How Does Retirement Affect Your Brain? (Ep. 17 Replay)

46. Could Long Covid Help Treat Other Chronic Illnesses?

45. Why Is July a Bad Month to Visit the Hospital?

44. Office Hours with Bapu

43. The Comedian-Ophthalmologist Will See You Now

42. Your Doctor Has to Go Home. Now What?

41. Is Rainy Day Joint Pain All in Your Head?

40. How Will We Handle the Heat?

A Shave, a Haircut, and a Blood Pressure Test (Ep. 6 Update)

38. Pfizer’s CEO on the Big Gamble That Brought Us the COVID Vaccine

37. Can Fear Be Good Medicine?

36. Bad News — It’s Your Surgeon’s Birthday

35. Are More Expensive Hospitals Better?