We have a great time taking about the latest updates in cardiology and we add some original music. Our guest is cardiologist Dr John Joelson from Massachusetts. Dr J is a seasoned cardiologist and a musician, singer songwriter who graced us with great cardiac conversation and music!

In this episode we take on three meaty topics: 1. The ACA's role in the current government shutdown, 2. The Medicare Advantage changes now being seen and three the Causes of Autism. Each of these are confusing in their own right, and Evan and Bill do their best to break it down and make some sense out of it all.

We meet the Cancer Connection of Western Massachusetts where Chelsea Kline and Laura Carboni explain the history and model of supportive care services for people with a cancer diagnosis. This unique approach to support patients is a national model that could be expanded or replicated.

We interview Dr Andrew Lam who is a retina surgeon, historian and author about his latest book, "The Masters of Medicine: Our Greatest Triumphs in the Race to Cure Humanity's Deadliest Diseases." The book is a fascinating look into the innovators, mavericks and researchers who- through parts genius, parts courageous , and parts dumb luck - gave us the medical breakthroughs that help so many people.

We lost a real leader in healthcare this year. Dr Lucian Leape - the father of patient safety - helped us be aware of the problem and made us appreciate a different path to improve patient safety. He was an inspiration to us, and we still have a long way to go. How safe is healthcare?

We discuss why health insurance is so expensive and what is the history of insurance in the US. We talk about why health insurance is being linked to employment as we think about medicaid as well as universal coverage.

PLUS we discuss the fate of the US Preventive Services Task Force, the committee that has had the respect of so many to help guide our health coverage for preventive care. Will it still exist or suffer political fallout? Who and what will repace it? Where will doctors go for trusted advice?

In this episode we take on 3 topics plus we have our "misinformation nation" segment. We discuss 1. A proposed bill in Massachusetts to create a Medicare For All single payer system, 2. Who decides how much physicians get paid by specialty and a new proposed rule to change it and 3. What will the medicaid cuts impact be on rural hospitals. Plus we discuss PEPFAR as a new topic as part of our "misinformation nation" segment.

Bill and Evan discuss the administrative changes and the trends in the country that have affect the functioning and reputation of public health.

We have a very special show with guest Naturopathic physician, Dr Amy Rothenberg. We discuss naturopathy, its integration with western medicine and her book, "You Finished Treatment, Now What: A Field Guide for Cancer Survivors", an Amazon Best Seller and recipient of a Nautilus Book Award. 

Physician and Musician Dr Peter Weitzman joines to discuss the role music plays in medicine and vice versa. Peter shares some original songs inspired by his practice of medicine. A slightly different episode for CareTalk but very rich in thought and music