Clinician's Roundtable

Measuring the proportion of primary care physicians, we know the United States lags far behind other developed nations. How does this impact cost value and overall utilization of our health care system? Steven Kravet, MD, MBA, assistant professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, weighs in on the status of primary care with host Dr. Lee Freedman. How can we revitalize primary care medicine nationwide?

How does the relationship between health utilization and the availability of primary care providers impact health care utilization trends? Steven Kravet, MD, MBA, assistant professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, explores potential opportunities to relieve some of the logistical and financial burdens of our health care system with host Dr. Lee Freedman.

Given the tremendous savings that generic drugs provide their patients, you would think doctors would know to turn to generics, but that is not always the case. To help educate them, some health care companies are turning to what is called counter detailing. Kathleen Jaeger, president and CEO of the Generic Pharmaceutical Association tells the Chicago Tribune's Bruce Japsen about counter detailing efforts by the generic drug industry, health plans and others as a way to spur more interest in cheaper medications.

Some physicians are still skittish about prescribing generic drugs, but the manufacturers of these less expensive medicines say they are increasingly important and there is less need to worry about their quality and safety than ever before. Kathleen Jaeger, president and CEO of the Generic Pharmaceutical Association, tells the Chicago Tribune's Bruce Japsen about the generic industry's assurances of quality, as well as regulations that have helped this cause.

Some of the most expensive drugs in the country are derived from biotechnology. But there is no law or regulatory pathway at the Food and Drug Administration to allow for cheaper biotech drugs such as those derived from chemicals like cholesterol pills or arthritis tablets with which doctors and their patients have become so familiar. Kathleen Jaeger, president and chief executive officer of the Generic Pharmaceutical Association tells the Chicago Tribune's Bruce Japsen about the state of the debate over a pathway for cheaper generic biotech drugs.

Where do we stand with stem cell research, and what does the future hold for this controversial field of investigation? Host Dr. Bruce Bloom discusses stem cell research with Dr. Ophir Klein, of the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program at the University of California, San Francisco.

What are the mechanisms behind animal tooth regeneration, and what can tooth stem cell research tell us? Your host, Dr. Bruce Bloom and Dr. Ophir Klein, of the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program at the University of California, San Francisco discuss stem cell research and the potential clinical applications pointed to by the study of the mouse incisor.

Dr. Ophir Klein, of the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program at the University of California, San Francisco discusses his research on the mouse incisor and its continual growth correlated with stem cells, with your host, Dr. Bruce Bloom. Listen in as the Dr. Klein explores the world of stem cell research on the mouse incisor as related to overall and specific organ development.

As Massachusetts moves to authorize a mandate on individual health insurance, are these efforts hamstrung by state-level conflicts of interest? Will similar conflicts arise on the national level? Merrill Goozner, director of the Integrity in Science Project at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, addresses several obstacles to universal health care, including our need for comprehensive, independent sources of medical information. Dr. Gary Kohn hosts.

Have you thought about speaking out, taking action to help reform our healthcare system? What can you do? Where do you begin? How can you make a difference? In this segment medical practice management consultant Owen Dahl talks to host Dr. Larry Kaskel about the steps a physician can take and the specific channels he can use to make a difference in health care policy.