Clinician's Roundtable

Sometimes two heads are better than one.  That's the case when it comes to the PA/Physician team of Dr. Laurie Benton PA-C and her supervisor Dr. Charles Foulks.  The two working together over the years have been able to slow the progression of kidney disease and keep their patients off dialysis.  Dr. Foulks, medical officer at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Dr. Benton an orthopedic hospitalist joins host, Lisa D'Andrea Lenell to talk about the keys to a successful PA/Doctor team.

The debate over healthcare reform is on the minds of all medical professsionals these days. What could be different for PAs if new legislation is enacted? How is the American Academy of Physician Assistants assuring that PAs are an essential part of the debate? How can you get involved to make sure your representatives in Congress hear your voice? Steven Hanson, president of the AAPA, joins host Lisa D'Andrea Lenell to sort out what the AAPA is doing to keep PAs in the healthcare reform process.

The debate over healthcare reform is on the minds of all medical professsionals these days. What could be different for PAs if new legislation is enacted? How is the American Academy of Physician Assistants assuring that PAs are an essential part of the debate? How can you get involved to make sure your representatives in Congress hear your voice? Steven Hanson, president of the AAPA, joins host Lisa D'Andrea Lenell to sort out what the AAPA is doing to keep PAs in the healthcare reform process.

The research is yet to be written on the number of physician assistants that face substance abuse issues. Gail Curtis, an assistant professor of PA studies at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, joins host Lisa D'Andrea Lenell to discuss the reasons PAs may abuse controlled substances, how to get proper treatment and the programs that are available for medical professionals.

The research is yet to be written on the number of physician assistants that face substance abuse issues. Gail Curtis, an assistant professor of PA studies at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, joins host Lisa D'Andrea Lenell to discuss the reasons PAs may abuse controlled substances, how to get proper treatment and the programs that are available for medical professionals.

You may understand what PAs do in the five armed services of the military, but do you know about their role in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, the largest public health program in the world? Rear Admiral Michael Milner joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to talk about the role of the Corps and the role that PAs play within the organization. He also discusses his path to becoming the only physician assistant to hold the rank of flag officer in any uniformed service.

You may understand what PAs do in the five armed services of the military, but do you know about their role in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, the largest public health program in the world? Rear Admiral Michael Milner joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to talk about the role of the Corps and the role that PAs play within the organization. He also discusses his path to becoming the only physician assistant to hold the rank of flag officer in any uniformed service.

The hospital report card is a much talked-about effort to provide transparency about quality information. It's becoming a more important tool for consumers, just as President Obama and Congress prepare to initiate healthcare reforms that demand such information. Bruce Crowther is president and chief executive officer of Northwest Community Hospital in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights. Mr. Crowther tells host Bruce Japsen about how Northwest Community Hospital moved beyond worrying about the information they might be disclosing to competitors, to focusing the information patients and lawmakers want. It's a trend that will soon begin sweeping the country.

The hospital report card is a much talked-about effort to provide transparency about quality information. It's becoming a more important tool for consumers, just as President Obama and Congress prepare to initiate healthcare reforms that demand such information. Bruce Crowther is president and chief executive officer of Northwest Community Hospital in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights. Mr. Crowther tells host Bruce Japsen about how Northwest Community Hospital moved beyond worrying about the information they might be disclosing to competitors, to focusing the information patients and lawmakers want. It's a trend that will soon begin sweeping the country.

As President Barack Obama travels the country talking about the need for health care reform, hardly a week goes by when you don't hear the Commander in Chief talk about Intermountain Healthcare and its low costs when compared to the rest of the country. What makes this this large healthcare system an example? Nancy Nowak, vice president of clinical operations and chief nursing officer for Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City, Utah, tells host Bruce Japsen about this much talked-about healthcare system and how its work may be replicated across the country.