General Medicine and Primary Care

Mental illnesses are commonly encountered in primary care practice. Yet their sufferers are often relegated to mischaracterized roles of "problem patients" due to the impacts of their diseases on thoughts and behaviors. How can clinicians improve their approach to patients will mental health issues, and can this approach be duplicated at community-wide levels? Speaking on this important initiative is Dr. Marilyn B. Benoit, Chief Clinical Officer and Senior Vice President of Clinical and Professional Affairs at Devereux, one of the nation's premier nonprofit behavioral healthcare organizations. Dr. Benoit is a nationally-known and highly-respected child and adolescent psychiatrist with a wide-ranging career both as a practicing physician and a health care administrator in public, private and academic settings.

Autism is not just a child matter. As the prevelance rates of autism continue to rise, so do the numbers of patients entering adulthood. What are the special challenges faced by these patients, their families, and the clinicians who treat and counsel them both respectively? And how can updated therapeutic approaches help change the life trajectories for adults with autism? Host Paul Rokuskie welcomes Dr. Marsha Mailick, Interim Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin. Her research on autism in adults has brought new awareness and understanding to the special needs of this patient population.

Dr. Brian McDonough is joined by Mark Underwood, President of Quincy Bioscience, a biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel technologies to support cognitive function and other age-related health challenges such as memory.

Post-menopausal patients have many options and choices for hormone therapy. But what are the issues and increased risks, if any? What are the latest updates from recent hormone therapy clinical trials and how does this impact clinical practice? Host Dr. Prathima Setty welcomes Dr. JoAnn V. Pinkerton to discuss various hormone therapy options and the latest updates in this area of concern for our patients.
Dr. Pinkerton is the Director for the Midlife Division and the Midlife Health Center, a nationally recognized multidisciplinary center for women's midlife health. She serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for the North American Menopause Society and the Board of Directors for the National Women's Health Resource Center.

The interview was conducted live at The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) 2014 meeting. Founded in 1989, NAMS is North America's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the health and quality of life of all women during midlife and beyond through an understanding of menopause and healthy aging. Its multidisciplinary membership of 2,000 leaders in the field-including clinical and basic science experts from medicine, nursing, sociology, psychology, nutrition, anthropology, epidemiology, pharmacy, and education-makes NAMS uniquely qualified to serve as the definitive resource …

How divergent are cultural perspectives in the healthcare system, and how does this affect both the delivery of medical care by clinicians and the paths toward health and wellbeing for patients? Dr. Simon Kitto, Medical Sociologist, Director of Research in Continuing Professional Development and Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at the Wilson Centre for the University of Toronto, joins host Alicia Sutton to explore workplace culture from several vantage points, such as professional-to-patient value systems and group behavior dynamics, toward better understanding health outcomes.

Dr. Brian McDonough welcomes Tanya Winders, President and Chief Executive Officer for the Allergy and Asthma Network, the leading patient advocacy organization dedicated to ending needless suffering and death due to asthma, allergies, and related conditions. They discuss ways of addressing healthcare access challenges for asthma and allergy patients, from socioeconomic support structures to education models to special risk situations like enterovirus outbreaks.

The American Academy of Family Physicians estimates that approximately 52,000 more primary care physicians will be needed in the workforce by 2025 in order to maintain basic standards of care for the American population. But in a climate where medical professionals are increasingly turning away from general medicine to pursue higher paying niche specialties, the challenge to counter a looming shortage of primary care physicians rises exponentially. What actions, incentives, and culture changes will be needed to bring primary care back into prominence? Joining host Alicia Sutton to examine this issue is Ray Saputelli, Executive Vice President of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Dr. David Fisher, orthopedic surgeon and Director of the Total Joint Center at Indiana Orthopedic Hospital, joins Dr. Brian McDonough to discuss historical to current methods and technologies in knee replacement procedures, and how primary care clinicians can assess patients for surgical vs non-surgical interventions in patients with chronic knee pain.

Dr. Prathima Setty welcomes Dr. Ethel Siris, the Madeline C. Stabile Professor of Clinical Medicine in the Department of Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, and the Director of the Toni Stabile Osteoporosis Center of the Columbia University Medical Center. Their discussion focuses on updated indications and assessments for confirming diagnoses of osteoporosis and recommended approaches to treatment in mild to severe cases.

The interview was conducted live at The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) meeting. Founded in 1989, NAMS is North America's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the health and quality of life of all women during midlife and beyond through an understanding of menopause and healthy aging. Its multidisciplinary membership of 2,000 leaders in the field-including clinical and basic science experts from medicine, nursing, sociology, psychology, nutrition, anthropology, epidemiology, pharmacy, and education-makes NAMS uniquely qualified to serve as the definitive resource for health professionals and the public for accurate, unbiased information about menopause and healthy aging To learn more about NAMS, visit www.menopause.org.

This week, Mark and Margaret speak with Dr. Marci Neilsen, CEO of the Patient Centered Primary Care Collaborative, which seeks to promote the growth of better primary care through the development of Patient Centered Medical Homes.