Originally recorded April 14, 2020.In this episode Dr. O’Connell is joined by Dr. Richard Isaacs, the CEO and Executive Director of The Permanente Medical Group and president and CEO of the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group. In this episode we look at how California was able to quickly implement social distancing and other preventative measures and effectively manage the outbreak and flatten the curve. Questions from this episode:How has the organization served in an advisory role to governor Newsome and even the White House?Can you tell us what the data is saying about the state of the pandemic, what the curve looks like, and what we might be reasonably able to expect over the next several months?Kaiser Permanente recently announced that it will waive all member out-of-pocket costs for inpatient and outpatient services related to the treatment of COVID-19. Can you tell us a bit more about this and the thought process behind this decision?Can you tell us what the data is saying about the state of the pandemic, what the curve looks like, and what we might be reasonably able to expect over the next several months?Your host is Dr. Ted O’Connell, family physician, educator, and author of numerous textbooks and peer-reviewed articles. He holds academic appointments at UCSF, UC Davis, and Drexel University's medical schools and also founded the Kaiser Permanente Napa-Solano Community Medicine and Global Health Fellowship, the first program in the U.S. to formally combine both community medicine and global health. Follow Ted on Instagram (@tedoconnellmd) and Twitter (@tedoconnell)! Dr. Richard S. Isaacs is the CEO and Executive Director of The Permanente Medical Group and president and CEO of the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group, two of the largest and most distinguished medical groups in the nation. Together, TPMG and MAPMG have more than 10,000 Permanente physicians and over 40,000 nurses and staff delivering high-quality health care to more than 5 million Kaiser Permanente members in Northern California, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.Dr. Isaacs, who was named to Modern Healthcare’s list of the 50 Most Influential Physician Executives and Leaders in 2018, also serves as co-CEO of The Permanente Federation, LLC. The Federation is a consortium of all the Permanente Medical Groups in the nation, and it supports the work of more than 22,000 Permanente physicians and 80,000 employees. In this role, Dr. Isaacs provides strategic leadership and direction to all the Permanente Medical Groups, and to the national Kaiser Permanente Program. Kaiser Permanente is comprised of the Permanente Medical Groups, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals.Born and raised in Detroit, Dr. Isaacs received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and his medical degree from Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit. He completed his otolaryngology-head and neck surgery training in New York at the Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital/New York Hospital-Cornell Medical College/Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Subsequently, he received his head and neck oncologic and skull base surgical training from UC Davis.He joined The Permanente Medical Group following the completion of his surgical training in 1995. He is board certified in otolaryngology with advanced certification in head and neck oncologic surgery, is a fellow of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Keep up with Rich on Twitter and LinkedIn.Submit Your Questions for the PodcastSend an email to [email protected] or check out covidpodcast.comWhat Can You Do? You can help spread commonsense about COVID-19 by supporting this podcast. Hit subscribe, leave a positive review, and share it with your friends especially on social media. We can each do our part to ensure that scientifically accurate information about the pandemic spreads faster than rumors or fears. Remember to be vigilant, but remain calm. For the most trusted and real time information on COVID-19 and the coronavirus pandemic, both the CDC and WHO have dedicated web pages to keep the public informed. The information presented in this podcast is intended for educational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Producers: Madison Linden and Christopher Breitigan. Executive Producer: Patrick C. Beeman, MD Special thank you to Iminotech for supporting credible information about Covid-19.