HeART of Medicine host Dr. Kohli kicks off the new year with an episode about something nearly every patient and healthcare provider will struggle with (if he/she hasn't already) - navigating the complex world of health insurance! This is especially relevant in January, when it is the most expensive time to consume healthcare, and ironically - many of us consume more healthcare, especially preventive care, at this time due to our New Year’s Resolutions. 

In this riveting episode, Drs. Kohli and her recurring guest Dr. Jazaeri highlight the challenges of health insurance and how it directly impacts the health outcomes of patients. They discuss lack of cost transparency in healthcare – how we know exactly what we pay for a box of Cheerios at the grocery store but are left wondering what your doctor’s visit or blood draw or Xray would cost you. And how two doctors giving the exact same care can be reimbursed very differently - a concept that is fundamentally in conflict with a capitalistic society! They have a frank discussion about how patients and healthcare providers are both victims and collateral damage when it comes to healthcare insurance and how we even got here. 

This is an episode that elucidates so much about health insurance and its current and future challenges that it is one you will not want to miss!

In this special holiday edition of HeART of Medicine, Dr. Payal Kohli and guest Dr. Jazaeri discuss how a doctor can never really be “out of office”?  And should they be? Or does the profession have a higher calling that requires this type of dedication?  Is this constant sacrifice of being away from our family and friends and working on holidays an expected part of the job or is it a recipe for burnout? Does the system “have our back” or are we left to take care of the ever growing conveyor belt of demands placed on us?

Whether you are a physician or a patient, this episode is one that really highlights how physicians constantly walk the tightrope between being doctors and being people. A great holiday listen for anyone as we all reflect upon the year behind us and gear up for the next ahead of us.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has infiltrated almost all aspects of our lives, from how we shop to who we follow on social media to the television shows we watch. But how will this AI technology impact the practice and delivery of medicine?  

In this thought-provoking episode of HeART of Medicine, host Dr. Payal Kohli sits down with Vascular Surgeon Dr. Omid Jazaeri to ask some difficult questions about AI in Medicine.

Is AI going to replace your doctor? Are computers better and faster at doing what doctors do? What about when it comes to procedures or surgery? What happens when AI makes a mistake? Who is liable? And what about patient privacy - how does AI ensure protection of patient information, which would otherwise be only between the patient and his/her clinician? And are the AI algorithms biased or do they fairly represent diverse populations? Can AI reduce healthcare costs and make research more efficient?

This fascinating episode and discussion takes you down the “rabbit hole” of the applications of AI in medicine and it’s future potential - it’s a must not miss!

In this emotional episode of HeART of Medicine, Drs. Kohli, Baron and Naidu open up about death and their grief. They share stories of the patients they have lost and how they have coped with the pain. They reflect on how such conversations are taboo in medicine… how doctors don’t talk about death of patients and the expectation is for stoicism and moving on. The hosts discuss how death can shake up their confidence as physicians and as people. Dr. Baron says, “I burst into tears… it was too much!”

Because doctors literally fight against disease and death every single day, a patient death can feel like a loss. After all, even doctors are human and death moves them too… but at the same time, there is this impossible expectation that they need to become accustomed to death and compartmentalize their emotions so they can be immediately ready and present for the next patient. 

This episode of HeART of Medicine is incredibly emotional and will really move you if you have ever coped with grief or loss.

In this episode of HeART of Medicine, Drs. Kohli, Baron and Naidu talk about current physician compensation and its impact on health care costs. 

They discuss how training, medical school debt as well as the demands of the job all play into how much they feel is fair for a physician to make. As physicians, they address how they deal with the criticism that doctors make too much and that is the main driver for healthcare costs. has  the compensation for the level of work has actually gone down for physicians over the years, rather than increasing commensurate with inflation and how that has fed the cultural mis-perpection that “doctors make too much money”?  The hosts also tackle head-on the controversial topics of “gender pay gap” and why female physicians continue to make less and have smaller bonuses than their male counterparts; and how advanced practice practitioners are being hired as physician replacements due to cost.

You won’t want to miss this episode - it will be utterly eye-opening about how we pay our modern day physicians and whether your doctor is truly “overpriced”?

In this episode of HeART of Medicine, Drs. Kohli, Baron and Naidu talk about how finding the right job is similar to dating and why so many physicians change their job within the first few years of training. They delve into why a physician’s  job transition has implications not just for him/her but also for family and importantly, for hundreds of thousands of patients. Do physicians leave jobs because they are attracted to another one or because they are pushed out of their current one? If your job isn’t going perfect, when it is more beneficial for physicians to hang in there and weather the tides and when should we just throw in the towel and call it quits? 

They leave you with the best advice they would give their younger self. This episode is a must-listen to anyone who has ever contemplated a job transition.

Have you ever noticed what your doctor is wearing? Is it scrubs with a fleece Jacket? Or, is it a white coat with professional attire? Does it change your perception or perception of others of your physician if your doctor has a white coat on? Is the white coat the ultimate symbol of a doctor or is it an antiquated remnant of the past?  

There has been a shift in healthcare away from the white coat towards a more comfortable and practical scrubs based attire for all healthcare professionals, regardless of speciality and level of training. But, has this shift inadvertently eroded the authority and credibility of the modern physician?

In this episode of HeART of Medicine, Drs. Kohli, Baron and Naidu reflect on the data and opine about what attire means to a physician’s role, authority, and professionalism. The struggle between representation of the profession and asserting of individuality represents the ultimate tug of war each physician faces. They reflect on gender biases, specialty biases, patient biases, age-related biases and a whole lot more.

The ultimate intersection of psychology and human behavior and its impact on medicine and healthcare…This is an episode you won’t want to miss!

Have you ever felt that twinge of competitive jealousy? Or have you been a victim of someone else’s professional envy?  Are frenemies more common in medicine? And is there something about Medicine and especially Cardiology that selects people who are inherently more competitive? 

In this episode of HeART of Medicine, Drs. Kohli, Baron and Naidu have a frank conversation about professional jealousy, envy, intimidation, and its impact on them - not just as physicians but as people!  They discuss their personal experiences, talk about how social media has exacerbated the problem and brought on symptoms of “Imposter Syndrome” for them.

This is an episode that will get you thinking about your own workplace and your own colleagues and one you will not want to miss!

Should doctors unionize or is this another manifestation of the “cancel culture”? Does having a union hurt or help their patients? Should medical trainees be considered students, who can’t legally unionize or should they have the same rights as employees? How has COVID impacted the doctors’ decisions to unionize? 

In Episode 5 of HeART of Medicine, Drs. Kohli, Naidu and Baron share their differing opinions and provide compelling arguments both for and against medical unions at different stages of training. Whether you are a doctor or a patient, this is an episode you don't want to miss as it will enlighten you on this growing controversy. #takebackmedicine

Most doctors are “on call” from the day they graduate medical school for the entire duration of their medical careers. So, what actually happens on call and what are some of the craziest or funniest “on call” stories that aren’t just on TV but happen in the real-world? Do doctors actually “hook up” while they are on call?  

Download Episode 4 of HeART of Medicine to get a peek into what being “on call” really looks like from three real-world doctors, who share their funny, crazy and heartfelt memories from their “on call” training days. The combination of being sleep deprived (working 30-36 hour shifts), the stress of managing critically ill patients and the navigation of interpersonal dynamics of young doctors makes for a hilarious and emotional episode you will not want to miss!