Speaking Of Show & Making Healthcare Work for You

Since the early 2000s, Dr. Danny Sands and his patient, Dave deBronkart have been working collaboratively on Dave’s care - breaking boundaries of the old standard of care and communication between doctor and patient. 

Together they co-founded the Society for Participatory Medicine.

Dr. Sands is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at The Harvard Medical School, and practices primary care at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. 

Decades ago, he started emailing with his patients, and has since innovated many tools to help his patients get the best care - firm in his belief that working together benefits both patient and provider. 

Dave deBronkart, also known as “e-patient Dave,” is an advocate for participatory medicine, and cancer survivor. Years before his own kidney cancer diagnosis, he wanted to be an engaged and informed participant in his medical care. He sought out a similar-minded doctor and that’s how he met like-minded ally, Dr. Danny Sands.

Check out their interview to hear their story, learn about Dave’s cancer journey, and how together he and Dr. Sands created the Society for Participatory Medicine. 

Connect with Dr. Sands: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdannysands/ 

Connect with Dave deBronkart: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epatientdave/ 

Learn more about the Society for Participatory Medicine: https://participatorymedicine.org/manifesto/ 

See Dr. Danny and Dave Sing - around the 55 minute mark

https://www.epatientdave.com/2019/06/19/nehimss-2019-teaching-patient-clinician-partnership-with-role-play-and-a-song/ 

Topical time codes:

1:01 - About Dave and Dr. Sands 

6:15 - Working with Dr. Sands collaboratively

11:32 - Connecting with patients

16:00 - Dave’s kidney cancer diagnosis and online support

22:58 - Society for Participatory Medicine 

27:07 - Culture change in healthcare 

37:36 - Society for Participatory Medicine Manifesto

Dalia Haroune is the President of Intersect Health. Intersect Health helps healthcare systems improve prevention, early intervention and access to care.

Dalia says Intersect approaches transformational change through a physician-led approach. 

She says more than 40% of physicians are burned out, and to make change, it’s imperative to have a clear strategy, physician buy-in, and aligned incentives. 

Another important factor is finding technology that will make the lives of physicians easier, so they can focus their time one what’s most meaningful to them. 

Check out Dalia’s interview to learn more about how Intersect is making an impact and is helping to create healthier communities. 

Connect with Dalia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daliaharoune/

Learn more about Intersect Healthcare: http://www.intersecthealth.net 

Topical time codes:

00:33 - About Intersect Health

1:20 - Population Health

3:38 - Keys to transformational change 

6:03 - Helping to reduce burnout 

8:00 - Allowing physicians to focus time where it’s meaningful 

12:54 - Trust and communication 

14:27 - Re-energizing people 

15:55 - Personal passion 

CareRev is focused on unique labor marketplace technology solutions to connect health systems with healthcare providers, helping their customers engage people who never would have considered working on demand before.

This solution creates a flexible and resilient workforce. In this interview, Craig Allan Ahrens, SVP of Growth & Strategy at CareRev, shares details about how CareRev uses technology and a unique approach to source local, latent talent to fill current healthcare needs within the community. 

CareRev taps into the local, latent how and when they want to be reached, and even provides details they want to know about, down to scrub color, and what it’s like working on a particular unit. 

From start to finish, CareRev’s technology provides consistency, quality, and reliability.

Connect with Craig: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigahrens/ 

Learn more about CareRev: https://www.carerev.com 

Dr. Rebecca Wineland, Medical Director of Labor and Delivery & Associate Professor of Maternal Fetal Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina has a stark warning for pregnant women: get vaccinated or risk serious consequences from covid-19. 

Dr. Wineland says that just 23% of pregnant women in the US are vaccinated, and yet even healthy pregnant women who get covid are much more lineally to end up in the ICU or die. 

The message of Dr. Wineland and her colleagues is that the vaccine is safe, has been heavily scrutinized, it doesn’t increase the risks to the pregnancy, but it absolutely can save lives. 

Check out our interview to hear more.

Learn more about Dr. Wineland: https://muschealth.org/MUSCApps/ProviderDirectory/Wineland-Rebecca 

Learn more about the Medical Univ. of South Carolina: https://muschealth.org 

Learn more about the MUSC Children’s Hospital: https://musckids.org 

If you have any questions about the Exchanges, how they work, what the patient experience is like, or how the exchange might impact the future of employer insurance plans, you can’t miss this interview! 

We talked to Shandon Fowler, who is the Founder of Four8 Insights, a policy expert in the ACA, and benefits, and he is also a user of the Exchanges. 

He shared so many amazing insights about how the exchanges work, provided tips to those who are preparing to shop on the exchange, how these plans are changing the benefits landscape, and so much more. There is something in this interview for everyone!

Credited with a *1.6 Billion-dollar savings* over a 3-year period, Christin Deacon, Assistant Director of the Division of Pension and Benefits for the State of New Jersey, certainly knows a thing or two about how to make an impact on medical pricing! 

Even more impressive is that the plans she handles cover more than 820,000 people on plans classified as Cadillac++. 

She says shifting costs to members isn’t an option, and she instead uses methods like a PBM reverse auction, and by shifting the focus from discounted pricing to unit-price guarantees to move the needle. 

For more than a year, Dr. Bruce Crookes, Division Chief of the Division of General Surgery & Charles F. Crews Professor of Surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina has been expanding the use of their surgical robot. 

Once only for elective procedures, Dr. Crookes and his team have found the robot to be a valuable tool to use in emergency situations, after hours, and in community hospitals. 

Check out the Speaking Of, Founder’s Mission with Jaclyn Wainwright, CEO of AiRCare Health. 

Jaclyn and her team are on a mission to remove barriers to mental health care, connect people to the services and experts they need, and destigmatize mental health concerns. 

AiRCare Health offers “Next-generation behavioral health and wellbeing” through a model that uses data and strives to “predict and prevent” instead of “chase and treat.” 

During our conversation, Jaclyn shared her thoughts on what emotional health care should look like, how to remove barriers, and what she finds exciting about the future of mental health care. 

We also talked about what it’s like to balance leading a company and being a mom, and how she and her husband are modeling emotional health at home for their children.

Enjoy! 

Learn more about AiRCare Health:

https://aircarehealth.com

https://www.linkedin.com/company/aircarehealth/

Learn more about Speaking Of:

https://speakingoftoday.com/

https://twitter.com/SpeakingOfShow

If you like to hear from leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators, and rising stars about how they’re taking on their industry for positive change, then please subscribe to the channel, like, and share. 

Topical time codes below:

00:19 - AiRcare Health

00:43 - Working as a “connector” and removing barriers to care

2:37 - Making care “easy, accessible, human”

4:17 - What can we do/how can we help/building relationships 

5:25 - A team approach to care

6:51 - A culture of caring together

8:18 - Craving closeness and community

10:23 - Taking shame and embarrassment out of mental health

12:02 - Predict and prevent vs chase and treat

13:27 - Passion for care

14:45 - Finding AiRCare Health as an intern

16:30 - Working from intern to CEO

17:22 - Balancing the needs at work and home

19:14 - Modeling emotional health at home & recognizing and validating children’s feelings

21:20 - Learning from kids & excitement for their future

23:07l - Hope for the future of mental health

24:21 - Exciting developments in mental health

25:43 - Augmented Reality for Pain Measurement

28:20 - Lessening self-criticism through encouragement

Pyx Health Founder and CEO, Cindy Jordan, is on mission to help move people move through loneliness. Driven by her stepdaughter’s loneliness, Cindy has dedicated her life to helping solve this condition.

At Pyx Health they believe in “human connection first,” and live that value. 

Partnering with health insurance plans and employers, Pyx Health uses AI and a bot to identify intermittently and chronically lonely people. Those identified as lonely get a call from one a human on their team (called an Andy), and the Andy will stay in touch to help the person move through their loneliness.

Loneliness, left untreated, can have devastating effects. It impacts the young as often as the old, and it can shorten lifespan. On top of that, Cindy says the it’s one of the top 3 symptoms of bipolar, depression, anxiety and alcoholism. It can also lead to people not complying with their medications, appointments, or other health needs, as well as leading to lower productivity and more sick days at work. 

Don’t miss this inspiring and enlightening interview with Cindy Jordan.

Connect with Cindy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindy-jordan-66b28863/  

Learn more about Pyx Health: https://pyxhealth.com 

Watch more of Speaking Of: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9OoKTXRB15qsIxDzJGZVHw

Dr. Mark Scheurer, Chief of Children’s and Women’s at the Medical University of South Carolina, shares an inside look at the innovation and patient-centered approach at the new Children’s Hospital.

They took nothing for granted during the 4-5 year planning/building. The story is impressive and moving.

Hospital leadership “expected innovation,” and the planning team started from a point of deconstruction.

Dr. Scheurer said the team had a shared vision that healthcare is an interpersonal relationship. 

Re-thinking everything from how doctors round, document, bill, and the technology, they were able to quickly pivot when the pandemic hit (…3 weeks after the hospital opened in early 2020!). 

Don’t miss this inspiring interview with Dr. Scheurer to hear more!

Connect with Dr. Scheurer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-scheurer-13621849/

Learn more about the MUSC Children’s Hospital: https://musckids.org