Do hospital-based physicians benefit from being out-of-network?  Are policy wonks who attack “surprise billing” fully aware of the relevant factors?  In this second episode on this topic, Dr. Koka leads a conversation with our guest, Dr. Amy Cho, an emergency physician from Minnesota. Dr. Cho graduated from the University of Michigan with a joint MD/MBA…

Has cardiovascular genetics come of age?  Are “polygenic risk scores” ready to inform us in clinically meaningful ways?  In the final analysis, who or what are epidemiological data informing?  Our guest is A. Cecile Janssens, PhD, Professor of Translational Epidemiology at the Rollins school of Public Health at Emory university in Atlanta, GA. Professor Janssens’…

Are out-of-network physicians deliberately trying to price-gouge patients in need of emergency care?  Will “surprise billing legislation” solve the problems of narrow networks in a socially responsible manner? In this episode, Dr. Koka leads a conversation with our guest, Dr. Daniel E. Choi, on the topic of surprise billing legislation. Dr. Choi obtained his MD…

Can a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School hold on to free market principles?  Evidently so!  We talk health policy and economics with our guest Richard Menger, MD, MPA, a neurosurgeon serving as Chief of Complex Spine Surgery at the University of South Alabama. Dr. Menger completed medical school with honors at Georgetown University School…

Big Pharma is abandoning its R&D efforts for antibiotics.  What are the regulatory, scientific, and economic factors responsible for this potentially dangerous trend? Our guest on this episode is Dr. David Shlaes.  Dr. Shlaes is an infectious diseases specialist who trained was formerly professor of medicine at Case Western medical school in Cleveland, Ohio.  He left…

This past May, the governor of Alabama signed into law a piece of legislation that imposes great restrictions on abortion.  Niran Al Agba recently wrote an op ed about that law and she returns to the show to discuss that op ed and, more generally, to share with us her position on abortion.  We are…

How do businesses purchase healthcare services for their employees? What are the factors that bear on their purchasing decisions? These important questions are rarely part of the policy conversation.  Our guest on this episode is Jay Kempton, President and CEO of the Kempton group, helping employers obtain and administer health care benefits for their employees. …

According to our guest, American health care is stuck in a fortress mentality that stifles innovation, constrains medical advances, and yield low quality care.  That fortress was erected more than 100 years ago but, in many ways, is being circumvented by creative actors who are seizing opportunities to make changes outside of the political process.…

The Affordable Care Act was allegedly passed thanks to “the stupidity of the American voter.”  The economist who made that claim—and who is also considered to be one of the architects of the law—has recently published a working paper that examines whether better informed patients make better healthcare decisions.  He and his colleagues conclude in…

President Trump’s July 10, 2019 Executive Order on Advancing American Kidney Health may represent a major turning point in regard to how patients with chronic kidney disease are treated.  We have the pleasure of having as our guest Dr. Joel Topf.  Dr. Topf is a nephrologist in private practice and a popular blogger and leader…