The Pursuit of Health Podcast

A conversation with Dr. Megan Morris

How do we define quality of life? And how do we provide quality healthcare?

These are key questions in the work of Dr. Megan Morris, a health services researcher, speech-language pathologist, and Associate Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at NYU Langone Health.

Dr. Morris is focused on addressing structural and interpersonal ableism in the American healthcare system - today she reveals just how far behind we are in the journey toward equity and accessibility.

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We spoke about how ableism impacts patient care, why documenting disability status is crucial in our mission to improve quality of care, some of the changes occurring within the system, and what it would take to make healthcare truly inclusive for everyone. 

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook @ericfethkemd and checkout my website at www.EricFethkeMD.com.

My brand new book, The Privilege of Caring, is out now on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP6H6QN4

A conversation with Dr. Yoona Kim

Medication mismanagement is a massive issue in American healthcare.

Setting her sights on solving this problem is health economist, pharmacist, and CEO/co-founder of Arine - Dr. Yoona Kim.

Dr. Kim realized that identifying problematic medication plans can move the needle on clinical and economic outcomes, and her AI-enabled company is proof - cutting costs and saving time for providers across the country.

For patients, their work is saving lives - reducing hospitalizations, identifying potentially fatal prescriptions, and teaching the American people the importance of active involvement in their healthcare.

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We spoke about how misprescribed medications affect patient experience, how these errors happen systematically, how AI is making a difference at scale, and why the use of AI in healthcare must be synergistic with human-human interaction.

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook @ericfethkemd and checkout my website at www.EricFethkeMD.com.

My brand new book, The Privilege of Caring, is out now on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP6H6QN4

A conversation with Vinay Patel

There are too many barriers in the pursuit of health: financial, infrastructural, systematic… American healthcare is set up to fail the patients it needs to prioritize.

Welcome Vinay Patel, a forward thinking pharmacist and healthcare entrepreneur who founded MakoRx, a company focused on disrupting traditional drug pricing models and improving pharmacy access.

He saw a system that failed patients - charging exorbitant prices for cheaply-made drugs - until he decided to break with the status quo and set about creating a new model, rooted in transparency and focused on patient outcomes, not profit.

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We spoke about how drug pricing actually works, why costs vary so wildly, and what needs to happen to make healthcare more affordable and accessible - looking ahead to what the future of pharmacy might hold.

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

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook @ericfethkemd and checkout my website at www.EricFethkeMD.com.

My brand new book, The Privilege of Caring, is out now on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP6H6QN4

A conversation with Charles Gaba

“We need to find a way to make improvements to the system without hurting people in the process.”

In our second collaborative episode with Doctors For America, Dr. Fethke is joined by healthcare policy and data analyst Charles Gaba. 

His work highlighting the numbers surrounding the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been influential, with citations by major publications like The Washington Post, Forbes and The New York Times and by policymakers in Congress.

He’s here today to give us an overview of the ACA, from past, to present, to future - uncovering data that speaks to the state of our healthcare system.

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We spoke about how his data analysis of the ACA developed and how it is helping to influence policy, how he uses data to tell the stories of real people, why healthcare reform is like a game of Jenga, and why we need to all use our voices to speak up and fight for change.

https://acasignups.net/ 

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook @ericfethkemd and checkout my website at www.EricFethkeMD.com.

My brand new book, The Privilege of Caring, is out now on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP6H6QN4

A conversation with Wendell Potter

“We need to get Wall Street out of control of our healthcare system.”

This is the opinion of Wendell Potter, a former health insurance exec for Humana and Cigna turned whistleblower - exposing the practices of his former industry and choosing to seek change.

Wendell knows first-hand how these insurers operate, how they incentivize profit, how they use their financial power to influence Congress, and ultimately - what it will take to rip up the status quo and renew our healthcare system for the benefit of the American population. 

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We spoke about how money has corrupted our democracy and specifically our health, why we should all get involved on a community level to move away from a financially motivated healthcare system, and what true 

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook @ericfethkemd and checkout my website at www.EricFethkeMD.com.

My brand new book, The Privilege of Caring, is out now on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP6H6QN4

A conversation with Linda Macomber

We need a healthcare renaissance. AI could lead us there.

Here to share her optimism and enthusiasm for AI as a new frontier in healthcare, is Linda Macomber.

As a digital health expert with over 30 years of experience in health informatics and technology-driven healthcare solutions, Linda is best placed for informing us on the potential AI holds for improving patient experiences and optimising health outcomes.

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We spoke about how Linda became interested in the intersection of healthcare and technology, the distrust some doctors feel toward AI, the numerous ways AI could transform data, the EHR and health outcomes, the democratization of health tech, and her education platform Renaissance.Health. 

Check out Linda’s website Renaissance.Health here: https://health-it-sim-lab.weebly.com/ 

For National University: https://www.nu.edu 

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook @ericfethkemd and checkout my website at www.EricFethkeMD.com.

My brand new book, The Privilege of Caring, is out now on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP6H6QN4

A conversation with Joanne Kenen

It’s time to help inform the public on what’s happening in healthcare today.

With changes coming to the ACA's subsidies in 2025 and debates about Medicaid expansion, veteran journalist Joanne Kenen is here to help us understand what's at stake.

She takes us through a history of health policy, so that we can make sense of recent instabilities, understand what the proposed changes fundamentally mean, and uncover a blueprint for value-based - not volume-based - healthcare.

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We spoke about the role of media and journalism in our healthcare system, the issues of misinformation and disinformation, the role of the primary care physician in order to establish trust back in the system, and the intersection of politics and policy and how it affects healthcare.

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook @ericfethkemd and checkout my website at www.EricFethkeMD.com.

My brand new book, The Privilege of Caring, is out now on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP6H6QN4

A conversation with Hugo Campos

“AI can help patients make better choices about their life and about their healthcare.”

Renowned patient advocate and White House Champion of Change, our guest Hugo Campos shares his personal journey into healthcare advocacy - revealing why he believes we are entering an era with huge potential for patients, clinicians, and the healthcare system as a whole.

But he notes a word of caution: powerful tools like AI need to be implemented carefully, in a way that encourages collaboration, promotes patient empowerment, and above all, optimises outcomes.

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We spoke about  Hugo’s journey into becoming an advocate, his interest in artificial intelligence technology, the role of the patient-physician relationship, and some of the ideas for how AI could be used in healthcare in the future.

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook @ericfethkemd and checkout my website at www.EricFethkeMD.com.

My brand new book, The Privilege of Caring, is out now on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP6H6QN4

A conversation with Rosie Bartel

Nurturing the patient-physician partnership is the only way to heal healthcare.

Sharing her lived experience with openness and honesty is Rosie Bartel, a patient advocate and survivor of preventable medical error. Since contracting MRSA after a routine knee replacement surgery, Rosie has channelled a hugely difficult and prolonged healthcare experience into a mission for systemic change.

As she states, patient safety is a bipartisan issue, and we must ensure continued collaboration and communication between physicians, policymakers, executives and most importantly, patients themselves.

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We spoke about Rosie's journey, why she believes patient advocacy is so important, the importance of breaking down silos that prevent communication, how patients can become their own advocates, and her solutions for developing relationships in healthcare that are rooted in trust.

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook @ericfethkemd and checkout my website at www.EricFethkeMD.com.

My brand new book, The Privilege of Caring, is out now on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP6H6QN4

This episode is a collaboration with Doctors for America.

"This issue has been affecting my sleep. I'm not sleeping and I'm a pretty good sleeper, so this must be bothering me."

In this powerful special episode of the Pursuit of Health podcast, Dr. Eric Fethke collaborates with Doctors for America to sound the alarm about the proposed $880 billion in Medicaid cuts over ten years - a cut larger than the program's entire annual budget.

Using the fictional Smith family as a case study, Dr. Fethke illustrates how Medicaid is essential for everyday Americans: from a farm manager with a green card, to a mother pursuing nursing education, a son in addiction recovery, a pregnant wife with diabetes, and a grandmother with early Alzheimer's.

Dr. Fethke explains that Medicaid serves as a crucial lifeline, supporting rural hospitals, covering 1 in 4 children, and providing essential care for the elderly, disabled, and those with chronic conditions. The episode features insights from Dr. Don Berwick, former head of CMS, who warns against "blaming the poor" for healthcare system issues.

"Medicaid is the largest single health insurance provider in the country. It's bigger than Medicare, and most people don't know that. Even doctors... 26% of all Americans receive health care through Medicaid."

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As a special thank-you to our listeners, DFA is offering 35% off your first year of membership! Just use the code PURSUIT at checkout to take advantage of this exclusive offer.

To learn more about DFA and how you can get involved, visit www.doctorsforamerica.org. You’ll also find all the details and links in our show notes.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1O1ApRxGzx2cxvxWFI_kMXP6GOvUfcJngmSZHS4IkqL0/edit?usp=sharing

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook @ericfethkemd and checkout my website at www.EricFethkeMD.com.

My brand new book, The Privilege of Caring, is out now on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP6H6QN4