Straight Talk Md: Health | Medicine | Healthcare Policy | Health Education | Anesthesiology

Today’s episode comes directly from The A-Files [The Anesthesia Files] Case# 472: “The Twilight Zone.” In this remarkable case, I discovered what happens to patients who are sent into “The Twilight Zone” for surgery. FYI: The A-Files are all true stories.

Dike Drummond MD discusses the dilemma of physician burnout, and some strategies for prevention. Dike is the author of “Stop Physician Burnout: When Working Harder isn’t Working,” and the CEO and creator of The Happy MD website.

We continue the discussion on physician burnout with Paul DeChant and Diane Shannon, authors of “Preventing Physician Burnout: Curing the Chaos and Returning Joy to the Practice of Medicine."

Today’s show is in honor of National Doctor’s Day. “A Sick Profession” is a three part series on the growing crisis of physician burnout, why the problem is growing, and the toll it’s taking on doctors and the healthcare system.

The TrumpCare bill died before it ever reached a vote in the House. Today, we examine “The Death of TrumpCare: How It Happened and Why It May Become Donald Trump’s Greatest Victory.”

This is a special edition of STMD from the "Frankly Speaking" files. Frank Sweeny tells the Allegory of the Bus as recited to him from the Master, and he explains how the lesson learned can be applied to TrumpCare.

On March 6, 2017, the House Republicans released their highly anticipated bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, called “The American Health Care Act,” or AHA. From the moment the bill was released, it came under fire from Democrats, Republicans, conservative groups, progressive organizations, the AARP, and nearly all healthcare advocacy groups. Today, Ron Howrigon and I perform a warm autopsy on the corpus of TrumpCare, and discuss why it is being opposed by virtually every segment of the healthcare delivery system and the AARP.

In his recent address to Congress, President Trump said he intends to repeal and replace Obamacare. Because Obamacare is literally a matter of life and death for many Americans, any plan to repeal and replace it will affect the lives of millions of people who depend on it. We examine the impact of the repeal and replacement of Obamacare with Dr. Rick Mayes, a former George Bush Sr. Administration Medicaid policy advisor.

The war on science may soon include a war on vaccines. Donald Trump still publicly expresses the idea that vaccines are associated with autism, which is at odds with the conclusion of the CDC, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the NIH, and virtually every other scientific agency in every country that has studied vaccine safety. Now Trump is reportedly forming a “Golden Vaccine Safety Task Force,” ostensibly to make vaccines “safer” and “assure scientific integrity.” Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an environmental attorney who still openly expresses a belief that vaccines cause autism, is on his list of people under consideration to chair that committee. In this episode, Dr. Paul Offit, an internationally respected authority on vaccine safety, separates vaccine facts from fiction.

In this episode, we tackle some of the most controversial ethical questions that arise in human enhancement, and the ethical approach to building a better human.

In honor of National Women Physicians Day, we speak with Dr. Karen Sibert, a nationally recognized MD anesthesiologist, a former professional writer for the Wall Street Journal, and author of one of the most widely read medical blogs, A Penned Point.

Burnout research pioneer, Dr. Christina Maslach, discusses job burnout, and what we can do about it.

For the anniversary of the Roe versus Wade decision, I talk with bioethicist Gregory Pence about abortion, Roe v. Wade, and the highly controversial Kenneth Edelin Case.

International anti-doping policy expert, Professor Paul Dimeo, discusses the circumstances surrounding the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s decision to strip Lance Armstrong of his medals, and ban him from competition.

Dr. Sweeny and Dr. Paul Yost discuss the recent FDA warning on the use of general anesthetics and sedation drugs in young children and pregnant women.

Ron Howrigon talks about his new book, “Flatlining: How Healthcare could Kill the U.S. Economy.” He discusses the looming economic crisis in healthcare that could be far bigger and more widespread than the auto industry and the housing market crashes combined.

Bioethicist Gregory Pence discusses ethical issues in treating alcoholism.

Sam Quinones joins us to talk about his book, Dreamland, and the origin and evolution of the prescription painkiller and heroin addiction epidemic in the U.S.

Dr. Anna Lembke discusses “Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health” and what we can do about the addiction epidemic in America.

The executive director of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing, Andrew Kolodny, discusses the prescription opioid and heroin addiction crisis.