SoundPractice

Ellis “Mac” Knight MD, MBA has over 40 years of experience in the healthcare arena as a practicing physician, physician executive, healthcare consultant, industry thought leader, and advocate for change. 
Mike Sacopulos interviews Dr. Knight about his new book, Healthcare Economic Reform: How and Why Physicians Must Lead Change Within Our Evolving Healthcare Economy.

Although the healthcare delivery system is as full of committed idealists as it ever was, the difference now is that the current healthcare system operates within an economically and politically driven milieu that prevents it from delivering what it is designed to provide: high-value healthcare services for the patients it serves.

Healthcare Economic Reform serves as both an educational overview of how the healthcare economy operates, and a step-by-step guide for physicians to follow in pursuit of making the delivery of healthcare more satisfying. This book will address industry-wide problems and shift the focus from reform of the delivery system to reform of the healthcare economy.

Dr. Knight shares key lessons gleaned from his long career to not only provide a review of how the healthcare system operates, but also to arm physician leaders with actionable information to reform the healthcare economy and satisfy their own motivations for entering the field of medicine.

Get Dr. Knight’s book here:
https://shop.physicianleaders.org/collections/all/products/healthcare-economic-reform-how-and-why-physicians-must-lead-change-within-our-evolving-healthcare-economy

Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.org

Paradoxically, medical science has been advanced by wars and militaries. In this SoundPractice episode, Mike Sacopulos is joined by by Hassan Tetteh, MD.  Dr. Tetteh is both a thoracic surgeon specializing in heart/lung transplantation and a Mission Chief using informatics for the benefit of American service men and women. By utilizing specialized data sets available to the Department of Defense, Dr. Tetteh and his team study a myriad of health concerns including suicide prevention. As a War College graduate, Dr. Tetteh has a unique perspective on leadership and the medical profession. The U.S. Military has things to teach physicians on leadership. In a conversation that will make you feel better about paying your taxes, Dr. Tetteh covers lots of ground and offers insight into leadership.

Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.org

Death by suicide is now twice the national average (physicians and nurses) prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation’s mission is to increase awareness, advance solutions, and promote advocacy at the Federal, state, and local levels. In this episode, Mike Sacopulos interviews J. Corey Feist, JD, MBA, the Co-Founder of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation. They discuss the mission of the Foundation, Dr. Lorna Breen’s tragic story, and review sources available at https://drlornabreen.org/

Corey recently served as the Chief Executive Officer of the University of Virginia Physicians Group, the medical group practice of UVA Health comprised of 1200+ physicians and advanced practice providers. The Foundation has been doing good work, as evidenced by the recent passage of The Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act. 

Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation

https://drlornabreen.org/

https://npsaday.org/

Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.org

Although great strides have been made in diagnosing and treating breast cancer, 40,000 Americans die of the disease each year.  Today on SoundPractice, host Mike Sacopulos discusses The Wisdom Study with Laura J. Esserman, MD, MBA.  Dr. Esserman the Director of the UCSF Carol Franc Buck Breast Care Center at UC San Francisco, a professor of Surgery & Radiology at UCSF, and a practicing surgeon and breast cancer oncology specialist.

The WISDOM Study – Women Informed to Screen Depending On Measures of risk, seeks to bring together 100,000 diverse woman from across the United States to find the safest and most effective way to detect breach cancer for every woman. This study compares two approved screening approaches: annual mammograms for all women starting at age 40 or a personalized approach based on a woman’s individual risk factors for breast cancer, like her breast density, genes, and family health. Learn how your patients can participate in the Wisdom Study. This is large scale, important research you and your patients need to know about.

For physician leaders to enroll patients in the WISDOM study,

https://www.athena-wisdom.org/portal/WsdWelcome?_ga=2.267084870.994787971.1650304392-1177234189.1650304392

If you’d like to be an ambassador for the study, or to learn more, info@wisdomstudy.org

Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.org

Unfortunately, good ideas are not enough to advance healthcare.  Business skills, a team operating with clarity, and capital investments are needed. The stakes for venture capital in the healthcare sector, and for the general population could not be higher. In this episode of SoundPractice, Mike Sacopulos interviews Luis Pareras, MD, PhD, the Founding Partner of two Venture Capital funds (Healthequity and Invivo Ventures) focused in early-stage investments in the healthcare sector, where he has led the investment strategy and transaction processes.

Deeply involved in the innovation ecosystem, Dr. Pareras is a member and advisor to many healthcare innovation organizations, has served at the Board of Directors of many life-sciences companies, and is the author of, “Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Healthcare Sector:  From Idea to Funding to Launch.” He is an internationally recognized expert in the field of financing healthcare corporations.

Many physicians have tremendous ideas on ways to improve healthcare. This episode of SoundPractice will walk you through the funding process from the perspective of someone who awards the venture capital.

Covering topics such as the need for physicians to have “MBA Skills” such as negotiation and communication, what partners are looking for in business pitches, and the protection of intellectual property, enter the world of the VC in this conversation with Dr. Luis Pareras.

Luis Pareras, MD PhD
Founding Partner
Invivo Capital
www.invivo.capital
luis.pareras@invivo.capital

Dr. Pareras’ book:
https://shop.physicianleaders.org/collections/all/products/innovation-and-entrepreneurship-in-the-healthcare-sector-from-idea-to-funding-to-launch

Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.org

Physicians enter their professions with the highest of hopes and ideals for compassionate and efficient patient care. Along the way, however, consistent problems arise in their interactions with, “difficult patients.”  Addressing a problem that is rarely discussed in the patient care context, Host Mike Sacopulos interviews Dr. Joan Naidorf on her new book, Changing How We Think about Difficult Patients: A Guide for Physicians and Healthcare Professionals.

Dr. Naidorf describes the four types of difficult patients, and introduces simple, actionable tools that every physician, nurse, and care-provider can use to change their mindset.

https://shop.physicianleaders.org/collections/all/products/changing-how-we-think-about-difficult-patients-a-guide-for-physicians-and-healthcare-professionals

@JoanNaidorf

https://www.drjoannaidorf.com/

Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.org

Margaret Traub is Head of Global Initiatives for International Medical Corps, the Los Angeles-based humanitarian organization that since 1984 has delivered more than $3.9 billion in healthcare relief and training in conflict and disaster zones in 80 countries. As a member of International Medical Corps’ Emergency Response Team, Traub travels extensively to field programs around the world - including to Syria, Lebanon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Philippines, South Sudan, Nigeria, and Haiti – to assist and to advocate for those affected by crisis. Prior to joining International Medical Corps in 2005, Traub spent 17 years in print and broadcast journalism. From 2000 to 2004, she was an Executive Producer at CNN, overseeing show coverage of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the September 11th terrorist attacks, and the 2000 presidential election. 

Host Mike Sacopulos and Margaret Traub discuss the mission of International Medical Corps and the current needs in Ukraine and other disaster zones, how a physician can evaluate whether he or she is a good candidate for this type of work, the physical capabilities needed, and how physicians can support the humanitarian relief via financial donations or in consideration of a physician’s estate planning.

https://internationalmedicalcorps.org/

Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.org

Jennifer O’Brien, MSOD, has been a management consultant to physicians, served as CEO for large medical practices, and held administrative positions in academic medical centers. She describes the duties of CEO in the same category of duties for “Caregiver.” The art journal she kept as a form selfcare during her late husband's 22-month illness, was published as, The Hospice Doctor's Widow: A Journal. Jennifer educates physicians, nurses and allied health professionals about the role of family caregivers and the importance of end-of-life preparations for their own wellbeing and agency.

Host Mike Sacopulos and Jennifer O’Brien discuss the staggering statistics on family caregivers, the time involved with caregiving, the importance of wills and preparation and the transition of caregiver to griever.

Jennifer O’Brien also discusses a range of resources available for caregivers.

https://www.hospicedrswidow.com/resources   Free and downloadable tool kit – At-Peace Tool Kit:  A Guide to Being @Peace with the End-of-Life.

@DrsWidow

https://instagram.com/hospicedoctorswidow

Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.org

Incoming FDA Commissioner, Dr. Robert Califf recently announced his concern about how social media magnifies and disseminates false information about science.

Covering this topic, our SoundPractice guest today is author, technology columnist and podcast host, Kara Swisher.  Swisher has been on the tech scene since the early 1990s.  She has written for the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, and she started the “All Things Digital Conference” with Walt Mossberg, also from the Wall Street Journal, back in 2003.  These days, Kara Swisher is an editor-at-large for New York Media, a contributor to the New York Times, and a host of the podcasts “Sway,” and “Pivot.”

This engaging episode is a tutorial for physicians on the tech landscape, the lack of accountability for tech companies, and an overview of Section 230 of the Communication Decency Act.  Host Mike Sacopulos and Kara Swisher also discuss how social media has turbo charged the anti-vax messaging putting physicians on the front lines with patients, how platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Amazon and Reddit proliferate the disinformation, and what physicians and healthcare professionals can do to help stem the false information.

https://twitter.com/karaswisher

Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.org

Starting and owning a well-run, successful practice are two of the most rewarding activities in which a healthcare professional can engage. However, staying ahead of the curve in our ever-changing industry environment can feel burdensome and can be disheartening. The fact is that at the end of the day, clinicians are trained in their science, not in business. This can ultimately result in a costly, inefficient, trial-and-error approach to practice management. 

In this episode of SoundPractice, Mike Sacopulos interviews Dr. Michael Spellman.  He’s the author of the recently published, “Lucrative Practices: The Comprehensive Handbook for Healthcare Executives.” Physician leaders and practice managers would be well served to learn from Michael Spellman’s decades of experience!

Written as a business reference guide for healthcare executives, office managers and professionals in independent practice, Lucrative Practices includes detailed “how to” discussions and instructions, tips, forms, templates and guides that steer professionals away from problems and toward forward moving, financially successful management practices.

https://shop.physicianleaders.org/products/lucrative-practices-the-comprehensive-handbook-for-healthcare-executives)

Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.org