Primary Care Today

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Discussing innovative ENT treatments on the horizon for patients who experience loss of taste and smell is Dr. Edmund Pribitkin, Professor of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP How has the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model for primary care evolved since its inception? Speaking on this subject is Dr. William Warning, Program Director of the Crozer-Keystone Family Medicine Residency Program in Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Warning is also the Faculty Chair of the Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians Residency Program PCMH Collaborative, the largest Family Medicine Residency collaborative in the country. He is a speaker both regionally and nationally on PCMH implementation and interprofessional team-based care.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Joining Dr. Brian McDonough to talk about the roles of obstetrics and gynecology in primary care and medical education is Dr. James Cosgrove, Chairman of OB/GYN at Saint Francis Hospital in Wilmington, DE. They will discuss the importance of OB/GYNs keeping their primary care colleagues informed of patient screenings, surgeries, and conditions in order to enhance the level of care. Dr. Cosgrove will also touch on admission to medical schools, the importance of understanding the business side of medicine, and future advances in OB/GYN care.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Dr. Brian McDonough welcomes Dr. Eric Topol, Scripps Health Chief Academic Officer and Editor-in-Chief of Medscape, to discuss the vision and research behind his book The Creative Destruction of Medicine. Dr. Topol reflects on the evolving personalization of medical care facilitated by technological advancements, and how health systems can leverage the personalized medicine movement toward greater transparency in care for patients.  

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Dr. Brian McDonough is joined by Dr. Beverly Cowart from the Monell Chemical Sciences Center to talk about the neurobiological underpinnings of anosmia (loss of smell), the ways in which this condition presents clinically, and perspectives on how targeted treatments will be developed down the road.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Dr. Brian McDonough is joined by David Brooks, CEO of Medlio. Medlio is a secure, virtual health insurance card that provides cost transparency for patients and providers. Mr. Brooks shares his insights on how emerging mobile technologies can drive primary care practice toward greater efficiency alongside better outcomes for patients.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP "Doctors 'Google' their patients. In fact, the vast majority of physicians I know have done so... But it surprises me that more physicians don't pause and think about what it means for the patient-doctor relationship." This an excerpt by physician and author Dr. Haider Warraich from his New York Times article titled "When Doctors ‘Google' Their Patients." Join host Dr. Brian McDonough for an interesting discussion on the ethical ramifications of this trending practice among clinicians.  

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP In America, we spend over 2.6 trillion dollars on health care each year, yet we rank 37th in the world for health care outcomes. Speaking on this and other stark revelations of American healthcare is Dr. Ted Epperly, author of the Fractured: America's Broken Health Care System and What We Must Do to Heal it. In this discussion, Dr. Epperly draws on his decades of experience as a family physician to identify the system s gaps and disparities and propose a compelling strategy to mend them, with the goal of creating an integrated, accessible, patient-centered approach to health and medicine.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP "There's no such thing as alternative medicine. There's only medicine that works and medicine that doesn't." This is a perspective shared by Dr. Paul Offit. In his book, Do You Believe in Magic? The Sense and Nonsense of Alternative Medicine, Dr. Offit offers a scathing exposé of the alternative medicine industry, revealing how popular therapies leverage efficacy via the placebo response despite being ineffective, expensive, and in some cases even deadly.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Pulse, an online magazine founded in 2008, uses stories and poems to tell the story of health care through the personal experiences of those who live it: patients, health professionals, students and caregivers. Joining Dr. Brian McDonough to speak about this creative outlet for reflecting on the giving and receiving of medical care is Dr. Paul Gross, Pulse's Editor-in-Chief and Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Social Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Why do only 7-8% of medical school graduates nationwide choose Family Medicine, and what can be done on both micro and macro levels to counter this disparaging trend for primary care practice? Dr. Richard Young, Director of Research and Associate Program Director at the JPS Family Medicine Residency Program in Fort Worth, TX, discusses this issue in detail. Hosted by Dr. Brian McDonough. 

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Host Dr. Brian McDonough is joined by Susan Weiner, a dietician based in Long Island, NY and author of The Complete Diabetes Organizer: Your Guide to a Less Stressful and More Manageable Diabetes Life. Their discussion offers tips for clinicians to better help their patients with this chronic condition.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Discussing ways in which general practitioners can "tackle" common sports injuries in practice is Dr. James Andrews, an orthopedic surgeon who practices in Birmingham, Alabama at the Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center. He also serves as the team doctor for Alabama, Auburn, and the NFL's Washington Redskins. Dr. Andrews is arguably the most renowned orthopedic surgeon in his profession for knee, elbow, and shoulder injuries; his roster of professional athlete patients has included Michael Jordan, Jack Nicklaus, Emmitt Smith, Charles Barkley, Robert Griffin III, Roger Clemens, and Brett Favre.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Host Dr. Brian McDonough is joined by Dr. Steven Davis, Chief of Plastic Surgery at Kennedy Memorial Hospital, Cherry Hill and Washington Township Divisions, and Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at UMDNJ and PCOM. Their discussion centers on the emerging roles of cosmetic surgery in primary care, including the risks versus benefits in providing basic cosmetic procedures for patients in general practice.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Roughly 300,000 Americans are diagnosed with Lyme disease each year. However, despite this surprisingly high incidence, Lyme disease doesn't always present in the same way and co-infections with other tick-borne illnesses frequently occur, complicating the diagnosis. Dr. Kathleen Spreen, author of the recently published Compendium of Tick-Borne Disease-A Thousand Pearls, shares insights on common clinical misconceptions about Lyme Disease as well as her experiences in life and practice which propelled the creation of this important resource.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Host Dr. Brian McDonough welcomes Dr. David Lubarsky, Chief Medical and System Integration Officer and Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Medicine and Pain Management at University of Miami Health System. Their topic of discussion is the dilemma of pain complaints and how to evaluate legitimate chronic pain, medication-seeking behaviors, or combinations of the two. Dr. Lubarsky also speaks on when to consider alternatives to prescription narcotics, as well as the right time to refer patients to pain specialists.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP In the field of primary care, changing practice standards demand unique approaches from today's and tomorrow's generations of physicians. Dr. Khuram R Ghumman, MD, MPH, Medical Director of the Hartford HealthCare Medical Group in Enfield, CT, discusses his perspectives and expectations of the shifting healthcare landscape from a primary care point of view.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Joining Dr. Brian McDonough is Dr. Tom Linden, the Glaxo Wellcome Distinguished Professor of Medical Journalism at the University of North Carolina. Dr. Linden directs the Medical & Science Journalism Program, one of the nation's first master's programs in medical journalism. He is also the author of "The New York Times Reader: Health & Medicine," a compendium of more than 50 stories featuring condensed interviews with Times reporters and a how-to manual for aspiring medical and health reporters.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Dr. Marcia Pelchat, physiological psychologist and Associate Member of the Monell Chemical Senses Center, discusses her research on the neuroscience and behavioral psychology of eating disorders, from picky eating to food addiction. She also describes current recovery methods for patients with recent-onset anosmia, or loss of the sense of smell. 

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP The Patient-Centered Medical Home is a frequently discussed model for improving general practice, but converting from an ideal to a practical reality has been difficult for many clinicians on the front lines of care. Speaking on the triumphs and setbacks of this transitional period in practice is Dr. Hugh Bonner, Associate Director of the Saint Francis Family Medical Residency Program and past-president of the Delaware Academy of Family Physicians.