How the Culture of Medicine Kills Doctors and Patients

Are you getting the medical care you hoped for? Perhaps you really like your doctor and feel listened to and well treated. Or maybe you’re frustrated with the lack of coordinated medical care, unconscious bias, and medical systems that don’t keep patients well-being at the center of their decisions. Most people agree that the US health care system is broken, but there is also a less talked about problem to address— “physician culture.” My guest, Dr. Robert Pearl, says, “Doctors are not heroes or villains. They produce remarkable successes and abysmal failures.” We’ll discuss what doctors do well, and how some miss the mark on compassionate, science based, high quality, and effective medicine for all.

**Listen now to About Health on KPFA.org—94.1FM, (7/12/21)**

https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=360279

 

ROBERT PEARL, M.D. is the former CEO of The Permanente Medical Group (1999-2017), the nation’s largest medical group, and former president of The Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group (2009-2017). In these roles he led 10,000 physicians, 38,000 staff and was responsible for the nationally recognized medical care of 5 million Kaiser Permanente members. Named one of Modern Healthcare’s 50 most influential physician leaders, he is an advocate for the power of integrated, prepaid, technologically advanced and physician-led healthcare delivery. He serves as a clinical professor of plastic surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine and is on the faculty of the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he teaches courses on strategy and leadership, and lectures on information technology and health care policy. Board certified in plastic and reconstructive surgery, Dr. Pearl received his medical degree from the Yale University School of Medicine, followed by a residency in plastic and reconstructive surgery at Stanford University.

He is the author of Mistreated: Why We think We’re Getting Good Healthcare—And Why We’re Usually Wrong,and his most recent book is, Uncaring: How the Culture of Medicine Kills Doctors and Patients. All proceeds from the book go to Doctors Without Borders.

Dr. Pearl hosts the podcasts Fixing Healthcare and Coronavirus: The Truth and he publishes a newsletter, Monthly Musings on American Healthcare. He has published more than 100 articles in medical journals and contributed to numerous books. From 2012 to 2017, Dr. Pearl served as chairman of the Council of Accountable Physician Practices (CAPP), which includes the nation’s largest and best multispecialty medical groups, and participated in the Bipartisan Congressional Task Force on Delivery System Reform and Health IT in Washington, D.C. Connect with Dr. Robert Pearl on Twitter @RobertPearlMDLinkedIn, and at his website robertpearlmd.com

Heart Based Medicine

Listen NOW to About Health (9/2/19) to learn about Heart Based Medicine and how it can change how doctors and patients relate and heal.

https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=317754

Imagine a medical system that puts the patient back into the center of healing, and where the doctor-patient relationship is the keystone to that healing. More and more medical professionals all around the world are recognizing that unless they engage their hearts, and fully connect with their patients, they are failing to offer the best version of themselves, and then their healing potential is limited. Heart Based Medicine was formed to resuscitate the heart of healing within healthcare.” www.heartbasedmedicine.org  

Guest 

Dr. Jan Bonhoeffer is Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Basel Children’s Hospital, in Switzerland. He has built and led large global research networks to improve child health, has published over 100 scientific papers and book chapters on infectious diseases and vaccines, and worked with the World Health Organization to shape global health programs. In 2015, Dr. Bonhoeffer underwent a significant shift in the way that he thought about medicine. He realized that moments of true healing occur when he is not simply executing state of the art medical knowledge, but when he is participating in a healing event with the patient, which he is not in control of. So now he focusses on the human-to-human transmission of disease and disease prevention in the way that we affect each other. He is the founder of Heart Based Medicine https://heartbasedmedicine.org/about/

Register for the Heart Based Medicine 2019 Summit (September 12-14) https://heartbasedmedicine.org/summit-registration

Homelessness: A public health crisis

Listen now to our show from  11/27/17, on KPFA.org 94.1FM

https://kpfa.org/archives

Being unhoused makes it difficult, and in some cases impossible, to access general health services. Poor health, addiction, mental illness, and violence are some things that lead to homelessness, and homelessness can make all of these things worse.

The majority of adults that experience homelessness have more than one health issue. They range from hypertension and diabetes to HIV and viral hepatitis, but the most significant reasons people go to emergency-rooms are mental illness and addiction. The sick and vulnerable become homeless, and the homeless become sicker and more vulnerable.

Guests:

Alejandro Soto-Vigil comes from a family of activists in the Bay Area. Last year he was re-elected to his second term on the Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board. After 8 years working in the City of Berkeley as a legislative aide, Alejandro now serves as the program manager for the Berkeley Drop-In Center, an organization that has served Berkeley’s homeless residents for over 25 years. Alejandro majored in political sciences at UC Berkeley. 

 

Jeffrey Seal is the medical director and interim director of Alameda County Health Care for the Homeless, as well as an Assistant Clinical Professor in the UCSF Department of Psychiatry. He has worked at the Child Psychiatry Branch of the National Institute of Mental Health. He completed his medical degree at Boston University, a psychiatry residency at UCSF, and a chief residency at San Francisco General Hospital. He grew up on the Gulf Coast of Alabama, and currently lives in Oakland CA. He is a current California Health Care Foundation Leadership fellow and has special interests in public health systems, social determinants of health, re-entry populations, and trauma.

 

Traumatic Brain Injuries: Recovery and Repair

Listen now: https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=271121

Whether you’re a professional athlete, high school soccer player, in the military, a victim of a traffic accident, or an elder who has fallen, a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) will change your brain and often your life. At least  3.17 million Americans are living with long-term disabilities related to TBI. An integrative approach is essential to healing.
Dr. Dan Engle was my guest on KPFA.org, 94.1FM, Oct.23 2017, to discuss causes and treatments of TBI’s.

Dr. Dan Engle is a psychiatrist with a clinical practice that combines aspects of regenerative medicine, psychedelic research, integrative spirituality, and peak performance.  His medical degree is from the University of Texas at San Antonio. His psychiatry residency degree is from the University of Colorado in Denver, and his child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship degree is from Oregon Health & Science University. Dr. Engle is an international consultant to several global healing centers facilitating the use of long-standing indigenous plant medicines for healing and awakening.  He is the Founder and Medical Director of Kuya Institute for Transformational Medicine in Austin, Texas; Full Spectrum Medicine, a psychedelic integration and educational platform; and Thank You Life, a non-profit funding stream supporting access to psychedelic therapies.

Dr. Engle is the author of The Concussion Repair Manual: A Practical Guide to Recovering from Traumatic Brain Injuries, as well as his new book, A Dose of Hope: A Story of MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy.

The information provided in this podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical recommendation, diagnosis, or treatment. The use of information in this podcast is at one’s own discretion, and is not an endorsement of use given the complexity inherent in these medicines, and the current variable widespread illegality of their usage. 

The unhealthy cycle of high stress and the pressured pace of modern life

Do you recognize how the pressures of life impacts your health and relationships? And do you have ways to decompress?

Many people go at a fast pace, eat on the run, work long hours, and are sleep deprived on a regular basis. Without taking time to tune in to what you’re feeling and what your body needs, you may not realize that you are regularly depleted.  Some people get sick, irritable, anxious, or become dependent on substances like caffeine, pain pills, and the internet.

On Monday, June 19th from 2-3PM, on KPFA.org, 94.1FM. My guest Peter Wright discussed the fast-paced lives most people live, and it’s effect on well-being and health.

Listen Now https://archives.kpfa.org/data/20170619-Mon1400.mp3

Guest: 

Peter Wright, MFT, is a Somatic Psychotherapist in private practice in Berkeley and San  Francisco. He is also Adjunct Faculty in the Somatics program at the California Institute for Integral Studies (CIIS), Clinical Supervisor for the Center for Somatic Psychotherapy in San Francisco, and a consultant to clinicians and social service agencies throughout the Bay Area.  Many years of personal and professional studies with the founder of Formative Psychology®, Stanley Keleman, has deepened his understanding of Formative Principles, providing the primary frame for his work.  Peter has practiced the art of Aikido for over 20 years, a practice that informs his understanding of  transition, growth, and relationships.