INDIANAPOLIS – The “Sound Medicine” program for Dec. 22 includes a conversation about combating the rising cost of health care, an Affordable Care Act update, and a story about the day “Sound Medicine” producer Jeremy Shere’s near-death experience.
What’s new with the Affordable Care Act? It has been three months since the Affordable Care Act website debuted with disappointing results. Consumers have had problems logging in, purchasing plans and not getting the plans they’ve purchased. “Sound Medicine” health care policy analyst Aaron Carroll, M.D., M.S., comments on the website, what’s working and isn’t working with the Affordable Care Act, and more. Dr. Carroll is a professor of pediatrics and assistant dean for research mentoring at Indiana University School of Medicine. He is also the director of the Center for Health Policy and Professionalism Research.
What does the Choosing Wisely campaign hope to accomplish? The Choosing Wisely campaign is a program directed at physicians and patients that encourages open and honest conversations about the necessity of medical tests and procedures. Richard Baron, M.D., the president and CEO of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the ABIM Foundation, joins “Sound Medicine” for a conversation about the Choosing Wisely campaign and how Consumer Reports is helping communicate its guidelines to the public.
How are physicians trying to reduce the cost of health care? Christopher Moriates, M.D., co-authored a paper in the Journal of American Medicine titled, “First Do No (Financial) Harm.” He discusses how doctors can approach the topic of finances with their patients; he also suggests the idea of a “universal” approach concerning health care costs. Dr. Moriates is an assistant clinical professor in the Division of Hospital Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.
What happened when Jeremy Shere “died?” Four years ago, “Sound Medicine” producer Jeremy Shere., Ph.D., had a routine operation to fix an irregular heartbeat. On May 28, 2009, he went to the hospital, checked in for surgery and was wheeled into the operating room. Thanks to a pocket recorder, Shere captured his surgery and near-death experience on tape. Thankfully, Shere is alive and well and joins us to share his story.
Why is there an increase in euthanasia of pets around the holidays? According to “Sound Medicine” healthy pets expert Elizabeth Murphy, DVM, the holidays are a trying time for people who own elderly pets. Dr. Murphy joins Barbara Lewis in the studio to discuss elderly pets, euthanasia, and why the holiday season presents challenges for people with elderly or sick pets.
“Sound Medicine” covers controversial ethics topics, breakthrough research studies and the day-to-day application of recent advancements in medicine. It’s also available via podcast and Stitcher Radio for mobile phones and iPads and posts updates on Facebook and Twitter.
Co-produced by the IU School of Medicine and WFYI Public Radio (90.1 FM) and underwritten in part by Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, “Sound Medicine ” airs on the following Indiana public radio stations: WBSB (Anderson, 89.5 FM), WFIU (Bloomington, 103.7 FM; Columbus, 100.7 FM; Kokomo, 106.1 FM; Terre Haute, 95.1 FM), WNDY (Crawfordsville, 91.3 FM), WVPE (Elkhart/South Bend, 88.1 FM), WNIN (Evansville, 88.3 FM), WBOI (Fort Wayne, 89.1 FM), WFCI (Franklin, 89.5 FM), WBSH (Hagerstown/New Castle, 91.1 FM), WFYI (Indianapolis), WBSW (Marion, 90.9 FM), WBST (Muncie, 92.1 FM), WBSJ (Portland, 91.7 FM), WLPR (Lake County, 89.1 FM) and WBAA (West Lafayette, 101.3 FM).
“Sound Medicine” is also broadcast on these public radio stations across the country: KSKA (Anchorage, Alaska), KTNA (Talkeetna, Alaska), KUHB (Pribilof Islands, Alaska), KUAF (Fayetteville and Fort Smith, Ark.), KIDE (Hoopa Valley, Calif.), KRCC (Colorado Springs, Colo.), KEDM (Monroe, La.), WCMU (Mount Pleasant, Mich.), WCNY and WRVO-1 (Syracuse, N.Y.), KMHA (Four Bears, N.D.), WYSU (Youngstown, Ohio), KPOV (Bend, Ore.) and KEOS (College Station, Texas).
Please check local listings for broadcast dates and times.