Omicron Could Be as Deadly as Delta, Boosters’ Short Protection &‘Dangerous’ Oral COVID Pill from Merck: A Talk With William Haseltine

This week hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with renowned virus expert Dr. William Haseltine who has ‘grave concerns’ about Merck’s oral COVID drug Malnupiravir, which recently won narrow approval from the FDA advisory panel. He says the drug unleashes ‘dangerous’ mutations that could evolve the virus beyond control. He’s also urging extreme caution as the highly infectious omicron variant is sweeping across the US, saying it could be as deadly as the delta variant and that boosters may offer only limited protection of 3 months. Dr Haseltine, who developed the Anthrax vaccine and is President of ACCESS Health International, says public health protocols of masking, rapid testing and social distancing should be put back in place during this next surge.

AMA's First African American Female President, Dr. Patrice Harris on Quest for Health Equity

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Patrice Harris, the 174th President of the American Medical Association and the first African American woman to hold the post. She talks about the AMA's efforts to innovate for the evolving health care of the 21st century, with a focus on tackling the opioid crisis, addressing racial disparities in the medical profession, and advancing health coverage, equity and behavioral health parity for all Americans.

Dr. William Hanson, author of Smart Medicine: How the Changing Role of Doctors Will Revolutionize Health Care.

This week, Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. William Hanson about the changes the medical profession is undergoing in the U.S. and how tomorrow's primary care providers are being shaped by technology and a team-based approach to delivering health care. Dr. Hanson's new book is called Smart Medicine: How the Changing Role of Doctors Will Revolutionize Health Care.

Discussing issues of aging in America, and the impact of both health reform and innovations supporting the health and well-being of our elders.

Today, Conversations on Health Care® turns its focus to health reform and innovation as they relate to aging. Jennie Chin Hansen, President of AARP, joins us to talk about the priorities and concerns of AARP’s 40 million members and the organization—and the kinds of innovations that Ms. Hansen has pioneered over a long career as a nurse, gerontologist, and executive.

Flint Water Crisis Whistle Blower Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha on the Aftermath of the Poisoning of a City

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Pediatrician and public health activist, Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, who exposed the Flint Water Crisis brought on by state and city officials who switched Flint's water supply. She discusses her book on the crisis, "What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance and Hope in an American City" which exposes government efforts to deny their role, and the ongoing community-wide effort to address the public health crisis.

Flint Water Crisis Whistle Blower Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha on the Aftermath of the Poisoning of a City

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Pediatrician and public health activist, Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, who exposed the Flint Water Crisis brought on by state and city officials who switched Flint's water supply. She discusses her book on the crisis, "What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance and Hope in an American City" which exposes government efforts to deny their role, and the ongoing community-wide effort to address the public health crisis.

Dr. Margaret Hamburg, Foreign Secretary of the National Academy of Medicine

This week hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Margaret Hamburg, Foreign Secretary for the National Academy of Medicine at the National Academy of Sciences and recent Commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Hamburg discusses the changes initiated at the FDA under her leadership and the enormous challenge of keeping the nation's drug and food stream safe in a globalized supply chain.

$13K Per American for Health Care: What Are We Getting?

Each American now spends an average of nearly $13,000 a year on health care. We have one of the highest health care costs in the world but we don’t lead on the best outcomes. How can we get more value from the $4 trillion in total the U.S. spends on health care?

Dr. Margaret Hamburg is co-chair of the Health Affairs Council on Health Care Spending and Value, which has been looking at that question. Their recommendations range from administrative streamlining to spending growth targets.

Hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter have her unpack the report and ask this former U.S. Food & Drug Administration commissioner what bumps are ahead for what they call a “roadmap to value.”

Mental Health’s AI Revolution: What It Means for Patients & Providers

How is the long-held image of a psychiatrist with a couch in an office being replaced by artificial intelligence? And what are the promises and perils of using technology to help treat depression and anxiety? Dr. Jodi Halpern is a psychiatrist, noted author and co-founder of the University of California’s Berkeley Group for Ethics and Regulation of Innovative Technologies.

Research shows that 26% of adult Americans have a diagnosable mental health situation each year, and private industry is rushing to provide AI and bots to help patients navigate these issues. However, Dr. Halpern explains the ethical problems that are arising from the marketing of these services. Join us for this insightful “Conversations on Health Care” with hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter.

Alexa and Telemedicine in Health Care: Harvard's Dr. John Halamka on Promising Health Tech Trends to Watch

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. John Halamka, Chief Information Officer for Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston where he has launched a new endeavor: the Health Technology Exploration Center. The lab is an incubator for studying emerging technologies in health care such as telemedicine, genomics, blockchain, wearables and smart speakers like Alexa that could potentially improve clinical workflow, data sharing and outcomes.

Telehealth, Testing and Contact Tracing: Dr. John Halamka on COVID-19 Healthcare Coalition

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. John Halamka, President of the Mayo Clinic Platform, a partnership with Google and multiple entities to improve healthcare through better data. He recently launched the COVID-19 Healthcare Coalition, with more than 800 private sector and academic partners collaborating on multiple fronts to combat COVID-19. They discuss the “five phases” to a “new normal” including isolation, infection and antibody testing, contact tracing and vaccine development as precursors fully reopening society.

Pres. Trump’s HIV/AIDS Record: A Look Back & Ahead

HIV/AIDS experts are cautiously watching as President Trump and his administration near inauguration day. On one hand, they remember how President Trump announced in 2019 his initiative called Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America. It included Ready, Set, PrEP, a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services initiative that provides free access to the HIV prevention medication PrEP for thousands of qualifying individuals.

But there are worries “about the next four years because we’re hearing about a potential decrease in funding,” that will be detrimental to programs, according to Dr. Marwan Haddad, Medical Director of the Center for Key Populations, Community Health Center, Inc., and a former chair of the HIV Medicine Association.

Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, Ph.D., MPH, Executive Director, Institute for Policy Solutions at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, highlighted these issues as communities recognized World AIDS Day on Dec. 1. For instance, the CDC reports new HIV infections fell by 19% from 2018 to 2022 but there’s been a 12% increase in infections among Latino people.

Our guests join hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter to discuss progress and the hurdles that still exist in the fight to end AIDS.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta on "Chasing Life": CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Talks About His Search for Secrets to Longevity Around the World

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Neurosurgeon at Emory Clinic and Chief Medical Correspondent at CNN, on his new series, "Chasing Life" which explores areas around the world with exceptional longevity, happiness and wellbeing. He delves into the secrets to healthier lives in those places, and also examines the epidemic of stress in America and how it is leading to poor health outcomes and reduced life expectancy.

Robin Guenther, FAIA, Sustainable Healthcare Design Expert

This week on Conversations on Health Care, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Robin Guenther, FAIA, Principal at the global architectural firm Perkins & Will and a Senior Advisor to Healthcare Without Harm. Ms. Guenther, a leading expert on sustainable design in health care, addresses the growing trend of green building design in the health care industry, leading to a reduced carbon footprint as well as healthier, more sustainable buildings.

Dr. Paul Grundy, IBM’s global director of health care and founder of the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative.

Conversations on Health Care® focuses this week on corporations striving for better value in purchasing health care. Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Paul Grundy, IBM’s global director of health care and founder of the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative, about providing patient-centered primary care as a standard of care not only for large corporations, but for communities small and large.

Dr. Jonathan Gruber, MIT Economist and Health Reform Architect

This week on Conversations on Health Care, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter discuss health care reform with MIT Health Economist Dr. Jonathan Gruber, one of the chief architects of health care reform in Massachusetts, and a significant contributor to the development of the Affordable Care Act health reform legislation. Dr. Gruber discusses the economics underlying health reform, and his recent “graphic novel,” Health Care Reform: What it is, Why it’s Necessary, How it Works, which translates complex legislation into simple terms for consumers.

Jonathan Gruber, PhD, MIT Economist

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Jonathan Gruber, Health Economist and Professor of Economics at MIT. Gruber is the key architect of the Massachusetts health reform as well as the Affordable Care Act and discusses the successes as well as legal challenges facing the health care law moving forward.

Drs. Jerome Groopman and Pamela Hartzband, authors of the new book Your Medical Mind.

This week, Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Jerome Groopman, a Harvard physician and New Yorker staff writer, and Dr. Pamela Hartzband, an endocrinologist and faculty member at Harvard Medical School, about their new book Your Medical Mind: How to Decide What is Right for You. They explore what influences our medical decisions - from personal biases to statistical influences on decisions to test and treat.

Better Primary Care: What Will It Take to Get the U.S. to Wake Up to the Need?

U.S. spending on primary care fell again, to a mere 4.6% of total health care dollars spent. Primary Care Collaborative is the only national multi-stakeholder organization focused on whole-person primary care.

Primary Care Collaborative President & CEO Ann Greiner joins hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter to discuss better compensation and reimbursement for primary care clinicians and efforts to increase training, expanding access to community health centers, and opportunities for primary care to help as the country faces a mental health crisis.

What will it take to get the United States to wake up to the need for better primary care? Tune into this week’s conversation to learn more.

Dr. Harry Greenspun, Deloitte Center for Health Solutions

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Harry Greenspun, Sr. Advisor for Healthcare Transformation and Technology at the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions where his focus is on key health information technology and clinical transformation issues. He discusses the obstacles to meaningful use of HIT and the solutions they are focused on implementing.