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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012

Dr. Otis Brawley, Chief Medical Officer of the American Cancer Society

This week, Mark and Margaret speak with Dr. Otis Brawley, Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President of the American Cancer Society. Dr. Brawley speaks about his new book, “How We Do Harm: A Doctor Breaks Ranks and Talks About Being Sick in America”. Dr Brawley explores racial and ethnic disparities in cancer survival and looks at the costs incurred from overuse of certain cancer screenings that are not leading to better health outcomes.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

Congressman Patrick Kennedy, Co-Founder of One Mind for Research

This week, Mark and Margaret speak with former Congressman Patrick Kennedy, Co-Founder of One Mind for Research. The Congressman discusses One Mind’s goal to cure all diseases of the brain within 10 years by creating a broad-based, global coalition of partners engaged in research, funding and advocacy.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 2012

Dr. Valerie Arkoosh, President of the National Physicians Alliance

This week, Mark and Margaret speak with Dr. Valerie Arkoosh, President of the National Physicians Alliance, an organization founded to restore trust in the medical profession by eliminating conflicts of interest. Dr. Arkoosh discusses their “Un-Branded Doctor” initiative which urges physicians to refuse payments of any kind from the pharmaceutical and medical device industry, and talks about the organization’s “Good Stewardship” program which calls for doctors and patients to reduce costly and unnecessary tests.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2012

Dr. Joel Kupersmith, Chief Research and Development Officer, Veterans Health Administration

This week, Mark and Margaret speak with Dr. Joel Kupersmith, Chief Research and Development Officer of the Veterans Health Administration who heads numerous research initiatives at the VA. Dr. Kupersmith discusses the creation of The Million Veterans Program, which is seeking to compile the largest data bank of genetic information in the nation for ongoing research. He outlines the benefits of the VA's long-standing use of electronic health records to better track patients' health as well as yielding meaningful data for research.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2012

Dr. Amelia Haviland, Senior Statistician on Health Insurance for the RAND Corporation

This week, Mark and Margaret speak with Dr. Amelia Haviland, Senior Statistician on Health Insurance for the RAND Corporation, a non-profit organization committed to improving public policy through non-partisan research and analysis. Dr. Haviland discusses RAND's in-depth study of the rapid growth of consumer-directed, high-deductible insurance policies in the private insurance market. She also explores their potential to save tens of billions of dollars in health care costs annually, while cautioning that such plans could lead to diminished health outcomes for consumers of these plans.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 2012

Cecile Richards, President of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America

This week, Mark and Margaret speak with Cecile Richards, President of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America who discusses the millions of Americans receiving basic health care through the organization and the expansion of health information outreach to tens of millions via the internet and social media. Ms. Richards also discusses the numerous legal challenges to Planned Parenthood on the state and national levels.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012

Dr. Eric Topol, Cardiologist, Geneticist and Director of the Scripps Translational Institute.

This week, Mark and Margaret speak with Dr. Eric Topol, Director of the Scripps Translational Institute and author of The Creative Destruction of Medicine: How the Digital Revolution Will Create Better Health Care. Mark and Margaret speak with Dr. Topol about the pivotal role genomics and telemedicine are having on health care, and the potential for a health care revolution with these emerging technologies.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 2012

Dr. Sonia Ehrlich Sachs, Director of Health, Millennium Villages Project

This week, Mark and Margaret speak with Dr. Sonia Ehrlich Sachs, Director of Health, Millennium Villages Project at the Earth Institute at Columbia University. Dr. Sachs discusses the Millennium Project Goals to eliminate extreme global poverty by 2015. This model has greatly improved maternal and infant health outcomes in targeted regions of Africa through the use of community health workers, improved agriculture and nutrition, and development of local health systems.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 2, 2012

John Hoffman, Vice President of HBO Documentary Films, Executive Producer of "Weight of the Nation"

This week, Mark and Margaret speak with Emmy Award-winning filmmaker John Hoffman, Vice President of HBO Documentary Films and Executive Producer of the "Weight of the Nation", a four-part documentary series produced in conjunction with the Institute of Medicine and the National Institute of Health, that explores the growing epidemic of obesity in this country. Mr. Hoffman speaks about HBO's commitment to using the documentary platform to publicize the causes of obesity, and engage communities in a dialogue about actions and solutions.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

Daniel Wolfson, Executive Vice President and COO of the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Daniel Wolfson, Executive Vice President and COO of the ABIM Foundation, which recently launched the “Choosing Wisely” campaign in conjunction with Consumer Reports and nine medical societies. The campaign seeks to reduce the overuse of unnecessary medical tests which waste limited healthcare resources, pose additional risks to patients and drive up healthcare costs in this country.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 2012

Brian Dolan, Co-Founder and Managing Editor of MobiHealthNews

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Brian Dolan, Co-Founder and Managing Editor of MobiHealthNews – the online publication monitoring new developments in mobile health technology. Dolan discusses the myriad health and medical applications for mobile phones and tablets that have the power to revolutionize how healthcare is delivered moving forward and how consumers participate in their health care.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2012

Dr. David Cutler, Professor of Applied Economics at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with noted Harvard Health Economist David Cutler, who has been studying the economics of health care reform for over 20 years. Professor Cutler was instrumental in crafting the health care reform legislation during the Clinton Administration and was Senior Health Advisor to President Obama’s campaign. He analyzes the recent Supreme Court hearings on the Affordable Care Act and explores the economic foundation for the health care reform legislation. Dr. Cutler offers a long view of the direction health care reform is headed in light of the current political and legal challenges to the Affordable Care Act.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2012

Dr. Frederick Southwick, Harvard Fellow and Author of “Critically Ill: A 5-Point Plan to Cure Healthcare Delivery”

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Frederick Southwick, Manager of New Quality and Safety Projects for the University of Florida and Shands Health Systems, Harvard Fellow, and author of “Critically Ill: A 5-Point Plan to Cure Healthcare Delivery”. Dr. Southwick outlines his program for increasing efficiency and improving safety in health care. His program is based on improved protocols and teamwork adopted from successful principles used in manufacturing and team sports.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 2012

Professor Timothy Jost, Washington and Lee University School of Law

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Professor Timothy Jost, Law Professor and Legal Scholar on Public Health Policy and the Affordable Care Act. Professor Jost, a frequent legal contributor to Health Affairs and NPR, discusses the Supreme Court Hearing on the Affordable Care Act; the constitutional implications and the potential outcomes of the Court's decision on the legality of the individual mandate.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2012

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, who took office just as his state was implementing the most far-reaching health reform to date in this country. Governor Patrick discusses the impact of these reforms on health, healthcare, costs, and the economy in his state and his views about the national impact of the Affordable Care Act.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012

Larry Levitt, Co-Executive Director of the Kaiser Initiative on Health Care Reform and Private Insurance

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Larry Levitt, Co-Executive Director of the Kaiser Initiative on Health Care Reform and Private Insurance. Mr. Levitt outlines a series of innovative tools his team has produced that give consumers and policy makers alike immediate information on the likely impact of the Affordable Care Act on individuals, groups and communities.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2012

Dr. Robert Wallace, Chair of the Institute of Medicine Committee on Living Well With Chronic Illness

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Robert Wallace, Chair of the Institute of Medicine Committee that recently released its report and recommendations "Living Well With Chronic Illness: A Call for Public Action". The report addresses the burden of chronic illness and suggests changes in public health policy and practice and how the country addresses chronic illness.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2012

Jamie Heywood, Co-Founder of PatientsLikeMe

This week on Conversations on Health Care, Mark and Margaret speak with Jamie Heywood, Co-Founder of PatientsLikeMe, an online medical data-sharing portal for patients experiencing a variety of diseases. He is also founder of the ALS Therapy Development Institute, a nonprofit biotech research organization seeking a cure for Lou Gherig’s Disease. He talks about his goal of transforming medical care through patients sharing in-depth data with the public and the medical community to facilitate better treatments and disease outcomes.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

Former Senator Tom Daschle, Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Policy Center

This week hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with former Senate Majority Leader, Tom Daschle, now co-chair of the Bipartisan Policy Center. Senator Daschle discusses the Center's recent report, "Transforming Healthcare: The Role of Health IT". He outlines the steps that need to be taken to speed up the transition to universal use of electronic health records and digitized health information as a fundamental preface to real health care reform.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2012

Dr. John Moore, Director, MIT Media Lab Health and Wellness Innovation 2012

This week on Conversations on Health Care, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. John Moore, innovator of health care technology at the MIT Media Lab. Dr. Moore discusses his award-winning patient/care provider interface known as “CollaboRythm” as well as his “Health and Wellness Innovation 2012” competition in which teams of researchers, physicians and designers gathered at MIT for two weeks to invent new tech solutions to common health care problems.