We meet the Cancer Connection of Western Massachusetts where Chelsea Kline and Laura Carboni explain the history and model of supportive care services for people with a cancer diagnosis. This unique approach to support patients is a national model that could be expanded or replicated.

We interview Dr Andrew Lam who is a retina surgeon, historian and author about his latest book, "The Masters of Medicine: Our Greatest Triumphs in the Race to Cure Humanity's Deadliest Diseases." The book is a fascinating look into the innovators, mavericks and researchers who- through parts genius, parts courageous , and parts dumb luck - gave us the medical breakthroughs that help so many people.

We lost a real leader in healthcare this year. Dr Lucian Leape - the father of patient safety - helped us be aware of the problem and made us appreciate a different path to improve patient safety. He was an inspiration to us, and we still have a long way to go. How safe is healthcare?

We discuss why health insurance is so expensive and what is the history of insurance in the US. We talk about why health insurance is being linked to employment as we think about medicaid as well as universal coverage.

PLUS we discuss the fate of the US Preventive Services Task Force, the committee that has had the respect of so many to help guide our health coverage for preventive care. Will it still exist or suffer political fallout? Who and what will repace it? Where will doctors go for trusted advice?

In this episode we take on 3 topics plus we have our "misinformation nation" segment. We discuss 1. a proposed bill in Massachusetts to create a Medicare For All single payer system, 2. Who decides how much physicians get paid by specialty and a new proposed rule to change it and 3. What will the medicaid cuts impact be on rural hospitals

Bill and Evan discuss the administrative changes and the trends in the country that have affect the functioning and reputation of public health.

We have a very special show with guest Naturopathic physician, Dr Amy Rothenberg. We discuss naturopathy, its integration with western medicine and her book, "You Finished Treatment, Now What: A Field Guide for Cancer Survivors", an Amazon Best Seller and recipient of a Nautilus Book Award. 

Physician and Musician Dr Peter Weitzman joines to discuss the role music plays in medicine and vice versa. Peter shares some original songs inspired by his practice of medicine. A slightly different episode for CareTalk but very rich in thought and music

Dr Shahin Tabatabaei is a distinguished urological surgeon and healthcare leader who was inspired to look at creating a new appraoch to healthcare that he calls TABA Health. His model surrounds a patient with layers of care, support and treatments not seen in our "sick" care system. Listen to this inspiring interview!

We invited health policy expert and friend of CareTalk, Dr Mike Miller, back on the show to discuss the new MAHA report and the recent budget bill. We talk about the emerging issues coming from Washington DC that will affect health and healthcare

This week there was an open letter signed by thousands of health professionals sounding the alarm on the potential impact of the new administration's health and healthcare policies. We discuss the letter and share the content. In addition we discuss how AI generated documentation of physician notes can impact the doctor-patient relationship and care in general.

S4E6: Supporting the VA health system. We discuss the proposed cuts to the VA Health System with Guests and Veteran Advocates Steve Conner and John Paredis from Hampshire County, Massachusetts. The Veterans administration has played an important role for our nation’s veterans and the proposed cuts may hit it hard.

We have a fascinating conversation with pediatrician Dr David Gottsegen regarding his new book, "Mending the Body with the mind: Harnessing Children's Superpowers to heal and stay healthy". We also discuss his views as a practicing pediatrician on autism and vaccines.

We discuss the new report from the Commonwealth Fund that compares the performance of the US Health system to other countries. Who is the fairest of them all?

We interview Dr Jeff Zesiger of Massachusetts to discuss hospice care- what is it? who qualifies? how does it differ from palliative and medical aid in dying? what do people need to know about death?

We had a great discussion with Dr Greg Adaka, an Emergency Physician who has practiced in Nigeria, the UK, and the US. He is currently medical director for Miami-Dade County Corrections where he spends time thinking about health systems. We compare the three health systems and have fun along the way. What can we learn to improve the US health system?

We interview Dr Geeta Nayyar "Dr G" regarding misinformation in healthcare. Her book "Dead Wrong" is the focus of our conversation on the problem and a path forward to manage mis and dis-information.

We discuss the role of and training of Nurse Practitioners in Healthcare with Jon Liebman, MPH, NP, former medical director and primary care NP at a federally qualified health center in Massachusetts

We interview three Williams College pre-med students on their ideas of a career in medicine. They recently took a class on healthcare and are we discuss the future of medicine with them.

We interview Dr Neil Kudler, a primary care physician who has practiced HIV care, Palliative Care and is medical marijuana certifier in Massachusetts. We talk about caring for patients with complex needs and the role of Cannabis in healthcare.