Healthcare Economics Series 1 Episode 2This week focuses on all the fixed, variable, and hidden costs that come with running a medical office — from rent and staff salaries to gloves and lobby snacks — and walks through calculating the monthly and hourly cost of staying open.
https://www.aafp.org/pubs/fpm/issues/2023/0300/understanding-rvus.html
https://medicineuncorked.com/
What if everything you thought about healthcare was only half the story?
In this eye-opening debut episode, host Michael Ipock uncorks the financial truth behind modern medicine. From the rent you never see to the CPT codes that determine your provider’s paycheck, we explore why every provider — from physicians to front desk staff — is part of a system built like a business.
We dive into the “eat what you kill” payment model, the real meaning of fee-for-service vs. PMPM, and why understanding your hourly burn rate might be the most important lesson you never learned in school.
Whether you’re a patient, student, doctor, nurse practitioner, PA, MA, or office manager — this episode will change the way you view the exam room.
In this episode:
Why providers are also entrepreneurs
The true cost of running a medical office
FFS vs. PMPM explained in plain English
How reimbursement really works — and why it’s unfair
What every provider needs to know to survive
🎧 Grab your favorite drink and get ready to challenge what you thought you knew about healthcare. It’s time to uncork the truth.
🎙️ Medicine Uncorked – The Truth Behind Healthcare, One Glass at a Time
Welcome to Medicine Uncorked — where healthcare gets real and the wine flows freely. Hosted by Michael Ipock, Nurse Practitioner and healthcare entrepreneur, this podcast uncorks the messy truth about the American healthcare system.
From outrageous insurance costs to behind-the-scenes billing secrets, Medicine Uncorked breaks down the economics, ethics, and everyday frustrations they don’t teach in school — or tell you in the exam room.
Each week, we sip something smooth and talk:
🏥 Why healthcare costs so much
🧾 What providers wish they could say
đź’¬ The conversations patients and professionals should be having
🍷 …with a little wine and a lot of truth
Subscribe for honest insights, real stories, and a toast to fixing the system — one episode at a time.
